Best Quiet Play Toys

Quiet Play first started in our house when the twins were 2yrs old. I was visiting a fellow twin friend who has NINE KIDS. Our combined 12 children had played so nicely but they started to get a little too wild/cranky in the afternoon. This awesome mom suggested “Blanket Time” and I watched as she placed small blankets down for everybody  under the age of 5. Each child sat on a blanket and received a special quiet toy. If they stayed on their blanket and played quietly for 30 minutes, they received a treat. Mine needed a few reminders because 30 minutes is a longtime if you’ve never done it before, but I was amazed at the self control my 2 year olds had!

So the next day I started blanket time at our home, but I needed to change it up a bit. It was around this same time that my boys were “not going to nap”. So I would pull out toys that were not currently in rotation. They still called it blanket time but there were no blankets and they played together. I was shocked at what happened. They played quietly for TWO HOURS. I’m not joking.

To accomplish this feat, large sets of toys are required. Magnet tiles, wooden train sets, Duplo blocks…toys that are safe, span a large age group, and they can play with together. Gone are the days of buying two of everything, now you just need to buy a lot of each type. It seems a little expensive getting started but when realize these are toys they can play  with for YEARS, it eases the pocketbook a little. You might also be able to find these toys used in FB buy/sell groups.

Two major things will be accomplished during the daily attempt to ditch naps. It’s your first opportunity to introduce “Quiet Play”, a true lifesaver! On days that you can just tell that naps aren’t going to happen bring in special Quiet Play Toys. These are very special toys that aren’t played with except during Quiet Play. The genius behind this is that your children will BEG for the Quiet Playtime. Hum, let me think about that…YES! These toys are played with for NO LONGER THAN TWO HOURS. Normally Quiet Play lasts 1.5hrs, toys are picked up promptly after QP. They stay in their room, with the door closed, and play for that time.

Your. Welcome.

These were our favorite Quiet Play Toys. They enjoyed these from 18mo and still play with them. With the exception of the Duplo blocks, we moved on to “big boy” Legos at 3.5yrs.

Magnformers – The slightly off brand of Magnatiles. Cheaper than Magnatiles and they work just as well. Between my sister and I, we’ve tested all the other magnet tile brands, and these are the only two that work properly. You can try the small set, but they are such an awesome toy that it’s worth it to buy the larger set.

Duplo Blocks – Legos are in your future, so get them started with the Duplo so they can’t swallow them. They don’t hurt nearly as much as the tiny ones that will plague your future self. The bigger the set or the more add-ons, the longer the Quiet Play lasts!

Melissa & Doug Wooden Trucks –  Another high quality brand with a ton of toys to make your life easier. These little trucks are super sturdy and mine are still playing with them at 4yrs. *HINT* sometimes you’ll see a few of these at Marshalls & TJ Maxx

Melissa & Doug Wooden Dressup – I love these toys but they are more 30 minute sanity saver. I like to pull these out when I am on the phone. The moment they see it up to my ear they lose their little minds. If it’s a phone call I can’t end quickly, these quiet play toys really do the trick!

 WOODEN Train Track Set – Now I say Thomas, but I don’t mean you need that brand of tracks. They are super overpriced. I will say, buy a brand and stick with it. They all say they are compatible, but they really aren’t. I probably have 5x the amount of trains and tracks shown here. It’s really nice to build them a giant track, one that covers entire floor of their room. Then they don’t have to be so close together, and it cuts down on the arguing.
Sometimes you can find them used. Just don’t attempt to order them from eBay, the shipping is outrageous, because of the weight.
Town Rug & cars – My boys are four years old and we own no less than ONE BILLION little cars. Please, don’t buy the crazy looking cars. Buy ones you will see on the road, they will have so much fun looking for them while you drive. Look for vehicles that do something. Construction trucks, police cars, garbage trucks, etc. I will give them a few dried beans or pompoms (when they were old enough not to put them in their mouths). They hauled them around in the trucks  and take them all over the rug. We didn’t get this rug until their 3rd Christmas, but I kicked myself for not buying it sooner. They love it so much that they’ve renamed Blanket Time “Rug Time”! They are 4.5yrs and still playing with these toys.

Want to mix it up a bit? What if dinosaurs invaded your town?!?