Noisy Toys

I used to be one of those people who said, "No toys that make noise when I have kids!"

Oh, what that silly girl didn't know. A toy that makes noise is less annoying than a toddler whining and clinging to your leg.

It was this morning when Gavin was getting a bit clingy while I was trying to prepare breakfast that I had a flash of brilliance. It was time to put in two new AA batteries into his Chicco barn toy. It died an annoying death the other day as the batteries sputtered (a noisy toy becomes unbearable when it has just enough juice to make half of its normal sound in a slow-mo kind of way). I put it and myself out our misery by taking the batteries out but was bummed when I didn't find replacement batteries.

While I was amused watching him try to play with his silent barn toy with a look on his face that kind of said, "I'm pushing buttons, why isn't making sound?" that game didn't keep him occupied for long. After I put the batteries in I drew his attention to the toy and he looked very disinterested until I flipped it on.

If you could only have seen his eyes light up. His, "whatever" look vanished and he made a bee-line to the toy where he remained parked for the next 15 mintues. So, instead of hearing, "me, me, me, bi, bi, bi" (translation: "feed me, bite (of food)) I heard a rooster crowing, sheep baaing and dogs barking. It was blissful.