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Among ourselves and our family members, we’ve probably spent a small fortune on toys for our daughter. Sadly, her favorites don’t seem to be the toys that make the most sounds or offer the most activities. No, she seems to prefer the joys of the less expensive toys; that is, the free ones.

They’re not even toys, really: they’re things that were lying around the house that she came across and thought were fun. Right now, she’s having a blast playing with the box from a wireless router we purchased. She’ll open the box, look inside, close the box, open it again, and then hand it to me and take it back again. She also stands on it, pounds it with her hands and hides her toys inside of it.

She also loves the sight and sound of tearing paper. Instead of using the shredder, we now tear paper by hand – getting rid of our documents so they can go in the compost bin or recycle box, and putting our daughter into fits of giggles and laughs.

As they say, having a baby does indeed change everything, but most of all it changes your perspective. Who would have thought that a simple object could result in hours of entertainment? It’s given us a new way of looking at things, and made my husband and me more creative when it comes to everyday objects. A crumpled up piece of paper? A ball! A discarded sock? A mitten, a hand puppet or a handy pouch to hide a toy or two inside of. Best of all, there’s always something around to entertain our daughter, even when her “official” toys are out of reach or in a different room. Just be sure that the object isn’t dangerous or pose a choking hazard – any item that can fit inside a paper towel or toilet paper tube is a potential choking hazard.

Tags: babies, Freebies, Frugal Living, Fun Stuff