h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

This brought back all sorts of memories, but also made me think of things in reverse - when we used household things instead of expensive baby products.

When they were very little my children were kept entertained by having all sorts of sparkly or colourful things hanging off a clothes horse where their feet could just about reach them while lying in their bouncing chair. Once their foot accidentally caught the hanging items and set them moving excitement set in and more leg movements caused more activity in the makeshift mobile.

On holiday washing up bowls often took the place of the baby bath.

Babies sometimes slept in drawers (totally removed from their normal place and put on the floor) when visitors had not brought a travel cot.

Plastic measuring spoons and plastic cups made great bath toys for scooping up and pouring water. Washed out baby shampoo bottles make a great first water pistol when filled by submerging in the bath!

Is there a visiting toddler and you have no toys in the house? Put a sock on your hand, tuck the toe piece back into your palm to give it a mouth and there you have a puppet that can move and talk... and everything! Sewing or sticking eyes on it is OK but you don't have to.

Thanks Vestie

Maybe we need a 'reverse' entry in that case. If you (or anyone else) is interested in collecting ideas, then I suggest you start an entry in Ask in the first instance. If you say it's for a collaborative EGE then more people will join in.

We made a sock snake for North junior . I provided the sock (those Argyll diamond-shaped patterns add a bit of authenticity). Madame North sewed on felt eyes (each a small black circle on top of a larger white circle) and a tongue. It was rather a badly-behaved toy, though. It kept swallowing other small toys at unannounced intervals.

I still have a photo from when my sons were small (1 and 4 years old). We were visiting my parents and made 'crowns' for the little princes from those things you put under a hot pot to protect the table and clothe pegs. (I can only find 'trivet', but I understand that's made of metal, whereas ours were made of bast).

http://www.hood.de/img/full/1033/10339834.jpg

Err - we made them with those pot thingies and clothes-pegs, we didn't protect the latter.

hehe i like the idea of a baby bouncer for getting around - you could simply build a long rail along the ceiling, you would just need some way of "changing rails". COuld be fun as well

We've just found another use for a baby monitor...

I'm helping with my sister's school play, and the changing area is an empty classroom a fair way from the backstage area. (They have to climb out a window and run around the school to get there, in fact! ) And each person has multiple costume changes. So we're going to put a baby monitor in there and at the side of the stage, so we can always be sure of how much time we still have left.