On Thursday, I took Gavin to his second Kindermusik class at Kizsports. To encourage him to stay in the class, I brought along his Take Along Thomas trains to play. Another boy arrived with his grandma and he took a keen interest in Gavin’s trains. Thinking it would be a good opportunity for Gavin to learn to share, I encouraged Gavin to lend his trains to the boy.

Gavin behaved admirably, offering the boy all of his trains. He didn’t even make a fuss when the boy kept the trains throughout the whole session and didn’t even let Gavin play with his own trains. Neither did he seem to mind that the boy was refusing to give back his trains at the end of the class! Although I commend Gavin for his generosity, I thought that last was going a bit too far.

I tried to bribe the boy to give back the trains by making him two animal balloons – one for each hand. He took the balloons but kept Gordon. Both his grandma and I tried to negotiate with the boy to return the trains to no avail. I tried to reiterate the concept of borrowing and that Gavin would be upset without his train but that didn’t work either. It probably didn’t help that Gavin didn’t seem the least bit upset that he wasn’t getting his train back.

We eventually got the train back - his grandma managed to slip the train out of the boy’s hands when he tried to hide the train behind his back. He wailed and screamed and his grandma snatched him up and took him away, trying to console him that she would buy him another train. I felt awful, but I didn’t really know what else we could have done.

Has anyone ever encountered an experience like this before? What happened and how did you manage it?

If you had been in my shoes, what other tactics would you recommend to use to get the train back? Do you think it should be the other child’s parent’s responsibility to make the child give the train back or do you think I should have taken a more active role in getting the train back?

Although I was sorely tempted to just take the train from the boy’s hand, I didn’t want to convey the wrong message to Gavin about snatching toys from other children. So what else could I have done to get the toy back?

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Aside from Thomas the Tank Engine, playing with Lego is another favourite passtime of Gavin’s.  At 19 months, he’s mastered the art of building towers with Duplo and he can also piece together regular Lego pieces (although he can’t quite pull them apart, yet).

In a day and age where most toys require batteries, and can flash lights and make sounds at the push of a button, it is important to keep a balance with toys that foster a child’s creativity.  Lego is one such toy that encourages this and for this reason, I’ve been encouraging Gavin to play with his Duplo blocks on a regular basis.

At this age, Duplo is also great for helping him improve his manual dexterity and sort by colours.  As he grows older, Lego becomes a terrific puzzle game that is great for brain development.  I don’t think I can emphasise enough about what a great toy I think Lego is.  It’s definitely a “must have” in any child’s toy box.

Nowadays there are so many other brands with a similar concept to Lego that cost a fraction of the price, however, none of them are in the same league as Lego.  If you just want to get some Lego bricks for free play, then any brand will do, but if you want the more creative masterpieces, then nothing beats Lego. 

If the price is hurting your wallet, you should consider crossing the border to Singapore for your Lego purchases.  Hubby and I have also discovered that Lego is much cheaper in Singapore than in Malaysia.  And if you want bargain basement prices, there is a shop in Great World City called Toys Hunt that exclusively sells Lego at discounted prices.  They are located on Level 3, shop lot number #03-26. 

While we’re on the topic of where to get cheap toys, it might be worth noting that Thomas and Friends isn’t really cheaper in Singapore.  In some instances, it is more expensive in Singapore compared to Malaysia.  However, the toy sales in Singapore are usually a lot better than in Malaysia.  You can usually see some terrific discounts (like 50% or 70% off), unlike in Malaysia where 20% is considered a big deal.  So unless there’s a big sale going on, it’s not really worth heading down to Singapore to buy Thomas and Friends - you might as well save yourself a trip and buy it in Malaysia.

Below: Gavin playing with the sample Duplo and Lego blocks in the toy department of Isetan, Lot 10.

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I used to think that Gavin was mad about Thomas the Tank Engine, but it appears his interest in trains extends beyond Thomas and his friends.  Every time he passes a train of any sort, he stops to examine it.  Thomas and Friends may simply have been the catalyst that sparked his interest in trains.

Here is Gavin pining for an electrical train set he saw at a hobby shop.  The set is clearly well beyond Gavin’s years, but it certainly didn’t stop him from trying to ask Ah Kong to buy it for him.  Ah Kong promised to get him a train set when he’s older, but for this trip, he compromised and bought Gavin James from the Take Along Thomas and Friends collectibles.

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I used to think that Gavin’s interest in Thomas the Tank Engine was just a passing phase.  I figured that he would soon get over Thomas and move on to other things.

