My 2.9 year old doesn’t have enough toys?

[Toffee2]

I recently visited a friends and the house was full of toys in every room. It was a bit too much for me but I left feeling guilty my son didn’t have half the toys.
He has

• A bus
• A Police car
• 3 dinosaurs
• A wooden puzzle
• Books
• Crayons and colouring books
• Tonies box
• Building blocks
• Handful of teddies
• Garden digger and ride on car

Am I going crazy?
It’s his birthday in a couple months and haven’t a clue what else to buy him. FTM mum here so clearly got too much time on my hands !

He has more than enough!
Too many toys is overwhelming and pointless for toddlers.

What does your ds have?

I mean, nobody needs rooms stuffed full of toys, but, at 2 yrs 9 months, they learn so much from investigating and exploring.
Now, that can be with pots and pans from your kitchen, digging in the garden, picking up a stick in the park, etc etc.

But it is difficult for us to say, without knowing what your ds does get to play with.

He’s got enough

She's listed what her son has not what her friends child has

I'd probably get him a ball. They are good for all types of play.

I would consider some educational toys. We played a lot of red dog blue dog (pairing game), crazy chef (just brought back a lovely memory!). These are Orchard Games.

OP try not to worry - he's got lots there to keep him busy. What are his interests at the moment - is he in to anything? For his birthday you could perhaps get him a bike or scooter or a wooden train set or what about some toy cars and a road mat? The middle of Lidl or Aldi often have great toy offers so you could look there perhaps? There's lots to choose from.

For a child of nearly 3 then yes it does seem to be very limited and it's a bit unusual that given how few toys he has you can't think of anything to get him for his birthday.

It doesn't have to be excessive but most children of that age enjoy having a variety of things to do and play with like balls, toy kitchens, magnetic tiles, bath toys, various animals, dress up clothes, dolls houses and figures etc.

Sounds like he has plenty. I'd buy a balance bike or a scooter for his birthday.

He is almost 3, what did he get for his 1st Christmas - if you celebrate it, what did he get for his 1st birthday, what did he get for his 2nd Christmas and his 2nd birthday ?

Is it only you that buys for him ? no grandparents / aunties / uncles

It doesn't seem much to be fair. One puzzle? No balls, dress up, play DIY toys, cars, play kitchen. None of these sort of things? Unless you're extremely short on space or hard up I'd say it's a bit stingy.

I think it doesn’t sound many toys at all. What about some Duplo, jigsaws or wooden train set, for example?

I don't think that's much I'm sorry.
Do you have a local toy library

My 2.3 years old has a lot more than your son, but a huge amount have been gifts from relatives or toys handed down, so not that I've chosen for him to have this many! I wish we had a little less and planning to have a clear out when I get the chance.
Some of the things my son loves and seem appropriate for nearly 3. How about...
Magnetic fishing game (or the electronic one where they open their mouths and you catch them!)
Leapfrog leapstart
Tuff tray for the garden (can do messy play or use as a sand table)

We have very limited space in our house so I'm very picky with what toys ds has. I generally lean more towards educational and open ended toys that he can play with in different ways as he grows.

Recently visited a friend who has a playroom and it's honestly filled with toys floor to ceiling and initially i felt guilty, but watching ds in it he didn't really know what to do with it all - it was too much for him to focus and properly play with anything and he just sort of stared around. Whereas at home he will really get into his toys and play with them. A balance board, maybe a play kitchen or balance bike things like that are great if you're wanting to buy something he can play with for a long time. We spend a lot of time doing things together as well, I'll involve him in whatever I'm doing which he loves so I don't think they need huge amounts.

We try not to go over the top with ds, but that does seem limited for a 3 year old are there things you've not mentioned? DS loved his bug magnifyer pot and small set of garden tools at that age (Aldi) , and his sand tray, what about a ball to play with in the garden/park, toys for imaginative play, a train set, games the orchard ones are lovely, Duplo etc , it's odd that you can't think of anything else he might like

They access more at playgroups or nursery. I had less than that at that age. I got one present for my second birthday and only had a ride on and baby toys until then.

Hiya, OP . . . I think if your DS is at nursery for most of the week that's probably enough toys but if he's at home for most of the time he needs a few more things. Do you have a garden or outdoor space? Now that the weather is improving (if you are in the UK) a few outdoor toys would be good for him

He loves cars and dinosaurs!
These suggestions here are really helpful thankyou
I really like the idea of balls, DIY toys, dressing up outfits and a train set!

It doesn’t sound like much tbh. I have two toddlers and they have all sorts of things. They have things like books, light up toys, puzzles, educational toys, multiple bolls, a board to write on and much more.

If he goes to nursery, you can ask what his favourite toys are and get inspiration from there? It can be a bit overwhelming shopping for toys as there’s so much out there!

I do think your DS does not have that wide a range of toys. You might like to consider a selection from:

Pop up tent
balance bike
play kitchen (or play food)
more puzzles (lots more puzzles)
happy land
duplo
scheich animals
toy wheelbarrow
playmobil
ball
sandpit
playdoh

his birthday is the perfect opportunity to extend his play opportunities. Though I would maybe spread things out a bit. Not all on one day.

I think they need varied toys.

something to build, something to push, something to roll, something to play make believe, something to play with someone else, something for the bath, somethings to create.

He could do with some dressing up outfits, a baby/doll, something to play make believe (tools/doctors/kitchen etc), playdoh, chalks for outside, games for you both to play.

Some toddler musical instruments might be good - shakers/bells/xylophone/Tambourine type things? There are some inexpensive sets around. Then just put some music on and shake away!

If he loves them it's even odder that you've only got two cars and 3 dinosaurs to be honest.

Does he go to nursery? I'm genuinely struggling to see what he does for a large portion of the day if he's so little to play with.

My son is 2 and a half and we have a lot more. But we have a small home and I do toy rotation. We have a lot of open-ended toys. Each type of toy has to be able to fit in one basket and we don't buy any more than that. The baskets are stored in a cupboard and we rotate them every 2 weeks or so, so that so there's never too much out all at once. I would hate the chaos and clutter, and he plays with his toys better when they're "fresh" again. We don't rotate the most beloved toys/teddies though.

He has:

A basket of matchbox cars which are his pride and joy,
A track for the cars to go on and a car mat with roads on it,
Small car garage,
An IKEA toy kitchen with various real utensils and wooden food,
A basket of magnetic tiles,
A basket of Duplo,
A basket of wooden building blocks,
A basket of sensory type toys,
A basket of soft toys,
A wooden dolls house with little people and furniture,
A wooden barn with farm animals and farm vehicles,
Various wooden puzzles,
A basket of books,
A basket of musical toys/instruments,
A flisat table filled with kinetic sand, seashells and little spades etc.

In the garden he has a gravel pit with toy diggers and trucks and a swing, and he also has a balance bike.

Even the books are rotated out into his little bookshelf and we go to the library once a week. I like to get themed books at the library for the seasons/holidays etc.

I'd say you could get a few more open-ended toys and rotate them. Duplo and magnetic tiles are great for his age. Toy animals from schleich are great for small world play. A tuff tray filled with dirt/grass and a bunch of schleich animals keeps my son happy for ages in the garden. He likes to cart the grass about in his little toy tractor. And definitely a balance bike- we could get rid of everything but my son would be happy as long as he has his bike.