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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think children have far too many toys nowadays

203 replies

atthewelles · 11/03/2013 14:21

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?

OP posts:
Dancergirl · 13/03/2013 19:02

Haven't read the whole thread but OMG I LOVED my Sindys!

And no, all my toys didn't fit into one drawer. I had the big Sindy house, loads of furniture - remember the white bed with blue bedding? About 6 dolls, loads of clothes, camping stuff etc. I loved it all.

Leave your principles at the toy shop door I say....

MyShoofly · 15/04/2013 05:08

You can overwhelm a child with a far too wide a choice of toys at one particular time. But this is not an issue if you use storage and a bit of common sense.

I'm inclined to agree this is more of the issue...organization and a failure to bundle thingscoff to charity when they have well outlived their usefulness. I hope so anyway, I really enjoy buying toys for my children and seeing the ensuing exploration. they are young for such a short time and I won't have the opportunity again.

I don't care specifically if things are plastic BUT I do speculate that too much talking and flashing from toys limits the child's own inherent creativity with the item and worry they have a similar effect to tv and excessive screen time in terms of priming the brain for attention issues.

MyShoofly · 15/04/2013 05:16

I will add that I had tones of toys including a box of various babies and it all got used. I remember my playroom with fondness and wish we had one in our house.

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