The worst things about kids' toys.

You only notice or think about kids toys when you're a parent. A few things I've learned about kids' toys:

- It's really hard to predict a good toy. You can never tell from the package.
- A huge percentage of kids toys are poorly designed or made.
- Some of them do or say weird things. I swear one of Jake's toys yells out "BITCH!!"

Here's a list of the worst things about kids' toys, in no particular order.

1.) Batteries. Some toys use the expensive AAA batteries - and just eat them up like candy. Also, when the batteries die, the toy goes a little crazy and starts shouting out gibberish. Usually at 1am.

2) Some toys have buttons or switches that are too hard to push for kids. Also, some toys don't react fast enough when you push the button.

3) Some toys have annoying little reminders that sound after a few minutes of being idle. "Play with me!!!" Which sucks, because we've just distracted Jake enough to play with something less annoying and suddenly you hear, "Play with me!" and Jake scurries back to play with the annoying toy.

4) Some toys encourage bad behaviour. For example, they make a sound when you throw them.

5) Some toys miss opportunities to educate. When you press an animal button, it makes the wrong sound. Or the songs don't quite sound right. Or one toy promotes its name brand. "Thank you for playing with Leap Frog!!" Marketing.