Top 6 High-Quality Children's Toys That LAST from a Mom of 4

[@TheDailyConnoisseur]

I hope you enjoyed today's video! Thank you to LMNT for sponsoring. Get your free sample pack with any drink mix purchase by going to DrinkLMNT.com/DAILYC I would love to know what your top toy recommendations are. Let us know in the comments. Thank you for watching. Love, Jennifer 🧸

[@carolynmaves503]

I often joke that my son became an engineer because of his childhood love of LEGO. 🙂

[@denisebiendarra5996]

My husband and daughter both played with Legos and both are engineers. My husband has said that many engineers played with Legos as kids.

[@heather5926]

My son loved Lego too and is second year mechanical engineering 😂 he was taking apart toasters and electric beaters as a kid too. I believe this!

[@janetmorgan9728]

My oldest (about to turn 15!) Received a handful of schleich toy farm animals as a baby and they have lasted through all of my seven children and are still going strong. We've added many more to the collection over the years as well! They make the sweetest stocking suffers! There is a similar brand called MOJO sold at hobby lobby and their quality is also very high while being at a slightly lower price point.

[@mollymay8998]

I've noticed that the magnatiles draw in the men too! My husband and dad always seem to join in building with my kids whenever those come out which is great to see. I have American Girl dolls from the 90s too and they are amazing. My girls LOVE them so much. We have them at my parents' house so that they don't get destroyed or lost at our house. It's currently my 6 yo's favorite thing to play with at their house. My 2 yo adores the Bitty Baby when we go there (she is such a gentle toddler so it works out just fine).

[@TheDailyConnoisseur]

Yes! The Bitty Babies are great too!

[@stacysmith-fulia6117]

My kids enjoyed watching this with me. We also say Playmobil are practically indestructible because we have some from 1979 that are still in good condition. My kids have played with the Playmobil figures and the animals nonstop over the years. We also say wooden blocks because you can build anything and then play with the figures along with them! I loved seeing the Pleasant Company catalog because as a kid I looked at them all the time and I also still have them and my daughter has also loved looking at them, which has been joy for me to watch. We wish they would keep making the history dolls and the quality accessories they made when we were kids....what amazing toys! My daughter loved seeing Maileg because we do the same thing in collecting them for special gifts.

[@bridgetterocha9771]

I love that you still have Samantha and all the catalogs! I also got her around 1990 and would dream about all her accessories. We never were able to afford them, but pouring through the catalog was a favorite pastime of mine. Thank you for showing me the catalogs and bringing back those happy memories.

[@stephanienuce7711]

I love the mouse house for myself.. and I’m 47! I’ve always loved the mini versions of things in doll houses!

[@TheDailyConnoisseur]

I still play with dolls and I"m 43 :)

[@jessieelliott3157]

I love the mouse house. So sweet. I was upset when my daughter never liked playing with dolls and doll houses. I learnt that all children are different and love different things. My daughter preferred art supplies, board and card games and cuddly comforting toys while my son loved to dress up and do imaginative play often with the dolls my daughter refused to play with. Got to love them and their individuality even from a young age.

[@cocoandhonu]

I used to have Felicity in the 90s! I wish I held onto her for my 18 month old daughter today. We love playing with Stapelstein, Grimm's rainbow and wood house stacker and Schleich animals-- they're so lifelike.

[@kg2096]

American Girl dolls and their books were my jam when I was little! I would check out the books from the school library any time I could get my hands on one. We had a catalog that I would pour over for hours. I really think it was a genius move to publish historical books along with the dolls, because they made learning about history relatable to young girls. Loved them!

[@spacebar9733]

I’m 18 but I love this video omg. I still want magnatiles and a few American girl dolls for myself. I also have a very old jointed teddy bear and she has a very cute Christmas outfit with a pinafore over a puff sleeve dress, and she used to have shorts but I think I lost them a long time ago 😅 I’m going to make her some outfits in the future. She’s with me in my room right now! This was such a nice video.

[@TheDailyConnoisseur]

I'm so glad you enjoyed this video! 🧸

[@BakerlitaBakery]

Yes!! I have the mouse house too! My girls are very young so I don't have much furniture yet. I am gifting them a few items on their birthdays and Christmas as well. Such a good investment. I would love to get an Amarician Girl Doll, thank you for the recommendations Jennifer! 😘😘😘

[@TheDailyConnoisseur]

Thank you so much, Andrea! 🧸

[@EarthseedDetroit]

My grandchildren's favorite toys are art supplies and puzzles and games...BUT i did get them magna tiles a few years back and they still love them. They were a great investment!

