To think children have far too many toys nowadays

[atthewelles]

Remember the days when your toys all fitted into a drawer instead of requiring an entire playroom, all to themselves? And you played with most of them everyday and loved them to bits and thought they all had personalities, even the toy cars? And how imaginative you had to be because a lot of things had to double up as something else eg your doll's cot became a cage when you were playing 'Zoos', or the bucket from your bucket and spade set became a soldier's hat when you were playing 'Wars'.
Nowadays playrooms are stacked high with toys that kids play with a couple of times and throw in a corner and that break if you look at them; and everything has a switch that makes it move and talk and flash lights at you; and Barbie doesn't need you to make her a wedding dress and veil out of tissue paper because you can buy wedding Barbie (and ice skating Barbie and gymnast Barbie and nurse Barbie and.....).

AIBU to think that children would be better off with a few well loved and worn toys and left to use their imagination a bit more when it comes to maximising the fun they get from using these toys, than having everything handed to them cheap, shiny, plastic and no imagination required?

Couldn't agree more. ours have far too much stuff. Most of it is ignored and they only play with a few things. Somwetimes if we go through a box with them we'll find things they didn't even know they had.
We encourage them to sort stuff for the charity shop 3-4 times a year.

YANBU. I kinda feel the same way.

DH and I are expecting our first and I know I will be unpopular but I don't want my child spoiled. My DSC are very very spoiled by their mum and mums family, and it irritates the hell out of me what an entitled attitude they have. If we go to any shop, they expect something out of it for themselves - we rarely give in and then we get half hour of pouting and sulking afterwards. I will admit its got better as they've got older and we spend our money on things like going swimming and to zoos and parks - so we spoil them with time, not funds.

I hope that our child will never be so spoiled that they forget to appreciate what they have.

mys dds take about 5 toys each on holiday and play lovley with them.
at home they have far too many and are bored.
we dont buy them many toys, mainly outside stuff like bikes/scooters/skipping ropes but grandparents buy an endless stream of tat despite being asked not to.

Mine have far too much crap stuff too. I'm planning a massive clear-out over the weekend. It's a shame because I don't think they value most of it the way I treasured my toys as a child, but even then my mother used to say the same about me and all my stuff.

DS1 is now getting old enough to feel sentimental about things he's had since he was younger and is starting to take pride in the things he owns. He's asked for a nice bookshelf to display his favourite toys cars and teddy bears.

I wonder if I will ever stop them trashing their dvds though

YANBU! I'm dying to get rid of half the toys in our house. Most of them don't get looked at. And my kids are 2.6 and 1! I'm going to be a lot stricter about what gets bought in future, it's ridiculous.

Remember the days when your toys all fitted into a drawer instead of requiring an entire playroom, all to themselves?

No, never had that few. Don't relate.

YANBU

DS has far too much stuff and he is 15 months old

The only thing I buy him now are books are you can't have too many of those but people keep buying him stuff, which is lovely of them but he can only play with one thing at once

I totally agree. We're packing up with the intention of moving home in the next few weeks, and I don't even know where to start!

Yes. eyes up plastic toy mountain taking over the living room

YANBU. My DCs have loads - I have a tendency to hoard so it's my fault TBH. That said, they do play with everything nicely, so it is hard to see what could be gotten rid of without causing devastation

My parents were skint and didn't buy us anything, we all shared toys and perhaps had a whole toybox between five of us (I was the only girl, I played with a lot of army men). And apart from being like kids in candyland whenever we went to someone else's house to play, we didn't feel deprived of toys. We used our imagination or built things. It was nice.

DS doesn't have a huge amount of toys. I do find myself feeling bad sometimes when I compare how many his little playmates have but then remember that what he does have are good quality, made-to-last toys that will hand themselves down to other children. And he loves them. So yanbu.

I'm going to have a huge clear out when our playroom is ready, hopefully it will be a room to play with a few toys in rather than store lots of toys in. My kids favourite toys are their chalk board, lego blocks and brio train set...same things I loved as a child. Although some of the 'extras' like glow in the dark chalk, or remote control trains make it cooler! The rest of the stuff we have is mainly tat and needs to be chucked out when dc aren't looking. I hardly buy them anything, but gp's go totally ott.

I completely understand what you are saying. Our DSs have lots and lots of toys, and have been given lots of preents by friends and family.

I do find though, that the presents I have chosen for them (well for DS1, who is 5 yo - DS2 is only a baby) are the things that they play with the most. I think this is because I know what he enjoys more than other people would, and this is because I have seen him play more than they have, both at home and at friends' houses, and so I know how he plays and what he gravitates towards.

