A Redditor recently tapped the r/Anticonsumption community for ideas on entertaining their toddler.
"My toddler loves the 'toy' I made out of ripped up pieces of a magazine stuffed inside an empty tissue box," said the original poster. "She also loves ripping up the pages herself into ribbons. I'm looking for other ideas like this — 'toys' and activities made from household objects. We do a lot of putting things in mixing bowls but I'm looking to get others' creative ideas! (Yes, we have plenty of toys and books that she loves too!)"
It's a great spirit to take on since it helps save some money on new toys. This practice also helps keep unneeded trash out of landfills once the child outgrows certain toys. Items in landfills can cause significant damage as chemicals leach into the soil, gases are released into the atmosphere, and microplastics are shed into waterways and eventually the ocean.
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Yes — it's rotting their brains 🧠 Coming up with toys also avoids the need for manufacturing new ones. Pollution from production is high, as Yale School of the Environment reported, and the amount of plastic modern toys may make them unsafe for toddlers, per Science Daily. Luckily, there are some brands trying to do better.
Did you know that there was such a thing as toy subscription services? This way your young children can stay amused without you needing to get as inventive as the original poster here. Check out our guide on toy subscription services to find out how to get started.
Reddit community members were eager to pile in with their suggestions for keeping kids entertained with sustainable materials.
"I gave mine a broken tv remote with batteries removed and the battery compartment glued shut just in case," suggested the top commenter.
"Scavenger hunts are also fun!" suggested another. "You can do them with things around the house (e.g. one item for each color of the rainbow, things that are representative of different shapes). … Toddlers generally [appreciate] novelty more than the actual toy or project, so mix it up and get creative!"
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