[@Rosie_C]

American girl dolls are awesome. When I was young, my parents and I made some of the clothes and accessories for my favorite doll. Some of those are still around to this day - homemade can be creative, frugal, and long-lasting. :) And Magnatiles are loved by all ages! The twins just turned 3 and I recommended extra sets of Magnatiles for gift ideas from anyone who asked. With two 3 year olds, a 4 year old, and a 6 year old we could never have too many. :) I also support that the real brand is worth the cost from my experience of seeing several large families have collections of them.

[@ashleyslack5960]

My dad made an entire bedroom furniture set for my little sister's AG Josephina doll. They could only afford the doll. My dad is a craftsman at heart. He even painted the furniture the same greenish blue color the actual AG furniture was. It was all so treasured!!

[@Rosie_C]

@@ashleyslack5960 That is so precious! My dad made at least the bed and “dresser” for Kirsten and painted them the exact country blue. :) And I remember pesting my mom every step of the way, as I sewed the quilt to match. I made it on my seventh birthday and still have it in the toy box in my own home. (My mom made me the rest of the bedding to match what AG sold, and she perfectly replicated several of the outfits!)

[@TheDailyConnoisseur]

@@ashleyslack5960 How amazing!

[@relaxingwithbliss]

I love my old American Girl catalogs!!! ❤❤❤ I wish they would bring back some of the old dolls & accessories!

[@stilwellpianostudio7813]

Mom of 3 boys under 5 and duplos are THE toy in our house! Those and match box cars 😆 honestly, they hardly play with anything else 🤷🏼‍♀️ That mouse house looks ADORABLE! I would have completely lost my mind if I had one of those as a little girl. If God gives me a girl, we might have to get one for her 😍

[@TheDailyConnoisseur]

Duplos are great for the little ones!

[@diymomma5247]

Great choices! We also love Calico Critters, Thomas wooden train tracks and Melissa and Doug play food! ❤

[@annamallard2730]

I’m so glad there are still wholesome, beautiful, quality toys on the market! They beat screen games any day 😎

[@haleybean75]

I have a two year old daughter and our favorite high quality toys are stapelstein ( EXTREMELY open ended set of stepping stones), her play kitchen and nugget couch. Above all, though, outdoor gear because this girl would live outside if she could, and who needs toys when there are sticks? 😂

[@AprilsHome]

I love all of these toy suggestions and our family has had many of these over the years. We are grandparents now and have a playroom for the grandkids with these type of toys. The classics really stand the test of time. I would also add Schleich animals to the list. My grandma brought my sister and I Schleich animals from her trips to France and England back in the 70’s, my sister still has our original Schleich animals, and I have an extensive collection of them that the grandkids love playing with, they last for generations. What a fun video!! 😀

[@marianalvarado4193]

We also have a toy room at our house for the grandkids. My daughter is always de-cluttering and gets rid of some of their toys quite often, so they are safe at Nana's house. 😃

[@juliecarns]

Hello Jennifer, Thank you for these recommendations. The toys that had the most use in our home are Brio track for younger children and LEGO sets. We have had our thrifted Brio track and accessories for almost 20 years and still pull it out for young visitors. Our original LEGO sets were thrifted and I don't think we've ever had one break; these are the smaller LEGO items that shouldn't be in the hands of a little child as they are very small and can be swallowed. Our 14 yo son received a LEGO set for his last birthday and he still enjoys creating new cars from these even though he works landscaping a few days a week for 10 hours a day; it seems to be a chill out activity when young people are tired but their minds are still processing the day's thoughts.

[@TheDailyConnoisseur]

Thank you, Julie! I need to look into the Brio track!

[@glamtastic]

American Girl for the win! I’m reading Felicity Saves the Day with my daughter right now.

[@TheDailyConnoisseur]

I love Felicity too!

[@21972012145525]

Felicity was my favorite

[@maureencaldwell2975]

I have wondered about your dollhouse for years! 😂 Thanks for the great tips! I’ve got kids who are 8, 5, and 1, so I’m this chapter of life. I got all of our kids Warmies based on your recommendation a couple of Christmases ago, and they have loved them.