Not so…

If anything, his interest in Thomas has only escalated (sorry HL - looks like it’s going to be a Thomas cake for his second birthday after all…)

For instance, I was carrying him around the shopping mall when suddenly he started wriggling to get out of my arms.  Surprised, I put him down, only to watch him run away from me.  I followed him only to discover that he had spotted this in the distance:

Another time, when I was carrying him, he started signing train.  I started scanning around wondering where he had seen Thomas.  Spotting a picture of Elmo, I thought he had made a mistake.  “Oh, there’s Elmo,” I said.  But he signed train again more insistently.  Later I discovered the balloon with a picture of Thomas on it.  Yes, my son has sharp eyes.

Yesterday, my SIL2 and I took Gavin for lunch after our swim and Gavin kept signing train.  He wanted his small Thomas and Friends figurines that had been given to him from his friend Jack and the wooden Thomas train that his godmother had given him.  Since I wasn’t expecting to go shopping, I didn’t bring my bag.  Needless to say, Gavin was terribly upset - which didn’t help because he was also very tired after the swim.

Last night, we went to Jusco at the Alpha Angle.  Hubby set him down on the ground only to have him tearing off towards the Thomas section where he sat and eyed the Thomas toys with a longing that nearly broke Daddy’s heart. 

Hubby and I were talking when hubby realised Gavin was saying something.  He had been looking at the individual trains and he was naming them.  He held the Henry train and said something that distinctly sounded like “Henry.”  Later he pointed to James and said “James.”  I didn’t even realise he had learned the names to Thomas’ friends.

Unfortunately, he still can’t say “Thomas” but he says “train” and signs “train” to indicate he wants to play with Thomas.

Quite frankly, I never thought Thomas was all that educational, but I suppose if it inspires Gavin to learn and if it entertains him and keeps him in his seat, then I suppose he really is “a very useful engine”.

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One of the things about having a child is that you discover all sorts of interesting places that you would never have known about if you didn’t have a child.  Okay, okay - places I would never have known about if I didn’t have Gavin because I wouldn’t have bothered heading out in that area to check it out.

For instance, a couple of weeks back (before he started getting fussy in the carseat), I decided to take Gavin to the park at KLCC.  I figured it was a good place to go because we could always hop back into the cool, air-conditioned corridors of the mall if it got too hot, at the same time giving Gavin a chance to spend some time outdoors.  I remembered the playground because I walked past it a few years back when I was walking to the 2003 Asian X-Games.

The playground is even bigger than I remembered, with lots of play area for Gavin to run around in.  I wanted to take an aerial shot of the playground just to show how extensive the place was but unfortunately, you can’t see it from the shopping mall and there was no vantage point high enough to get a good photo.

Gavin had a blast crawling through the tunnels and exploring the playground.

Okay, I knew about the park and the playground, but what I didn’t know about was the wading pool for kids:

Still not sure if I would take Gavin to play there to swim, but it looks pretty nice, don’t you think?

KLCC seems to be rivalling Midvalley as the shopping mall to take a child.  While Midvalley still has the upperhand in terms of shop availability (which is probably more important to the adult rather than the child), it can’t compete with the fact that KLCC has an outdoor park and wading pool within walking distance.

Even if you don’t want to go to the park, KLCC also has a Toys ‘R’ Us (albeit, a much smaller one) on the Concourse area where Times Book Shop used to be.  If you get bored of Toys ‘R’ Us, there’s always the toy department of Isetan which now offers a Lego play area.  In fact, MegaBloks took a leaf out of Lego’s book and started their own MegaBloks play area in what was formerly the nursing room:

Recently, I noticed that Thomas and Friends had also set up a train set in the play area.  I guess the marketing department have realised that children who get to play with the toys tend to pester their parents to buy it so they can play at home, too.

Besides Isetan, there’s Parkson’s toy department which also contains a Lego play area and a VTech video game console.  Finally, there is Toy City near the Sony end of the mall.  By the time you get through all that, your toddler will be more than ready to go home for a nap.

So yeah, KLCC shopping mall has just become my new favourite place to take Gavin shopping…

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Gavin received a lovely present in the mail from his future MIL (thank you dear).  When the parcel arrived, he was so excited he kept hovering around it and pointing out features. 

Gavin has seen plenty of these Thomas and Friends box sets in the toy shop but we have yet to buy him one for the home.  As hard as I try not to spoil him by going overboard with the toys, it is terribly hard to resist the delight and eagerness he portrays whenever he looks at a Thomas toy.

In this video, he’s checking out his new Thomas Train.  There are no batteries in the toy so he’s trying to figure out why it won’t work.

