Buy Your Little Child a Cheap Vacuum Cleaner
When you see a vacuum cleaner, you see a chore: there is one more thing you need to do that you feel like you just did it, but you have to do it again in a few days. However, when a young child sees a vacuum cleaner, he sees nothing but opportunity: the noise, the effort required to push and pull an awkwardly shaped car, the sense of accomplishment that comes from a job well done.
There’s a reason there are so many toy vacuum cleaners on the market (and toy kitchens, cash registers, strollers, and garden tools) – kids love to play like they’re adults. And of all these toys, the vacuum cleaner has the deepest and most versatile allure for toddlers and young children. At the same time, children instinctively know from a very young age that there is a difference between a toy and a real deal. (This is why the kid will ignore that red plastic music TV remote you bought and your real remote will slobber instead.)
So, you know what could be better than investing $ 20-40 in another giant piece of plastic that doesn’t really do what it claims to do? Buy a real (cheap) vacuum cleaner for your little children. Reddit user U / Talia_al_Grrl explains :
My mom bought a disgusting toy vacuum cleaner for my kids. Probably worth about 20 bucks. It is loud and does nothing but vacuum. I got rid of it and bought a cheap / small Bissell vacuum cleaner for $ 20 to replace it, and my 4 year old vacuum cleaner every day – he loves it! We tried to teach him how to collect toys better, and now we tell him that he can vacuum when they are all collected, and he REALLY DOES IT! Plus the bonus of vacuuming it helps get rid of crumbs that materialize out of nowhere, wherever he goes! After that, he is so proud of himself and tries to find other ways to help around the house because he loves to feel needed. While I was typing this, he literally just walked up to me and asked, “Mom, can I vacuum?”
“You can vacuum after you pick up your toys,” is a suggestion that every parent should try at least once.
Are they going to do a good and solid job? We know the answer to this question. But they’re going to pick up something – a few crumbs, some grass that they tracked down earlier, some pet hair – and something better than nothing.
It may not be easy for them to maneuver, but they will find a way. And of course, they can hit a table or a wall or two in the process – they’ll do that with the toy version too. But they will be entertained, they will feel useful, and you will have one less piece of carpet to vacuum yourself.