Last Updated on February 20, 2023 by admin
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If you’re looking for a toy idea for a 2-year-old, it’s tough to go wrong with miniature versions of the stuff they see their parents using — especially if those miniature versions look just like the real thing.
In the world of “pretend-to-be-an-adult” toys, a toy vacuum had several serious perks:
- If your toddlers are like mine were, they’re both afraid of the vacuum sweeper (scary loud!) and resentful that the sweeper takes their parents’ full attention. Giving them their own sweeper makes them part of the action and actually makes it easy for you to sweep when you need to.
- For a long time, this toy was absolutely the first thing that any young guest to our house would gravitate toward as soon as they saw it. It has an intrinsic appeal for toddlers.
Now for the downsides. Although this toy does tend to get immediate attention and does tend to get used when mom or dad is sweeping, it doesn’t tend to entertain kids for very long compared to other toys. I think that’s OK, though, especially if (drumroll please) you’re able to score one secondhand. (I almost always see these toys when I visit my local Once Upon a Child store.)
Another caveat for this particular brand of toy sweeper is that I don’t think it actually “works” very well (it purports to actually suck up dirt). Ours broke pretty quickly, but that didn’t stop our kids from using it to pretend. This sweeper also requires batteries. That makes sense considering kids like that realistic vacuum sound, but anything battery-powered adds a layer of complexity for parents.
Finally, as with many/most of the “pretend-to-be-grown-up” toys out there for toddlers, this is technically designed for ages 3 and up. For more on why toys are designated for ages 3 and up, check out our post on small parts warnings for toys and our post on 18+ month toys vs. 36+ month toys.