Thomas the Tank Steam and Sounds Engine runs on two settings - manual mode and remote control mode.  In the video below, Gavin is playing with it in manual mode: 

I initially didn’t want Gavin to play with the remote control at first because he has a habit of switching from remote control to manual without warning and if I don’t flick the switch in time, he’ll grind the gears.  Unfortunately, my son’s eyes were too sharp.  He had already spied the remote control.  So here he is playing with the remote control:

Thomas the Tank Steam and Sounds was thoroughly entertaining (for both toddler and adult - the hubby swears I had more run playing with it than Gavin).  Although intended for ages 3+, Gavin still enjoyed playing with it, although it took a bit of patience to tell him not to push the train by hand when it is on remote control mode and to press only one button at a time when using the remote control.  Otherwise, I reckon Gavin handled the train pretty well.

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Of all the four bookshops - Kinokuniya, MPH, Times and Borders, my favourite has always been Borders because you can always pick up some specials at their bargain bin.  Times and MPH are perhaps the most disappointing when it comes to children’s books because they usually lack the more specialised books. 

For instance I went to MPH Bookshop in 1Utama yesterday with the intention of getting Gavin another Thomas and Friends board book only to be disappointed by the range available.  Firstly, the range was extremely limited.  Secondly, of the limited range, very few were board books.  Thirdly, of the board books, half of them had paper flaps that could easily been torn by Gavin.  Fourthly, the remaining board books were all ratty and looked more like second hand books than new. (SIL2 - that’s why Kino wraps their books in plastic).  Even the bargain bin looked like a sale of pre-loved books rather than new books.

If you want something specific and unusual, then you really can’t beat Kino.  Just be prepared to pay a premium for their books.

Last weekend, while we were shopping at The Curve, I couldn’t resist picking up this bargain from Borders:

I figured the skill would come in handy for all of Gavin’s future birthday parties.  Instead of having to hire those annoying clowns, Mummy can make the animal balloons!

While Gavin was asleep, I got to work on my first project.  My first attempts didn’t go too well:

On my third attempt, I managed to make a dog. Okay, so the proportions are way off - the snout’s too short, the tail’s too long and the legs are uneven, but overall, at least still recognisable, I think.

My second animal was a poodle which turned out much better but still needing improvement.  I over-inflated the balloon so the tail isn’t quite right.

My third animal was a swan - this was actually quite easy compared to the first two:

Finally, I made a giraffe - which was getting a lot easier since I wasn’t so afraid of popping the balloon any more.

So now you know who to call when you need someone to make the animal balloons at your child’s next birthday party.  Don’t worry, my rates are reasonable ;o)

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Even before Gavin was born, the hubby was already scouting around Lego sets that he was going to buy for his son - and this is the father who says I live vicariously through my son.  I think he does, too!  Even now I catch him eyeing Lego sets designed for kids age 8 and above - it’s still some years before Gavin will be old enough to play with those sets.  It’s more like Daddy wants to play…

Luckily for the hubby, Gavin has been demonstrating a keen interest in his Duplo set and shows some good potential to become a “Brick Boy”:

If your child is really into Brick Boy toys, too, you should check out the Brick Boy shop in The Gardens, Midvalley.  The model set they have up is really to die for…

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I would have labelled this post “Gavin’s Wish List” but let’s face it, it’s more like Mummy’s Wish List…  Inevitably, as I take Gavin on our shopping excursions, I often end up seeing a lot of toys I would love to buy.  Since I need to inculcate the difference between desiring a toy and needing it, I must refrain from buying everything that I see that I would love for Gavin to own.

So even though these 8 toys have made it onto my current toy wish list for Gavin, it is with great difficulty that I narrow down what he can have and what he can’t.  But if I were a kid all over again, I’m sure these are the toys my dreams were made of:

1. Outdoor Play Equipment.

I’ve always wanted to get outdoor play equipment for Gavin.  Most of the outdoor sets are the standard, multi-colour plastic ones you see at Toys ‘R’ Us like the one below so you have to admit that the jungle gym in the picture above is just too cool, no?

2. Activity Box

My SIL2 who used to work in early childhood education was telling me that the activity at the top of this box is great for training finger dexterity which helps kids learn how to hold a pencil and write later on.  While looking for a toy with that activity, I discovered this activity box with an abacus, shape sorter, pattern matcher and a puzzle. 

I figured this was better value and more fun so I got one like this instead (yeah, since creating this list of toys, I bought the toy, so perhaps this doesn’t really belong on this most wanted list after all).  Gavin really enjoys playing with it (I figured he would since he really enjoyed playing with it whenever he sees it in the play area of the baby shops), although I think his favourite section is still the shape sorter. 

3. Musical Thomas The Tank Engine Toy

Gavin really loves the music to Thomas and Friends and he also loves inserted the discs into the DVD player so I figured he would really enjoy a toy like this.  The only thing is that I’ve only seen it once before but I can’t remember where.  I found it online but have yet to come across it again in the stores.

