Does my child have too many toys?

Question

I have noticed that my two-year-old seems to have more toys than I had in my lifetime. She is a very smart girl and likes to be active and challenged. We do go out everyday for various activities, but I like to keep her busy at home, too. Her toys are mostly educational and inspire imagination, but there are so many! How much is too much?

Answer 1

There are never "too" many toys if your daughter is able to play with them all AND keep up with them. By keep up with them I mean treat them correctly--not throwing them around, taking care of them, and making sure they are put away. Are all of her toys age appropriate? Are there any toys that are for younger children that she doesn't play with anymore? Those are the toys that are worth tossing. If your daughter manages to play with all of her toys about every three days then I think it's not too many. If they are becoming a safety hazard around the house or simply go unnoticed then they are ready to go. If you decide that she needs to get rid of some toys try to get her involved. Tell her to pick out five toys that she would like to give to other children who do not have toys. Then donate them together to a non-profit charity (not Goodwill) so she can see that the toys will be going to needy kids. This teaches two lessons to your daughter: (1) the gift of giving and (2) learning how to let go of some toys. This will keep your house tidy and your daughter charitable. Hope this helps!

Answer 2

As long as it's organized and isn't completely overstimulating then it's fine. If you find yourself cringing when you walk in (b/c it's so busy looking), tripping over toys (b/c there is no space for them not because the room is messy), or have trouble finding things then maybe it's too much. Soon you'll want her to take more responsibility for cleaning up after herself and if there are too many toys this can cause a power struggle. You could always try putting some away in a closet and rotating them every few weeks to see how that works.

Answer 3

I have two young children and each of them got toys from a large family this Christmas. So can you imagine! Next year, I *have* to come up with something different, so there's not so many.

At least your toys are educational. When she's done with the toys or you know that certain ones are not her favorites, donate them or give/sell them away on Craigslist.

What I did was put half of them away in storage and will get them out in a few months. Gave their old ones or ones they grew out of free on Craigslist and threw away the junk ones

Kids today have so much more!

Answer 4

Sounds like if you have to ask then the answer is yes. I found myself in the same place at Christmas time. I told the girls that we had to pick out some toys for Santa to take to other kids who needed them and that way we would have room for the new toys Santa would bring for them. I thought they would fight me on it but they were actually excited to send the toys away with Santa. I took the toys they picked to give away to the Goodwill.
Another thing I do with them like some other people mentioned is I have all their toys in bins on rollers in the closet. All the playhouse toys in one bin, all the kitchen toys in another bin, all the dress up toys in another etc..., when it's time to play we pick out ONE bin, and they have to put everything away before they can open a different bin. I think this teaches them to respect the things that they have and creates less mess.
Lately i've started buying book and DVD's from Scholastic instead of toys. Or if we are in a store and my daughter wants a toy I say "How about we pick out a book instead". This cuts down on the toy clutter and gives them something to help their learning.
One last thing is once a month I throw out any McDonalds toys or other toys we've gotten from restaurants and party favor toys from birthday parties. I noticed they are usually the first toys to get neglected and there is really no need to hold onto them.

Answer 5

They can only play with so many at a time, I found that when my kids were little every so often I'd pack some of there toys away for a month, then get them back out it was new toys all over again.I would rotate them often. Well now I'm a Grandma and from a Grandma's point of view they never have too many.

Answer 6

For the most part, I don't think there's such a thing as "too much" (provided you have room for the stuff). What a child of two years old has is completely separate from whether you have also taught her to be as civilized and well behaved as a two-year-old is capable of being.

Two-year-olds are not aware of things like money or what other children have. They, for the most part, "just are".

As she gets older you can gradually begin to talk about what can be bought, how much things cost, how to take care of belongings, and how to appreciate what someone gives her; but for now, I honestly don't think there's a too much (as long as you aren't using the mortgage money to buy it).

My three kids were among the kids who had all kinds of stuff, and there was a never a time in their childhood or now when they weren't appreciative, unselfish, sharing, kids/adults.

I've actually come to believe that it is more likely the children who don't have what other children have and who feel deprived who grow up with "issues".

With the price of things for a toddler versus the price of things for older kids, you aren't as likely to over-offer as she gets older anyway; so enjoy it and her for now. And - you're right - preschoolers who have lots of different activities do benefit.

Answer 7

Too much is when you get tired of spending money you don't have and she continues to tear them up but I do think its good that there educational. My son is 2 & 1/2 and very active and he has toys but I believe in toys that will challenge them as well as entertainment as well, so If your child likes to break up toys like my son does then thats when you will get tired

Answer 8

There is no too much! It's what you choose to to buy your child! Our daughter has 3 larger toy boxes, plus a tote for toys in the living room. She's got mostly Vtech, Leap Frog and education, musical or physical things. She has probably 4-5 big toys (bouncy zebre, leap pad table, little tykes slide, scooter, and a bike. We also have another "table" thing that has an attached chair waiting until her room is redecorated). It's what we decide to buy our daughter and it's our business, same as it is yours. Good Luck!!

Answer 9

Have struggled with this for years my daughter is considered spoiled by most people but she is not a brat and she enjoys giving to others so who cares people worry too much about their child becoming materialistic and I think instilling proper values and raising a compassionate child has little to do with how much stuff they have am sure most of the world does not agree with my opinion but I like to buy things for my daughter and I will continue to as long as she appreciates it. My daughter has mostly educational things also I do limit the amount of useless toys she gets and I don't allow her to have things that are not age appropriate.

Answer 10

HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!

I laugh because I too, wonder about the quantity of toys. My Wifey and I often wonder about our 3-year-old and all of his toys. He has all sorts of toys, I won't bore you with the details, but suffice it to say, he has quite a few.

Growing up in the 70's and 80's, we really didn't have a lot, mainly because there wasn't a lot to be had. You want the best for your kid, hell, who doesn't. But any kid will tell you that they want more. Always more. Enough is never too much!

Guess it's up to you, the parent, to decide how much is enough.

When you get to the point where the toys are creeping out of the woodwork and you're tripping on them, finding them in all sorts of (un)likely places - (in the toilet, under cabinets, washing machine/dryer , in the VCR slot, between the couch cushions) - Then it's time to seriously reconsider your toy inventory.