'Too many' toys vs 'not enough'

[Ozziehoffy]

I can't say Oskar has lots of toys, but doesn't have only a few either. When I say that though they are more groups of toys... lots of matchbox cars and a train set so it FEELS like heaps when I stand on them grrr lol. He has a few larger items, little kitchen, little tykes car, quad bike and for his birthday he got a train table set which he uses the matchbox cars on too. One of the big reasons for that was so he had someone new and interesting to use when I had to start feeding a baby only a few wks later. He LOVES it and it's great when I'm making dinner Other than that he spends most of his playtime outside and digs in the garden and he is starting to use his imagination a lot now. I've noticed it in the past few weeks a lot.

I found he has age group toys too... so now that Elijah is starting to be a lot more aware the baby toys I'd packed away are back again so I'm feeling a bit surrounded again lol. I did just today buy a new container to store them separately cos it makes it easier!

I guess in summary he's probably erring on the side or possibly a few too many toys, but it's good when he does find things he hasn't played with for a bit cos it can really help when I need some time to do something

[Daydream Believer]

I think its too many toys when you no longer have anywhere to store them!!

I agree with the toy library idea, because the kids soon learn they are just borrowing them & they have to return them but then they can get something else, like the library

Majority of the toys I have bought I bought second hand that are hard plastic & easy to clean when other kids come over that if it gets broken its not a big deal.
DD got a couple of good toys of us for birthday & Christmas but if someone asks what to get her for her birthday etc, I ask for toys because she doesnt have many
We are more likely to buy her books than toys

[christy]

We have been a Montessori family... so like Mayaness said we value more "real" toys.

BUT we do have the bottom shelf of our book case with wicker baskets with toys in them. We have one basket for wooden toys, one for soft toys, one for puzzles, one for dress ups and one for the random plastic toys we've picked up along the way. I give away toys regularly, or do toy swaps with friends.

The next shelf on the bookcase has children's books and one section for drawing materials for them.

In the girls bedroom there are dolls with doll dress ups, a doll pram and a big dress up box. We have a play kitchen outside on the verandah which has real kitchen stuff and they make mud pies etc over summer. In our front yard is a trampoline with a net, a swing set and a slide. They spend most of their time out the front with the chickens and they play for hours everyday.

We feel like we still have too many toys. DD1 has started an obsession with Polly Pocket, but we've encouraged it as she doesn't do imaginative play very well and we want to help her learn how. She also has a DS, but she needs it.... (for more information check out the forum for children with special needs).

[Nai]

We also prefer "real" toys and making things with the girls. DD1's favorite toy for a while was a "baby" that we made out of a toilet roll and pipecleaners

Apart from that the Toy Library is awesome! I can highly recommend joining one as it means we can get a different toy and puzzle/game each fortnight so if it's not a success we haven't wasted money and if it is then we can play it to death and borrow it again at a later date. Also the puzzles and games are age appropriate so we borrow different ones as she develops.

[KatieRabbit]

I am with Mayaness- such a well written post that sums up my beliefs! We just don't buy any plastic toys/stuff for DD and ask family members not to. So what she does have is wooden or metal or made from natural fabrics. We just have a few baskets organised as Christy does and DD plays with this stuff but also loves sorting out spoons and forks into the drawer, playing with a tin of buttons, pushing a cloth dolly around etc. I think there is a line between not having any and having too many but I would rather the not many as this encourages creativity and develops the imagination far more than plastic food in a plastic oven!

ETA- that' s no offence intended to anyone who does have plastic food and plastic ovens!! It was just my way of explaining myself!

[Patooties]

Well, you guys would all be gobsmacked at the amount of toys in our house!
We have lots of Fisher Price stuff - and plastic food and kitchen things.
I was going to reply as to why I think these toys serve a purpose - but realised i was being defensive, and after reflecting, realise that i really have no need to be
We all raise our children differently and have different values, which is what makes the world such an interesting place.

[BekZ]

I was going to reply as to why I think these toys serve a purpose - but realised i was being defensive, and after reflecting, realise that i really have no need to be
We all raise our children differently and have different values, which is what makes the world such an interesting place.

I could not have said this better JaZaHMum

Before I purchase a toy I think about what learning value the item has and for how long it will keep my child occupied. We have a good mix of toys that I rotate on a regular basis. I try to avoid too many commercial character type toys, although I haven't denied my daughter a Dora doll just because it is commercalised.

We don't buy toys unless the girls are having a birthday or it is Christmas. We don't have toys out on display either. All the toys are in the girls rooms and they seem to be more motivated to play with them if I bring out a box for the day rather than having them always in sight.

To answer the original question - I don't believe it is quanity that is the issue. If the item/s are being used and enjoyed then why not have them?

[Smoke Jaguar]

JaZaHMum - glad to read it! No, you don't need to justify yourself in the least
And like I say, I've got friends who are overrun with the toys I specifically don't want or need and I manage to stay very good friends with them
Essentially, I don't think there can be a 'not enough toys' situation, because kids will take anything and figure out a way to play with it! For my own situation, I can see a counter-productive effect of having too many toys. And like I said, DS gets a lot of stimulation from our lifestyle alone, where we live (in th hills with lots of birds, creeks and trees) and the cheap or free outside toys we have.
There is no 'one size fits all' in the world of families and people!

[Lolli]

Umm.. lots of toys here too

In my defence, most of them are recycled or freecycled, from op shops, markets or curbside collections. Any that are new were bought as presents- some of our mates who don't have kids have been pretty extravagant with gifts.