Montessori Inspired Toy

Like most children, my baby isn't particularly interested in toys. He is much more interested in whatever I'm holding--my phone, my computer, a tissue, etc. Because I don't want these things in his mouth, I often have to say no. However, when it comes to keys, I say yes. They're metal so he can't damage them and they can easily be cleaned.

I know they make plastic keys for babies, but I thought it would be better to get him a set of "real" keys because I knew it would be more appealing to my son to have something adult, they could be recycled when my baby outgrew them, and probably wouldn't be any more expensive.

We headed down to the local hardware store and I asked how much blank keys cost. The clever man working behind the counter asked if I wanted them for my baby and when I answered in the affirmative, he offered me a paper bag with half a dozen keys for free. They were miscuts that had been lying around. Because I was so pleased with the service and because I wanted to support this particular local business, I decided to buy a couple of key covers too; the different colors and textures makes for a more interesting toy too, I think.

All I had to do was assemble it all on a key ring and my baby had a new toy for pennies. We've had the keys for a couple of months now and they're still one of his favorite toys. A virtually free practical life toy works for me.