[@awesomepossumpowers]

That mouse house is so adorable!

[@happypace9414]

In honor of the mouse house look up the Sesame Street video titled "Doll House" from 1970. I loved that so much as a child and now I can YT it whenever I need a piece of nostalgia. I bet you and your girls will love it!

[@KarenDGobsmacked]

I completely agree with purchasing high quality toys. My grown daughters had the AG dolls and all the accessories. My oldest has Samantha also. The books were so marvelous. We also sent something to the doll hospital in Chicago. They are all boxed up ready for their children someday. We did tea at the cafe in Chicago, Atlanta, and Nashville over the years--such a fun experience. In addition to what you've mentioned, my kids loved Legos and more Legos as well as the Thomas the Tank Engine train set and trains.

[@mollymay8998]

Absolutely keep those dolls for grandkids! My mom did this for us. My kids LOVE playing with mine and my sister's dolls when they go to visit my parents. The dolls live there so they won't get lost or ruined at our house. It's been a great way for one of my kids to learn responsibility and gentleness. It's considered a privilege to get to play with them unsupervised!

[@farahandjohn6955]

Love that , was waiting for a review like this as a mom of 3

[@TheDailyConnoisseur]

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed this! 🧸

[@kallistoindrani5689]

What a fun video! And those bears are adorable with the little outfits!

[@GracefullyUnraveled]

The mouse house is absolutely adorable! My girls have loved Barbie’s and American Girl dolls. We’ve had one of our American girl dolls since 2013 & other than her hair being a little messy we’ve had no issues with her! We fix do her hair at home sometimes. It’s very cool that you still have Samantha and most of her accessories!

[@TheDailyConnoisseur]

Yes, the hair is a challenge!

[@MtHa-yu2sf]

14 yrs for ur daughter. I have bern following you before her birth. Happy Birthday 🎉🎁

[@TheDailyConnoisseur]

Amazing!

[@melissazeager1029]

Charming toys! I have always wondered about those darling mice. My kids (boys and girls) love Calico Critters. We also have a wooden Amish made marble chaser that is well loved.

[@TheDailyConnoisseur]

I love Calico Critters too!

[@lisadonovanlukas]

❤ thank you so much for all of this wonderful information! What a beautiful video! I’m going to watch it again! Magical! 💕🌷💕🌷💕🌷

[@TheDailyConnoisseur]

Thank you, Lisa! 🧸

[@MrsAPeterson]

I absolutely loved this video. I have a third generation doll house (reminds me of the mouse house!) that has porcelain figurines. We let our older children play with them and because it’s passed down, we know when the daddy’s head pops off or the little girls leg pops off, it’s because it’s been superglued more than once! Haha! It’s absolutely an heirloom gift. Our kids also love Bitty Babies, they’re the baby American Girls dolls. My mom kept them from my childhood and we are going on 20+ years of good condition dolls too. I don’t like how some of their agenda has shifted but because the quality has proven itself I will likely buy our girls their own AG dolls once they are a little older.

[@janetmcgee4525]

I spent an enchanting and enjoyable few minutes watching this video on cute toys and reading the July/August issue of Victoria magazine... and reading your article on letter writing. It was a nice escape from the daily tasks.

[@LesleyLizbeth]

What a WONDERFUL video! Loved hearing about beautiful food quality toys. I love mailed and American girl doll! Another amazing high quality toy is calico critter or Silvanian family.

[@TheDailyConnoisseur]

I love Calico Critters too! ♥️

[@taylormoore5475]

Completely agree with getting the magnatile brand. I got Picasso tiles mainly for price based on recommendations from other moms and they held up well at first. Now my kids are 5, 4, 2, 1 and they are cracking. The magnatile brand is the one that is standing the test of time. And by time I only mean 2-3 years!

[@amandalynch9567]

We have some Green Toys, which are made from recycled plastic. I can't believe how sturdy they are. My kids have had them for 8 years, and they look brand new

[@carpetbagsdaffodils5552]

I love this video that is about children and family! The heart of Jennifer! I love it.

[@Brynn720]

I love Get A Hug bears! I have one with the same outfit just like the first one you showed. They are so cute!

[@faithbooks7906]

Two kids companies I love are Folkmanis puppets (huge supply of all kinds of well made puppets) and eeBoo Piece & Love for games and puzzles.

