To throw all the toys out!!

[absolutelydemented]

Ok. Over-exaggeration. But I'm really struggling at the moment with 3 year old and toys. I'm sure it's just a phase but I'm losing my mind at the moment.

He gets a toy out then immediately wants another. Then another. Then another. Barely playing with one before he moves onto the next one. He used to be really good at playing for longer periods of time but now he's so flighty. I have no problem with different toys being out and him mixing and matching how he plays with things, but our house is really small and we just don't have room for everything to be out at once. So, we do toy rotation and only so many toys are out at once but I'm now feeling claustrophobic and like we have too much. Decluttered a few weeks ago and got rid of things he never plays with or that are basically the same thing as other toys he has, and it still feels too much.

Example: this morning he asked to play with the magnet tiles together. So I bring out the large heavy box of tiles and we manage to make one tower, he bashes it down and then wants to play with his pikler triangle. We don't have the space so the rule has always been we can get it out but have to tidy the other toy away. So magnet tiles go away (takes longer to tidy than it did to play with!) and he does help put them away. Pikler triangle goes out and he immediately wanders off to play with other things 😫 If we had space it wouldn't be a problem.

Has anyone gone seriously minimal with kids toys with success? I say seriously minimal because honestly I thought we were doing well already based on the amount of toys I see at other people's houses on play dates 😱 I don't know how they do it!

He's at nursery 4 days a week so he gets plenty of variety of toys and resources there to play with, and we go out a lot to parks, beaches, play dates and so on. I honestly feel like throwing the lot out today after a difficult morning so far around bloody toys. It's overwhelming 😢

I decided I couldn't handle toy rotation so said that we would only have open ended toys that we have the space for. We have a Kallax unit with Mag tiles, barbies, toy animals, books and dressing up and then a toy kitchen. We're fortunate that all that fits in the girls bedroom (shared) but we have no toys anywhere else cos we have no space for them, and have said no if there's any big toys people want to buy them. Sometimes I think we're mean but to be honest it encourages lovely open ended play and they don't need lots of big things. Obviously I don't know exactly what space you're working with!

Thanks. We love open ended toys too.

We only have two bedrooms and my son's bedroom is small. The third small bedroom is a small home office which is essential for working from home so our small living room doubles as play space.

Son's bedroom has a small unit in which has baskets in with all of his vehicles. Other than that he only has a bookshelf with books as there's no space for anything else. Our bedroom has a large kallax where all the toys are for toy rotation. Living room has a small kallax and we swap toys out. But he's older now so asks for things from our bedroom which is becoming difficult.

Open ended toys we have:
Magnet tiles
Duplo
Sand table
Brio

He also has things like a farm set with animals, garage with small cars, toy kitchen, playmobil, various puzzles, basket of figurines from favourite tv show, basket of soft toys, small dolls house.

I go between thinking he doesn't have a ridiculous amount, to being overwhelmed with everything. He's out with my husband now visiting family and I'm just staring at the toys and failing to see how to scale them down any more. He does love his toys.

Do you only have what you've listed there in your post?

We have a sand table in our garden, and both girls have some cuddlies in their beds and we also have accumulated some Paw Patrol toys because it's the absolute fave, but generally i try and avoid specific characters etc because they change who they like/grow out of things. I do also have a cupboard with colouring/craft kits/pens etc cos both girls love a bit of craft, and a few orchard toys games on a bookshelf in the lounge/dining room so we have a few bits spread out but the majority of their bits are in baskets in their kallax.
I totally get that feeling, whenever I go round other people's I feel like we're doing well with the number of toys we have but then tidying them up still feels overwhelming. I sometimes feel guilt, for example my inlaws wanted to get the girls
a dollhouse and I think they'd love on, but we don't have anywhere to put it so I had to say no. In general children will play with what's in front of them, neither of them has ever asked for a dolls house/train track/ other toy we don't have. They seem to accept we play with those round others houses!

I'm going to have to have another ruthless declutter and stop toys coming in after this. He got a Yoto player for his 3rd birthday from us and one truck from grandparents and everyone else bought clothes/vouchers for favourite places to visit. Will have to be similar for Christmas as there's no room for anything more.

We did fall into the trap of getting too many toys from one particular favourite tv programme. I wish we hadn't got so many as they are bulky and do nothing. He loves them but we should have just got a couple.

Yes clothes/vouchers are great. My parents have started getting the girls membership to local farm parks etc for birthday/Christmas gifts which has been amazing. I think if you're asking people not to get toys it's definitely worth having some alternatives to suggest