Limiting toys ?

Question

So i watched a documentary about a minimalist family it really interested me because i hate clutter & feel every thing you own should serve some purpose to your life . So the couple had 2 under 5 & each kid had 5 toys & if they wanted a toy in the store they would have to choose a toy to donate . I really liked the concept i was telling my mom & S/O ( our baby’s due in July ) i did say that 5 is a little much maybe 10 toys ? I’m not sure yet & i already said I’m not going to limit outside toys like bikes jump ropes chalk balls stuff like that & everyone who has a toddler with a shit load of toys knows that they don’t even look at half of them they just throw them all over the floor looking for that ONE toy . But my mom was telling me how that’s mean why would i do that & that she’s still going to buy them a bunch of toys anyways & it just kind of hurt my feelings.. do you think that that’s mean or wrong ? I just want to teach my kids the value of their belongings

Answer

I get it. But i also think that under 5 they’ll never understand “value” of toys. Maybe something to start after 5, sure.
My son is 17 months old and has a ton of toys. And thank goodness, because he gets bored! He’s an active kid and between his room and our living room, they all swap spots over the span of a week. They all have their own purpose to him and they are all age appropriate.

Answer

Kids know what you give them 🤷🏻‍♀️ youbstart then out with a million of toy they will think it’s the normal. If you keep it minimal they will find it to be the norm. As a mom of two with nov and dec kids (right around Xmas) . They do get a lot especially as the youngest gran kids (my youngest  niece is 21).
I’ve always cleaned out their toy supply ever few months a got rid of what they didn’t play with. And before their bdays we get rid of the majority of their toys as they get more. We keep what they regularly play with and that’s it 🤷🏻‍♀️.

Answer

We live in a fairly small apartment and that has always been a good reason to limit the number and size of toys. Not to 5 or 10, but just in general. We encourage family members to buy books or art supplies or add to existing things (like LEGO) rather than buying big plastic toys that just take up space. And for birthdays or Christmas we ourselves also don’t go crazy. It’s usually one present plus a book or coloring book or something like that. So by far not as extreme or well thought out as these people and the 5 things, but it works for us, and our 3.5-year-old does a fairly good job at occupying herself with what she has. She will sit down on the couch with a book and “read” that to herself for half an hour, for example (not really reading but telling herself a story). I always assumed all kids did that but have now heard from several other people that that’s not the case apparently. Who knows, but I like that she doesn’t expect constant action and novelty and can keep herself occupied for a little while. Whenever we visit people who have a whole playroom full of stuff she thinks it’s amazing, but I find she also mostly just runs from one thing to another and doesn’t exactly seem to focus on anything in particular.

Answer

we want to do something similar! between 5-10 toys and when they want something new they have to choose 1 toy to donate. I think kids know what you give them. if they were always raised pretty minimalist, it would be the norm for them. if they always had a ton of toys but out of nowhere everything is gone, they might be upset.. just like TV. we dont even own a TV so when I tell people our child doesnt watch cartoons they act very surprised. he doesnt know what those are, therefore cant "want" them. at least not at this age lol.. as for toys, we do wooden toys or handmade organic cotton/linen toys. My family thinks it's crazy when I requested no plastic or toys from big box stores. they buy them anyways and we donate. 🤷‍♀️

Answer

I think it’s a great idea! My mom also likes to buy cheap, cluttery toys as well. I always emphasize how small and limited our space is.
If she got out of control, I have a backup plan- “grandmas shelf.” She gets one shelf (or cube or drawer) for toys she buys. If she buys a new toy, something has to be gotten rid of to make room for it on her shelf.
I don’t have a set number for toys, but we have four about 1 sq foot bins on the floor, and that’s it for toy storage. So whatever doesn’t fit, goes.

Limiting toys ?

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