I wrote before about saving money with the baby by surviving on baby milk and towels. I recently come up with a further brainwave.
I`ll save money on expensive baby toys by buying dog toys that go squeak.
Reiko vetoed this the first time I proposed this screaming something about, “Not near my child…” and “What kind of madness is this?” but we`ll see what the baby thinks about it.
I`m a big believer in the “cardboard box more interesting than the toy” idea especially at a younger age.
The humble ball is the perfect example of this. There are thousands of games based around it. A beaten-up sponge ball keeps four twenty-something English teachers engrossed in an epic battle in an empty classroom during the lunch break.
And so in this frame of mind (insane) I will entertain her with dog toys. Just have to make sure she doesn`t bury them in the garden.

Heheh – simple toys are the way to go… Things get too fancy these days.
No need to buy squeaky dog toys, the baby will make loads of noises that sound like that anyways
Other than that I completely agree on the concept that the simplest toy is often the best toy – until children get to the age where sadly their social standing in their peer group is affected by not having the right stuff. Sigh…
When is your baby due? I just had mine on 30 April and things will never be the same again. All the best!!!