Mel, they do make play vacumms now that actually pick up dirt! Amazon has one I saw you could check out:
<http://www.amazon.com/Kool-Toyz-Dirt-Devil-Vacuum/dp/B000TYPMP0>
We love our swivel sweeper which Josh,3, and Cecilia, 1 1/2 yr, can use. It would be better suited to have one that is built to size for the kiddos!
Happy cleaning!
Evy
I have also been looking for child-sized broom and dustpan but am not sure where to look for them.
Evy,
Thanks I’ve been thinking about the swivel sweeper type of thing, but it really isn’t built to child proportions. The handle is adult length and even the sweeper part is a bit too large for easy maneuverability by a toddler. I predict that Bella would get very frustrated because it was much harder to push around than the toy vacuum she loves. I’d love to see a swivel sweeper made to a child’s proportions.
The Amazon reviews for the dirt devil were pretty negative, especially on the actually picking stuff up. The people who rated it positively didn’t mention the usefulness, just that their kids thought it was a fun toy. But it’s good to know that they do at least have a toy that tries to work. I think if someone ever perfected the design of a toy vacuum and made it easy to use and effective, they’d sell like crazy.
If you search Amazon in the Toys section for Broom, there are a lot of options—some child-sized straw brooms, some plastic sets. Not that you have to get them there, but it will give you some ideas of what the options are.
You could look at Montessori suppliers. I’m sure I have seen a child-sized swivel sweeper or something similar somewhere, and I know they do other child-sized cleaning tools. It is a very Montessori thing. Look under “Practical Life”.
When my son was about a year and a half to 2 years old, he LOVED brooms and vacuums. Even walking in a mall, he would be drawn to anyone sweeping or vacuuming. So that Christmas he got a plastic vacuum with it’s own mini Dust buster type vacuum. At the time (almost 8 years ago), I wished it could really work too!
The mini broom set however did work (with a dustpan even). I didn’t put him to hard labor, but showed him the concept—even if he wasn’t coordinated enough to do really do it!
Melanie, try the Bissel FeatherWeight…it’s basically a dust buster with an extension handle (for grownups to use, not kid size) and a wheeled nozzle, which should be a breeze for Isabella to use…mine was $20 at Home Depot, and it sucks up EVERYTHING! My kids love to use it, too.
It is bagless, like all dustbusters, but you can’t have everything, I guess!
When I was a child, I was fascinated with cleaning up. At the time, my family had laundresses who would wash our clothes by hand. I remember wandering to the washing area and begging to be able to help. They let me scrub my own socks in old flan tins and I was in seventh heaven.
Mel, they do make play vacumms now that actually pick up dirt! Amazon has one I saw you could check out:
<http://www.amazon.com/Kool-Toyz-Dirt-Devil-Vacuum/dp/B000TYPMP0>
We love our swivel sweeper which Josh,3, and Cecilia, 1 1/2 yr, can use. It would be better suited to have one that is built to size for the kiddos!
Happy cleaning!
Evy
Elizabeth,
I have also been looking for child-sized broom and dustpan but am not sure where to look for them.
Evy,
Thanks I’ve been thinking about the swivel sweeper type of thing, but it really isn’t built to child proportions. The handle is adult length and even the sweeper part is a bit too large for easy maneuverability by a toddler. I predict that Bella would get very frustrated because it was much harder to push around than the toy vacuum she loves. I’d love to see a swivel sweeper made to a child’s proportions.
The Amazon reviews for the dirt devil were pretty negative, especially on the actually picking stuff up. The people who rated it positively didn’t mention the usefulness, just that their kids thought it was a fun toy. But it’s good to know that they do at least have a toy that tries to work. I think if someone ever perfected the design of a toy vacuum and made it easy to use and effective, they’d sell like crazy.
If you search Amazon in the Toys section for Broom, there are a lot of options—some child-sized straw brooms, some plastic sets. Not that you have to get them there, but it will give you some ideas of what the options are.
You could look at Montessori suppliers. I’m sure I have seen a child-sized swivel sweeper or something similar somewhere, and I know they do other child-sized cleaning tools. It is a very Montessori thing. Look under “Practical Life”.
When my son was about a year and a half to 2 years old, he LOVED brooms and vacuums. Even walking in a mall, he would be drawn to anyone sweeping or vacuuming. So that Christmas he got a plastic vacuum with it’s own mini Dust buster type vacuum. At the time (almost 8 years ago), I wished it could really work too!
The mini broom set however did work (with a dustpan even). I didn’t put him to hard labor, but showed him the concept—even if he wasn’t coordinated enough to do really do it!
of course, I should have thought of montessori!
Melanie, try the Bissel FeatherWeight…it’s basically a dust buster with an extension handle (for grownups to use, not kid size) and a wheeled nozzle, which should be a breeze for Isabella to use…mine was $20 at Home Depot, and it sucks up EVERYTHING! My kids love to use it, too.
It is bagless, like all dustbusters, but you can’t have everything, I guess!
+JMJ+
When I was a child, I was fascinated with cleaning up. At the time, my family had laundresses who would wash our clothes by hand. I remember wandering to the washing area and begging to be able to help. They let me scrub my own socks in old flan tins and I was in seventh heaven.