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?

And when similar suggestions come up on here everyone thinks refusing to let people give your child piles of presents is just mean.

And as for the examples in the OP - why is playing with Barbie unimaginitive? Why are plastic toys unimaginitive? What makes you think that kids are unable to make one thing into another any more? In my experience that's exactly what they do. Get, say, Sylvanian Familes out and use what they have but also use paper, card, household items, blankets, chairs and make a right old mess!

And you let internet sprites decide for you?

You obviously haven't bothered to read my posts Mrs DeVere or to put your own interpretation on them. I'm really not going to continue to argue the point with you. We'll just have to agree to disagree as I think this is turning into a bunfight, which wasn't my intention.

I agree with MrsDeVere. Mine were little way back and my mother said the same then. It really isn't a problem. They might have had a lot but they had their favourites and the best ones came free- large cardboard boxes etc. Just remove some if you don't like it, or rotate. I can't see that it is a problem.

or have put your own interpretation on them.

DS is 3 and last week spent ages with me building a house out of lego which was promptly turned into Peppa Pigs house which fireman sam came to save from falling down. His toys certainly don't stop his imagination.

We also have pirates living in one local country park and the Gruffalo lives locally aswell we often go out looking for him!

Themed Barbies are cool, though. And yes, I can knit and crochet, and have been expert at following Barbie and Sindy knitting patterns since childhood. But some things you can't knit, like flexible joints on dolls.

What was my intention? I am honestly surprised at how strongly you feel about what I thought was a fairly innocuous subject. In fact I had been wondering should I have posted it in Chat as it didn't seem controversial in anyway.

My dd has a lot of toys ( really a lot she is an only grandchild of very generous gps) at parents evening last week her teacher told me she had one of the most amazing imaginations she has come across in 20 years of the job, having stuff doesn't stop them laying in an imaginative way.

I didn't have many toys when I was growing up. I did have some nice ones and I loved them, but my mum was totally batshit crazy a bit troubled and would often throw out toys till I had hardly anything left. Though to be fair, she never threw out my Barbie doll because she liked doing its hair.

DD has quite a lot of toys, and she's only two. Her birthday is days before Christmas and so there were a lot of presents. I put some away - in fact we got them out this weekend just gone. It was brilliant. She loved it. I put some other toys away in a box to rotate in a few months. We do lots of crafty stuff and we play imaginative games and she uses her toys in ways that really take me by surprise - I had no idea that little toddlers had these huge imaginations. I'd never really been around children till I had my own.

I don't care that she has lots of toys. In fact I'd happily get her more if we had more money and more room. I love playing with her and seeing her play with her toys.

This wasn't a very well constructed rant. Just, I think Mrs DV is right. That is all.

You think kids have too many toys. Others don't. You don't get to decide for anyone. So some decide to buy loads. And your point it?

Children work out what has play value to them. I visit a 2 yr old most weeks and he has masses of toys- he always gets the same things out from his choice. I think it sad when parents get all judgemental e.g. Some DCs love Barbies - why not?- they can have wonderful imaginative play with them. I also think it sad when parents try to force them into what is aesthetically pleasing to them.

You can get wonderful second hand toys very cheaply- it is easy to amass a lot.

^Yes to exoticfruits

I remember a hairdresser coming around and tutting at my impressive collection of second-hand Sindies and Barbies!

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

No. I had a playroom. I'm 44.

Perhaps all of your toys fit into a drawer. That doesn't mean everyone's did.

And, no, I haven't read the thread. Deal with it.

Agree about second hand toys. Most of DS's toys (and books) are second hand ones.

If we'd had to buy them all new, he'd have far far fewer toys.

But we don't have them all out at once. There wouldn't be enough room for him to play properly with any of them if we did because the rooms would be far too cluttered.

Well said MrsDeVere. I do get fed up with people who spout rubbish about children needing toys made from natural materials and who won't entertain 'plastic tat'. It may not look nice in your playroom or whatever but a child can't care less what it looks like. They only care about whether it has play value for them and it can be anything, a lovely wooden Noah's ark, a plastic train, a Barbie doll, or even a bowl of clothes pegs! They will decide. My DSs had hours of fun from a bright orange plastic kitchen- it wasn't the nicest thing but it only cost a couple of pounds. If they don't play with it you can remove it and if not missed can recycle - some other DC may love it.

I'm a toy snob. We have hardly anything with batteries - exceptions are a beloved washing machine and mini Kenwood. We discovered DS loved them when we borrowed them from our local toy library, which we use regularly.

95% of his stuff is second hand. From second hand shops, eBay and our local free swap shops. Stuff that isn't played with gets sent back to swap shop "for other children to play with" or put in the attic if grown out of.

Relatives who give us stuff that is too big/noisy get to keep them at their house for him to play with when he comes over...

He's only 2 but honestly I haven't found it a struggle at all.

We as a family don't really go in for "stuff" though so that probably has an effect.

Just don't mention art and craft stuff

If you become part of the class party circuit that is standard here in the first few school years your crap is easily accrued: 30 times whatever anyone can get for a fiver =.......

I had an awful lot of toys as a child, we were not affluent (far from!) but dad had been desperately poor, 15th of 16 children with a sick mother and alkie dad, so really just didn't have any toys- and he wanted us to have more than he did.

Mine probably have the same amount of toys that I had.