Big hits for us have been train sets, playing shop, vehicles, animal figures, magnetic numbers and letters and a magnetic board, books and duplo. And art and craft and stationery of any description. DS1 doesn't really like jigsaws (we have loads, all age appropriate, fantastic quality, varied things), board/card type games, anything electronic, anything based on a film or tv programme, proper lego, the list is endless.

We could easily be without half of the things we have on the playroom shelves. Except that i can't get rid of it, as it can all come for DS2. I am going to be looking at it all for another 5 years!

oh dear...I'm always banging on that I want a house big enough to have a playroom - I have one toddler!

he has masses of stuff and I find it impossible to chuck things because I get all sentimental about the people who gave them to him. He'd be happy just with a box of cars! dh is a nightmare, bought him a tractor during a supermarket trip on the weekend because he'd been ill...even though his vehicle collection takes over the entire living room.

I completely agree with you but I can't see thing changing in our house, our families love buying for him

Ds has a LOT of toys. However, he also has the memory of an elephant and so it is nigh on impossible to get rid of anything.

He's a sucker for stuff that comes in sets, little sets of cars, animals, dinosaurs, anything really. He also enjoys collecting things (moshis, squinkies etc).

But he does have a lot of stuff. He's my only one (not by choice) and I feel bad that he has no one to play with except me, so I do think sometimes I buy him too much. He doesn't demand though and he plays well with what he has. The most value comes from the toys that don't have batteries, I have got better at toy buying and don't buy toys anymore that only have one purpose (robots, remote controlled anything etc). He likes brio, moshis, playmobil and dinosaurs the best I think.

I am gradually trying to get rid of some stuff and then when he inevitably notices it is missing I just try and distract him!

We have too much too. DD loves soft toys in particular, and they take masses of space. I worry that she's unappreciative and a bit spoilt, but she's only just 3. We do limit the quantity of 'stuff' we but at Christmas and birthdays, but others give her a lot, and we can hardly ask them not to.

I think the fact that most kids' clothes and toys have no secondhand value says it all.

Yes, yes, yes - agree with every word and was saying as much to DH recently. We went to stay with my parents a couple ofweeks ago and took very few toys with us. My parents have a bag of cars they've had for donkey's years plus a doll's house with plenty of the original bits and pieces for it.

DS played for 3 days straight with these things, didn't once ask for tv or iPad or his other toys. It was so lovely to watch him concentrating and playing properly instead of spending a minute with one thing, a minute with another then looking for the iPad!

A real eye-opener.

Of course they do. But then we ALL have far too many things nowadays! Clothes, books, toiletries - all in quantities that would have been unimaginable just 100 years ago.

What gets me is that I actually don't buy much at all - it's other people's generosity!! I even hide his presents at the back of my wardrobe and eek them out during the year so he's not overwhelmed but still we're swimming in toys.

Oh and YY to whoever said about the child's amazing memory - we can't chuck anything or he'll suddenly notice.

We had the toys nicely contained till xmas was followed in quick succession by 2nd bday - and the gps asked what we wanted for his bday so got a zoo membership and tumble tots lessons - so kept the toys to a minimum - and now we still need a big sort out.

my dd hardly has any toys, but its not because I am holier than thou. We have much older ds's and I learned many years ago. .
I do agree that a few toys tend to spark the imagination of a child, far more than if they have a room full.
I have encouraged a love of board games with all 3 and whenever they all get together they love playing these. Last night was a long game of cluedo and Monopoly. they were there until about 10pm.

My daughter definitely has too much toys, its a total waste :( She really only plays with a select few too. I tidied out our spare room at the weekend and there was 46 toys unopened from christmas ! Thats not on.

She is spoiled by her 2 grans and 3 aunties at christmas and birthday and its just got out of control. Ive made a desicion and told them all that they have to slash last years spending budget by 2/3s at least and not go mental and buy loads of toys. Ive told them if they do then i will take some of the toys they have bought and give them to charity. There's no need for it, i dont want my daughter growing up and expecting an obscene amount of stuff for christmas.

YANBU. DS has loads of toys.

I hide some of them, so he's not got them all out at once.

I feel the same. I wish my MIL would stop complaining about the number of toys they have while simultaneously buying them literally shedloads of stuff.
It would be nice if I could once in a blue moon treat my own children without feeling guilty about all the stuff they already have.