What are your child's favorite toys?

[M&M's Mommy]

Does your child have a favorite toy(s) that he/she likes to play with? What do you think is/are the best educational toys that you child have?

Obviously I can't buy all the toys out there for Katie, so I'd like to pick the best ones that are highly recommended. I don't like to get her too much toys that they become wasteful, but will get her everything she needs to play with, be stimulated and learn.

Much thanks in advance.

[BitsyNaceyDog]

If I remember correctly, Katie is the same age as my niece, about 3.5 months. Since they're discovering their senses at that age all things are educational. Things with different colors and textures are great.

We got our older son an exersaucer when he was about 4 months old. They're expensive, but he loved it. It's nice that they can sit upright in it and it has a lot of different toys on it. I'd put it in the kitchen so he could sit and play while I cooked or washed dishes. We got a lot of use out of that toy. I'm looking forward to getting it out of the closet in a few months for my baby to use.

ETA:
Here is a picture of my older son, Nathan, at 12 weeks old. I think this was his first time in the 'saucer. http://nathan.blaix.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/img_8794.jpg

[Medusa]

My boy loves Lamborghinis. No, he doesn't have the budget for it but if he did, he'd have one for sure. When he was a wee one, it was toy cars, cars and more cars.

You didn't ask me but I'll take a chance and share anyhow: when I was a little girl, my favorite toys were buttons. I don't know why but I pretended they were people and I'd arrange them just as I wanted them in my little girl world. There were so many different sizes, shapes and colors and my world was filled w/the most unusual, colorful "people".

[Pembroke_Corgi]

I agree the the exersaucer for a baby. Lyra had one and loved it until she was able to crawl.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c312/pembrokecorgi/Baby/IMG_8268.jpg

When she got tired of the toys that came with it, I would add toys for her to play with.

Now, at 16 months, she loves books, "little people," cars, dolls, etc.

[happylabs]

Well, Rachael is 20 now and I think her favorite toy(s) are boys. :D

Seriously though, when she was a little girl she loved her dolls. She got her first doll when she turned one year old. It was a soft body doll with rubber arms and a pretty little white dress. I didn't realize how much she would end up loving it. She took it everywhere and I can still picture her with it tucked under her arm.

She had one of those play kitchens and spent a lot of time playing with that along with her Barbies once she got a little older. Coloring was also a favorite activity because I used to sit and color with her.

I have a feeling kids don't play with the same things these days though.

[cassiesmom]

My youngest nieces, my brother's daughter and my sister's daughter, are both 18.

When they were little, their favorite toy was a Cozy Coupe -- the ones they had didn't have a handle at the back for an adult to push like the new ones do! (Push me, Aunt Elyse! Push me!)
http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:FebDBz3c-t8Q4M:http://onceuponawin.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/cozy_coupe325.jpg

My sister's daughter had a mobile over her crib that had black and white designs on one side, and colored designs on the other, that she was always captivated by. When she was in her crib she would look at it and even talk to it. All these years later she is into graphic designs and photography, I wonder if that mobile gave her a very early start.

Now that they're almost off to college, the "toy" of choice is definitely an iPod. They'd both love an iPhone or an iPad!
http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:TnVSKufOu1pByM:http://www.yugatech.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2006/09/ipod-nano.jpg

[dab_20]

I don't have a child, but I always play with my boyfriends neice. She is about 18 months. She loves her "bebe"... a little soft baby doll that she takes with her everywhere. She also has those Princess Barbie DVD's that she absolutely loves. ANYTHING princess she goes crazy for. "Princesa, princesa, princesa" is what you hear all day long. :)

[Marigold2]

For my kids it was trucks and cars for the oldest. Dinosaurs for the middle and books and Barbies for my daughter.
Also Baseball cards and Comic Books I am afraid to think about all the money I spent on those.
All loved the park, the beach. Watching movies on hot days with popcorn.
We played a lot of board games. Chutes and Ladders, Trouble, Monopoly, Risk, Checkers, Clue, Battleship, so many more I can't remember them all.
Lots of verbal word games.
Puzzles
Tons of sports.
And thousands of card games with popsicles and popcorn as snacks.
We still play board games especially Risk and Monopoly.
One toy I never allowed was a gun. Funny because both boys went into the military and daughter goes shooting all the time.