Age Appropriate Toys...

Let me start by saying that I know that I have a smart daughter.

I know that all of you parents out there are saying, "well, I've got a smart kid, too".  And I think that is the point I'd like to make today.

We have the no TV policy or our kid, and we also don't feed her junk food- she doesn't know what a hamburger is, she doesn't know what french fries are, she doesn't know what chocolate is, or ice cream...

I guess she's kind of a hippie's kid. :P

She absolutely LOVES books.  It's her favorite thing to do is to have you read through her entire collection of books (which have been painstakingly chosen, I might add).

But she also has some toys.  One of her favorite toys is a set of plastic nuts and bolts.  I got her this in memory of my granddad- he was fixer.  He loved to fix mechanical things...and then he stored all the extra parts or old parts in little jam jars, which were there in little boxes, which then took over the garage.

So, the nuts and bolts seemed a natural thing to give her.

When I bought, them, though, it said for ages 3+.

I was quite curious as to why....and I still haven't figured it out.  It's literally a jar full of large, colorful plastic nuts and bolts.

At first, I thought that the nuts might be a choking hazard.

But, no, I can't even get one in my mouth- if an adult can't fit one in their mouth, how is it going to be a choking hazard for a smaller child?

Then, I thought, perhaps there are sharp corners that they're worried the kid will get scratched on.

But, no, quite rounded.

The toy is also quite sturdy.

On closer inspection, I find that it's made in Japan, so it's a quality toy.

So, I can't figure out why it has a 3+ rating.  I definitely won't leave her unattended with them because it, but at 14 months, she already figured out how to put the nuts on the bolts and how to screw the nut on...

...and off..

...and on again...
...and off again...

Then then there's the part where she gets to play Eeore and pick up the bolts and put them in the jar...dump them out...and then put them in the jar again....

I think the only complaint I have about this toy is that all the nuts and bolts are different sizes (dimensions), so not all of the nuts and bolts fit together.  There are even different sizes among the same color, so, I think that's kind of the only rotten thing about them.  But it's easy enough to overcome- just set some of them in the jar that you know fit together.