We live in a tiny unit, so space would stop us having too many toys, even if we had the money to buy whatever "too many toys" is.

If we had more space, i would love to get my DD a wooden kitchen as she loves the "home corner" at childcare so much.

If the backyard wasn't a mess of weeds and muck (with not one tree, zero shade), i would love to have a patch of grass, for a swingset, a sandpit and a shady spot to put an easel, for painting. I realise you can't have chickens in a block of units, but i would love to have a frog pond in the backyard.

i feel so guilty about all the play experiences she is missing out on where we live, that's why i put her in childcare, just so she can get the experiences of playing outdoors, painting and playing in a sandpit.

I'm interested in both Steiner and Montesorri play ideas, so have been trying to buy less toys, but choose open ended toys, made out of wood, cloth and metal. The rainbow things i've bought have been great for teaching DD about colours.

I've recently decided to not have battery operated toys, they get given away now. I noticed DD was behaving like a zombie with battery operated toys and books with battery operated buttons in them.

toys she has:
basket of real instruments
box of dressups
wooden blocks
an etch a sketch (i'm still not quite sure about these)
a box of playdough stuff
a box of paper/scrapbooks and steiner crayons (wax, small and rectangular) - i am not giving her textas or pencils for now.
a box of miniature animals
wooden push a long toys, wooden cars, wooden bulldozer
a drawer of puppets
a box of plush toys
fabric dolls
a toddler sized dustpan and broom
a toddler sized water squirter and sponge
lots of books
Kinder Yoga DVD
Amazing Drumming Monkeys DVD

i know i would go ALOT further, if i was a purist, i feel a bit "halfway", about where we are with the toys.

i do struggle at friend's houses, with the tv being on all the time, the textas, the battery operated toys that DD just keeps pushing buttons and stops actual playing with them, just acting like a zombie. I don't know how to handle it, i feel conflicted in my mind, don't want to offend my friends, but unsure what the exposure is doing to DD.