[@Maha88815]

I have three boys 7-4-2 And we have the original magnatiles, they are amazing. And every birthday/ Eid we gift them an extension. I also add few of the picasso magnetic figurines and the door/window sets. Next on my list imaginext and wooden train set.

[@janinedekoker9405]

Thanks for the video, loved it as I have a three year old and seven year old and needed some gift ideas. I'm definitely loving the magna tiles idea as they'd both enjoy playing with it. Their birthdays are coming up soon so I feel like this video was made just for me 😂.

[@jessicabender1301]

#1 legos hands down. The only toys that are rescued every clean out. #2 calico critters, no knock offs. We were given second toys that my 5 girls all played with. #3 wooden blocks... over and over and over. #4 warmies #5 speedo goggles and splashers floaties.

[@marianalvarado4193]

This was very fun! I love all your recommendations. I bought a stuffed animal that you warm in the microwave, I'm assuming it was a Warmie brand, for my grandson when he was about a year old and he has slept with it ever since, and he just turned 7. My granddaughter loves her American Girl dolls, and I have found some nice AG wooden furniture for her at garage sales! A couple other toys that we've had for our children and saved them to pass down to our grandchildren were the Brio train set, and my son's Playmobile Castle with the little knights and horses.

[@AddieV1984]

Awwww American girl!! 😭 I collected the catalogs and wore them out flipping through them since as a child, my family never ended up being in a financial situation to purchase a doll 💕 However, I thoroughly enjoyed reading the books from the library! Now for my daughter we live a very comfortable life thanks to my husband, but I still want to be a conscientious consumer, and NOT buy all the dolls and accessories for her lol.

[@Esther-bi3vj]

The mouse house is adorable!!!

[@SummerLove-yv1kf]

I have Samantha too! Although she’s not is in good condition as yours. I would like to try to repair her as my daughter is 4. I was obsessed with American girl. I got Samantha I think around 1995 I believe them around five years or so younger than you. So nostalgic!

[@hillabodeRB]

Thank you, Jennifer, for such an adorable and fun video! I couldn't agree more about the Magna-Tiles and Warmies, and I couldn't recommend these more highly. I've bought these for my grandsons, and they have been very well played with and loved on. I took note of the Imaginext toys that you recommended. I'm going to buy some now for Christmas gifts this year!

[@elizabethtallman3280]

I really like the Crocodile Creek brand , good quality puzzles, balls etc..

[@melissafarrand5663]

Are all of your Meileg toys on the mouse scale? Or did you buy the bigger ones? I’m having a hard time understanding the size difference

[@alexandrabeicht4512]

What a lovely video❣️ I would add LEGO to the collection. So much creative play and they are built to last!💕

[@DansonforJoy]

What a fun video!! My six children range in age from two to thirteen, and they all love magnet tiles (we have several sets of the Picasso brand), and the wooden animals made by Holztiger. Legos are another favorite, of course, as are American Girl and Bitty Baby dolls. I’m SO EXCITED to be giving my sons our family’s first-ever Maileg toys for their birthdays in the next month. Have you seen the hiking/camping mouse set? SO CUTE!! ☺️

[@TheDailyConnoisseur]

I love it! Yes, we have the camping ones!

[@kellieliacopoulos8005]

Hi Jennifer! This was SOO fun!!!! My 10 year old is getting her first AG doll for her birthday this month!!Also, I have the same Samantha as you!! I just adore her!! I am definitely looking into the "mouse house" characters as another birthday gift option! Thank you so much and see you tomorrow!! With love, Kellie

[@TheDailyConnoisseur]

How fun for your daughter, Kellie! Much love! 🧸

[@melodiephoenix]

Have you tried the Vermont teddy bear factory? We love their bears!

[@sweetsarah27]

I have four small kids (2 boys and 2 girls as well) and this was so helpful! I've been considering American Girl dolls for a while. It was great to hear what you think. Thank you Jennifer!❤

[@ashleyslack5960]

AG is sadly very woke. Check out Dolls from Heaven... they look like AG dolls but are Catholic Saints and Guardian Angels dolls instead of made up characters. They also come with a kids chapter book about the real life saint.

[@Madi-ls5uu]

I have all my American girl dolls, bitty and bitty twins with accessories saved for if I have a girl. I have two sons right now. We used one of the twins to teach the older son about babies

[@jelenamatic3617]

Fantastic video! Amazing idea for a video! Thank you!

