Do you have too many toys? How do you regulate that, if at all? Have you ever wanted to ask family members to not give so many toys as gifts? Have you gone through with it? What was their response?
Yes, we have too many toys. I should probably sort through them to do throw away / give away / sell / keep piles. Any suggestions for what determines which toy goes in which pile?
We currently are doing a toy rotation. Some toys are in bins in the attic. After 4 or 5 months, we’ll box up most of the toys that are in the kids’ room now (except for the favorites that are near and dear) and bring down the toys from the attic. That gives the kids an opportunity to play with their toys as if they were new all over again. I’m hoping, too, that as we continue this rotation, I’ll be able to more easily sort through the toys. The thing is, though, I don’t want to ditch all the baby toys, because 8 mo will probably like to play with them, too, as she gets older. So, I'm afraid my collection will keep growing until the last child has passed up the age level for a toy.
I have been VERY tempted to ask family members to not give toys as gifts. It’s difficult, though, because I very much appreciate their generosity. I believe that kids don’t need a lot of toys and that their imaginations allow them to play really well with just about anything. I’m contemplating making up a gift list (which some relatives have asked for) with consumable items such as magazine subscriptions, stickers, paint books, etc. Please help me…what do you think about this?
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5 comments:
We try to do the toy rotation thing too, and it seems to work fairly well. And yes, I have actually asked our parents to give things other than toys as gifts. A year membership to the zoo is just as fun as a gift as a new toy, but they will enjoy it all year instead of just for 2 weeks or until it runs out of batteries! It is fun for the kids to actually "open" a gift though, which makes things like a zoo pass a little more difficult. My mom did that last year, and she actually put it in a box and wrapped it, so they could open it. Other things that have been successful for me is suggesting to our parents a specific category of stuff they might like to get the kids. Like this year for their birthdays I suggested "outside gifts". It turned out great. They got little tents, sleeping bags, bubbles, a plastic pool, pool toys, swimsuits, balls, kites, etc. That way our parents still have the creativity and ability to get them whatever they want, but I don't get stuck with a bunch more toys we don't really need. One other thing that has worked for me is to get fun stuff they can use that aren't "toys" per se.....Special fun sheets for their bed, or a themed rug to go on the floor in their room, or a cute picture or shelf to hang in their room. Our kids share rooms, so this was really easy to get them excited about. It's not a toy, but something special just for them that they can use and they dont have to share. Some of the gifts that they get are practical and things we use everyday, but they become special as gifts. I wouldn't go out and buy cartoon themed sheets, because they cost more. I would just buy plain old sheets becuase they're cheaper and work just as well, so for them to get Sesame Street ones is really special. Plus, it helps me get them excited about bedtime! BONUS!!..hope these ideas help someone! Jenna
I prefer things from others that are not toys if at all possible. As the kids get bigger the toys get more expensive so that makes it harder (not to mention that the international shipping is tough on g'parents when the thing they want is heavy). Anyway, we have done gift vouchers/certificates to the toy store for b-days and the kids can pick out what they get, with our approval of course, or pool them together to get something that cost more. We've done the room decor thing before and it's always good. I have very girly girls and they love sparkly things for the room and wall hangings, new covers or sheets, etc so that works out well. Thankfully art things are always a huge hit which is nice because it keeps them active and when the colouring book is full we can actually get rid of it instead of it piling up like the unused toys. I love the idea of the zoo membership, we love outings like that and would def use something like that! Great idea!!! One grandparent always does 'play clothes' and pjs at Christmas so we plan on that and the kids know ahead and actually love to see what gram got this year! You wouldn't think those things would be fun but they get really excited! I did the toy rotation thing too when they were small but don't have the space now, wish I did though.....
YES!! Too many toys!!! I recently got rid of 3 bins full which was very liberating- and you know what? The kids don't even realize! Sometimes if there is something that is broke or cheap or junky I hide it. If they don't realize and ask for it after a few days I toss it (because sometimes even that which looks like junk to us is their treasure!).
One thing my parents started giving their other grandkids (and I imagine mine soon) is tickets to events- like Disney on Ice or something like that. I thought that was good because I would love to take the kids but I'm not likely to spend the money on that. I have also suggested board games and books.
Of course we have too many toys!! J We have them in 2 different rooms so it doesn’t seem like a lot but I’m sure it is! I don’t really do anything about it except pick them all up day after day! For the next birthday/Christmas I think I am going to be asking for clothes or gift cards to purchase clothes. We’re at the age where we are running low on the next size. We had so many baby clothes given to us that we never had to buy anything! Our families will totally go for that but I’m sure they will throw in a new toy too. One way I look at it is then we will have plenty for any future kids or friends that have kids too. We can share!!
I let the kids decide what and when they want to give toys away. Sometimes, I initiate it, but they have gotten very good at cleaning out and giving away toys they don't use, whether old or not. I request of the grandparents to give only a few toys that are quality. I have talked to them about not buying toys made in China and sticking to imagination toys, etc. made in USA.
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