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?

My mother is always going on about this; also, about how they never spent more than on my presents. When I am in a mean mood I am tempted to point out that I still I have a lot of those toys; I can see for myself how much space they take up; also, the price is still there on the back of the books. It used to rile my ex-SIL no end: she really did grow up in poverty and resented my mother's attempts at competitive poor parenting.

Dh had more real terms spending money as a child than he has been able (or willing) to give his children

Surely, the truth is that some children had more toys and some had fewer- and that some children have more and some have less these days?

Some things have got cheaper, others are more expensive than they used to be. A cheap bike was something everybody had when I grew up, now there are no cheap bikes. But plenty of cheap plastic toys.

YANBU it looks like Thomas the tank engine puked up everywhere in my house!

It's no surprise really though... There are also a lot more toys made these days. I suppose people buy more, so more toys are made, so people buy more, so more toys are made. Much more choice. And a lot more crap character type toys.

Technology has also opened the doors to a greater range of toys than there were when I was small.

Yanbu. We have stuff they rarely play with and a load of clutter. A lot of it is secondhand. Mine really use toys as props in their rôle play, so I could probably furnish them with sticks, costumes and a few stuffed animals and they'd be happy. They do love the Lego though and dd (and I) love her 18" dolls.

Dh & I are hoarders, so the whole thing is not helped by still having his childhood Lego, my childhood Fisher Price stuff and enough Brio to recreate the pre-Beeching network.

As an aside, I misread Adversecamber's post as, 'Since Christmas I have bought two pairs of knickers for me due to rapid foof growth...'

LOL Sucks.

I agree that in most cases its relatives buying stuff that causes the problem. But I suppose its a vicious circle. kids get used to getting exciting lookingcolourful, all singing and all dancing presents so then you don't want to be the one to give them a boring old jigsaw or game of snakes and ladders. Also, I remember my father telling me once that he loved being able to buy nice things for his grandchildren because he could never afford to buy them for us.
I blame the whole marketing culture and the commercialisation of children's programmes really. Every children's programme now has to come with a load of shiny plastic spin off merchandise. Ads are constantly pushing expensive tat at children. Lovely local toy shops with imaginative toys have been wiped out by big warehouse type shops with shelves packed full of over priced, brightly coloured, garish crap. Every popular children's character or doll comes with an expensive wardrobe, a car, a boat, a house, a friend, a dog etc etc

My DCs do have too many toys. A drawer for toys though? what decade was this? I had a playroom when i was little, so im not sure they have that many more now

We do regular sort outs of toys and send those which don't get played with the childrens ward. DS accepts this as it means he can play with them when he is admitted.

Just because toys are cheap and storage is easy doesn't mean that there isn't something a bit sad about children nowadays getting loads of cheap plastic tat and less opportunity to learn to be creative and use their imagination; or to really appreciate and love a few well worn toys MrsDeVere. And I don't agree that kids had shed loads of toys in the 70s. Kids from well off families may have, but not most of the kids I knew.

Oh God yes! I hate it when you go over to someone's house and they have kid's toys everywhere, and all the time. We try to focus on quality, not quantity. We get things my DsS will actually play with and that will last for a while, even if they end up costing quite a bit more. We encourage my MIL to give him money for Xmas and birthdays rather than toys to avoid cheap tat. This money has now piled up very nicely in his savings account and will hopefully help pay for his college when the time comes.

If we get him a happy meal I don't allow him to take the crappy free toy. He doesn't like them that much anyhow.

"It is really simple.
If you think your children have too many toys, stop buying toys."

And the relatives? And the parties - where 25 kids are invited and you end up with 25 presents? And the random crap you get when you go places, like you go for a meal and get given, not a tub of crayons to borrrow, but yet another pack to take home?

Do you lock your doors and not let any of this stuff in the house?

I agree with MrsDevere.

and I don't think having lots of toys stops children using their imagination at all. DS has plenty of toys but he still have a very vivid imagination.

I was a child in the 80s and other children then certainly had lots of toys, plenty of my peers had play rooms full of toys.

I agree with you. Especially about using imagination.
Ds2 is here playing with some shells and some long pieces of wool He's ignoring the fact that there is a toy box in the room.

I've done what another Mumsnetter suggested and put toys in a bin liner and hidden them away. None have been missed, apart from a dino. They will all go to a charity shop.

Hmnm.....its gone the other way in my house. When I was little I had a toy room full of playthings. DD has one box of toys in the lounge plus a ride on, however she does have quite a few hundred books.

No, I don't remember those days. My dad does. He remembers all the deprivation that went with it and doesn't find it something that's good to go back to.

Times change. We don't live in the 70s anymore. Imagine that?

If you think your kids have too much, then give it away or sell it.

Its not toy snobbery or retro dreaming at all MrsDeVere. Its an observation about the amount of toys that pile up in playrooms unused and unloved and about how many of them really don't draw on children's imagination or resourcefulness because all they have to do is press a button and the toy does all of the work. I find that sad (and a terrible waste of money).

I particularly hate Barbie dolls. Why children can't just have one Barbie and save up for outfits or make them themselves, rather than buying a ready manufactured Barbie for every occasion, is beyond me.

*I go to houses where there are no toys.

that can be worthy of a sad face
that can be worthy of concern.

Not a home full of tat for a few short years*

I think THAT is what its important for children to realise, that they are lucky compared to a lot of children and that when they have finished with toys its nice to donate them so younger children can enjoy them. Or encouraging to give to collections at christmas and whenever.

pile up in playrooms unused and unloved

Then collect them together and take them to the charity shop, or donate them to your local sure start who can give them to children who will love them.

Why so aggressive MrsDeVere. Yes, I think it's sad to see children not being encouraged to be resourceful and imaginative. Yes, actually sad.