Duplo lego ages ?

jackdaw

OK so my brother doesn't think tickle me Elmo would be a good gift for his 10 month old son, he said try DUPLO, but most of what i see on amazon is for ages 2+ or 1.5+ ...

CJhaughey

Duplo is way too advanced for a 10mth old, jeez at that age mine were walking but tentatively and no way would they be into sitting down and trying to stick blocks together.
How about a rattle or maraca or some other noise making device:D
Seriously they won't start making things until about 18mth-1 yr and even then it will be more like painting etc

Sleepy

From what I've seen, kids develop at such different levels that the age ranges on a lot of toys are pretty useless. My partner's son who's just turned 3 builds Jigsaws for 5+ and plays with both Duplo and 'big boy' Lego which is advertised for 4+.

Maybe go for a Duplo set that Daddy can build with (for?) him that he can play with when it's built e.g. car / truck etc and learn to build himself as he develops?

Ludo

I always thought the guide ages were more for safety than development age. i.e. toys with small parts which a baby could choke on or eat would be 2/3+

If the blocks aren't dangerous then I can't see the harm in getting them. If he doesn't get use out of them now, he will later on.

nesf

Duplo is safe, in that the kits I've seen don't contain choking hazards. It doesn't really matter if you get it too early, he'll grow into it. Just don't expect them to play with it "properly" for at least a good while.

At 10 months I'd doubt that the kid will want to build anything or have the motor skills yet but he might like watching his father build something and then breaking it apart or something similar.

noby

I agree with nesf. It's not the kind of thing he'll play with on Christmas morning, but in no time at all (or eight months, to be precise) he'll be a year and a half, and these kind of toys will become more relevant.
I think his father is right in looking ahead like this. A ten month old doesn't care for much, so best to persuade family and friends to buy gifts that he won't have grown out of come spring time.

Sleepy

Ludo wrote: »

I always thought the guide ages were more for safety than development age. i.e. toys with small parts which a baby could choke on or eat would be 2/3+

If the blocks aren't dangerous then I can't see the harm in getting them. If he doesn't get use out of them now, he will later on.

I can see the point with some toys but I can't imagine duplo ever being a choking hazard - I'd have a hard time fitting the blocks into my own mouth (and many on here would tell you it's a very big mouth at that ).

In general, it's a point well worth making though.

jackdaw

OK thanks everybody !!

nesf

jackdaw wrote: »

OK thanks everybody !!

The best advice I can give is to treat toys like clothes. When you buy new clothes you generally buy one or two "age groups" ahead so the child will get the full use out of them, I'd approach toys in the same way. Buy toys that are a few months too advanced, the child will grow into them and get use out of them even if immediately they can't make head or tail out of them. Tell him to get one of the starter sets for one and a half year olds. That's probably the best bet.

metrovelvet

You could get him a busy box or abacus, and maybe a shape sorter is a good prequel to Duplo or something like that. I think he is too young for Duplo. I know if my 17 month old got a box of those, I'd try my best not to look a giift horse in the mouth because I know he would build nothing with them and they would end up all over the floor, used as pitching practise tools, aimed at anything and everything, Id spend the two hours a day I have to myself picking them all up and hoping to christ I dont slip and break something by stepping on one in the middle of the night.

6th

jackdaw wrote: »

OK so my brother doesn't think tickle me Elmo would be a good gift for his 10 month old son, he said try DUPLO, but most of what i see on amazon is for ages 2+ or 1.5+ ...

Stickle bricks are a good alternative to duplo as they fit together easily and the child wont get frustrated. Pieces are good at big and great when teething.

littlebug

6th wrote: »

Stickle bricks are a good alternative to duplo as they fit together easily and the child wont get frustrated. Pieces are good at big and great when teething.

But stickle bricks hurt more when you stand on them:D

CJhaughey

Most painful thing is a single piece of classic lego, closely followed by stickle bricks.
Unbelievable, the pain a small sharp piece of plastic can cause......

justmum

Last christmas I got the blocks for my two year old, and while she does play with them, her brother who was 9 months at the time quite enjoyed playing with them, I've also recently noticed that the doctors often use them or similar toys as a child development exersise. So it is possible that it's a good idea.