4. Signing Time DVDs 

I started Gavin with Baby Signing Time Volume 1 DVD and Baby Signing Time Volume 2 DVD and he really loved it.  He also started signing late in his first year.  Encouraged, I bought Signing Time Volume 4: Family, Feelings & Fun DVD, Volume 5: ABC Signs DVD and Series Two Volume 3: Move and Groove.  It took him a while to warm up to the Signing Time series but now he really loves it.  Aside from adding signs to his repertoire, he’s also added words.  He likes to sing along to some of the songs he hears from the DVDs - well, he tries to anyway - and he likes it when I sing the songs for him.

5. Thomas & Friends Ride Along with Thomas - Steering Wheel Sound - Board book

I took Gavin to Kinokuniya one evening while we were waiting for food to arrive and he picked up this book.  He was really captivated by it, but I didn’t buy it at the time.  Thinking it would be a good book to entertain him in the car, I later went searching for it.  Luckily I didn’t buy it when I saw it because it cost RM65 in Kinokuniya and RM59 in Isetan. 

This was a really good buy because Gavin adores this book.  In fact, I think he likes it too much.  He enjoys it so much he doesn’t want to get out of the car without it!  When he gets back into the car, he starts signing train and book to tell us he wants this book.  He’s even learned how to say “book” because of this book, except it sounds more like “boo”.  The only reason I know he means this book is because he signs “train” and “book” to tell me he wants this.

6. Thomas the Tank Engine Draw ’N’ Doodle Mat - Aquadoodle - Spin Master

I came across this one when I was searching online for some Thomas toys.  I haven’t seen it in action but I thought it was way cool.  I would have bought it just for the Aquadoodle part if only Gavin didn’t already have a Doodle pad which he got from his godparents.  I even found an aquadoodble in Isetan for RM50 (see picture below), but I couldn’t justify buying it since Gavin already had crayons and the Doodle pad which have the exact same purpose.

The really cool thing about the Thomas Aquadoodle is that it comes with a Thomas train that will follow the railway tracks you draw on the Aquadoodle.  Now that’s really cool…  

7. Rubik’s Mini Cube 2×2

As a child, I have always enjoyed puzzles and I learned how to solve the Rubik’s 3×3.  So when I saw that they had a Rubik’s 2×2, I thought it would be a great toy to get Gavin to help him develop his problem solving skills.  Okay, okay, so he’s a little young for this one right now, but the cube will help him develop his motor skills as he learns how to manipulate the cube.

8. LEGO Duplo Thomas & Friends - Thomas Load and Carry Train Set

Gavin’s got a duplo set that he really loves playing with and he also really likes Thomas.  It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that he’s going to really love this Thomas Duplo set.  My SIL was the one who put me onto this one when she told me she saw a set in Australia.  I haven’t seen it around in Malaysia yet, but I have seen a Bob the Builder Duplo set which I am sure Gavin would like too since he is also a Bob the Builder fan (albeit he still prefers Thomas).

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Since he was able to sit up and manipulate objects with his hands, Gavin has demonstrated an ability to think outside the box.

For instance…

When hubby told Gavin not to play with his glasses, he conveniently dropped a blanket over the glasses and “accidentally” picked up the glasses when he attempted to lift the blanket.

When I told him not to play with the switches on the bedside lamp, he sneakily got his toys to do the deed.

When my FIL told him not to play with the tissues, he drooled saliva down his chin so he would have to take a tissue to wipe it up.

When the maid told him he couldn’t walk in the house with his shoes on, he dropped onto all fours and started crawling on his hands and knees.

Although it can be quite annoying when he finds ways to circumvent our instructions, I’ve got to admit that I am secretly pleased to see him thinking outside the box. To further encourage this habit, I have been on the lookout for “IQ” toys (to use the term rather loosely) that can help refine his problem solving skills.

I’ve been searching online and offline for such toys and have discovered a good selection at the following locations:

1. Isetan, KLCC

They carry a brand called Plan Toys which offer a good range of “thinking” toys for children age 2 or 3 and above.

Isetan also stocks some wooden development toys by a brand called Eichhorn.  I bought the following cube toy for Gavin for RM109.  It contains five puzzles in one.  The top is the bead manipulation game which trains the use of his fingers.  The four sides of the cube offer:

1. Abacus
2. Matching patterns (seen below)
3. Shape sorter
4. Peg puzzle

I was actually looking for the bead manipulation game but thought this toy was too good value to bypass.

They also have thes wooden puzzles - although I think they look like they are designed for a much older age group.

Aside from these, I have been thinking of getting him the two-by-two Rubik’s cube which is now selling at Toys ‘R’ Us, although I think RM22 is rather steep to pay for it when you can get the regular three-by-three for RM30.

York House also stocks quite a number of interesting brain development toys, although most of them are for ages 3 and up.

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