[@majamartin5633]

Love this type of video Jennifer❤

[@greenwillow5404]

Wonderful video Jennifer! Enjoyed it so much. The Maileg/mouse house is so darling. Some lovely children's toys I would recommend are FAO Schwarz's Madame Alexander dolls and the Playmobil kits. My sons loved playing with the Viking ship and their wonderful castles.

[@TheDailyConnoisseur]

I have heard of the Madame Alexander dolls! I need to check them out and the Viking ship! Thank you!

[@greenwillow5404]

@@TheDailyConnoisseur You're so welcome!💕

[@alexandraeverafter1015]

I was obsessed with Madame Alexander dolls when I was 10, especially the international dolls. I would try to save up my allowance to buy them one by one at Circus World (a now-defunct mall toy store-80s kid here). I also got one for every birthday or a Christmas until I entered high school. I would pretend that the international dolls were my friends from around the world.

[@greenwillow5404]

@@alexandraeverafter1015 I loved them so much too as a child! I used to get them for birthdays and Christmases also. They are so beautiful. Your collection of international dolls sounds so wonderful! Do you still have them? I had (and still have) a French doll. Named her after a lady in a Renoir painting. My favorite was my Scarlett O’Hara doll. 💚

[@alexandraeverafter1015]

@@greenwillow5404 unfortunately, when we were downsizing, we gave them to our close family friends. Hopefully, I will reunite with them. My favorites were my Spanish doll, whom I named Carmen after the opera character, and my Italian doll, whom I named Lucia. I still have a big Scarlett O’Hara doll, which my mother bought before I was born.

[@lauraneaves6912]

Jennifer I loved this video and the qualiy toy recommendations! I have a one year old little girl so this helps for later 💜👌

[@heather5926]

I’m surprised Playmobil didn’t make the list. Similar to Lego but different and good quality. :)

[@marianalvarado4193]

Yes, we have some from the 90's, and our grandson loves them.

[@sarahlouiselast]

Great video, thank you!

[@21972012145525]

I dont have kuds (inshallah one day), but im curious on people's thoughts on "practical" toys. Example: the kid dyson vac that actually works (?!), kitchenette playsets, etc

[@LivingQuiteSimply]

Love your recommendations. Legos seem to last forever.

[@TheDailyConnoisseur]

Yes! Legos last a long time too!

[@21972012145525]

So curious if the books were made first or the dolls? American girls will always be nostalgic for me! We did have an off brand american girl doll but we didn't play with it. It only recently came out of the box for my niece 😅 I think girls just like doll houses. I remember playing with a few different versions and even an electronic poly pocket type one.

[@21972012145525]

I always hope KZbin will recommend American girl read along videos for me. Lol they're good to fall asleep to

[@21972012145525]

Loved seeing those catalogs again! They were my favorite mail item 😅 and my mk&a stuff too! I'm very curious how you store all this vintage stuff? I wish I kept mine but at the same time I'm glad I didn't 😅

[@salfon2490]

❤❤❤❤ ty

[@adamballard1125]

That original samantha doll is worth a mint.

[@ashleyslack5960]

Such great suggestions. And I really agree, I prefer the kids to have fewer high quality toys rather than an abundance of junk that overwhelms them and stunts their creativity of play. I will say this though, that sadly American Girl is extremely WOKE (as in..."you can change your gender kids" WOKE). I encourage people to check out companies like Dolls from Heaven. They make dolls that look like AG and are very good quality, but they are SAINT dolls. Absolutely beautiful. They even have a few boy saints I believe like St John Paul II. If you are not Catholic, but non-Catholic Christian, they have Guardian Angel dolls too, complete with wings :-) Be A Heart dolls are also precious - rag dolls of the Blessed Virgin Mary, handmade with different outfits for different apparitions. St Joseph dolls too and of course, our Blessed Lord Jesus Christ. They make other sweet Catholic kids gifts too.

[@actuartist651]

wooden blocks

[@actuartist651]

Bryer horses and plastic dinosaurs

[@laurawolf9613]

🥰

[@heatherburrell8412]

The new American dolls are TRASH and not worth the money….. I have several of the Original historical dolls, with their cloths and accessories.

[@ashleyslack5960]

They are also super woke now unfortunately. I recommended Dolls from Heaven above. Same style doll but from a Catholic company.