Too many toys

We have gone down the second hand route for toys and clothes for the grandchildren. Their parents approve greatly as they're all concerned about environmental issues.
We have had some lovely toys and clothes and it's saved a fortune.
If the toy isn't loved then it's easier to resell / recycle .
Expensive toys often get held on to just because they did cost a lot .

My dc had far more toys than my gc have now, I guess because we were making up for a lack of money when we were young. Looking back though I never felt that I would like more toys and always appreciated the ones I had. I’d probably do things differently with dc if I could go back. We always ask gc’s parents before we buy, don’t go overboard and accept that some will be decluttered before the year is up, and those are chosen by the gc.

ours have far too many toys so we buy experiences like a trip to the theatre, year pass for the zoo etc

I remember my mil saying to me that she couldn't just buy one thing o my DS at Christmas. To which my reply was that one thing that he really wanted was better than lots of stuff that he didn't!!
She took no notice and the contents of a small toyshop would arrive every birthday or Xmas. Whereas my family would ask and get what I asked the to - probably one modest procedure thing. Did it make any difference to how he felt about them...not a jot.

Mine only want wooden toys (parents' dictat). Some toys we've given have been discarded by parents very quickly, so we wonder why we bother. Birthdays and Christmas we must stick to the list provided.

I give my eldest two money, birthday and Christmas, but can’t resist buying a few pretty bits for my granddaughter.
The next two send me links to what they’d like, I stick to it, I used to add bits and pieces, till I realised that they didn’t like anything I chose!
The two young ones get toys in moderation, clothes, I used to take huge pleasure in buying books till I realised nobody read them.
Having three of them living here for the last two years has given me a huge insight into what a waste of money so many things are.

Jaffacake2, yes, one set of grandchildren were 'drowning in toys' at one point. No, they didn't look after them or value them either. Many were put into boxes in the shed - as 'outside, summer toys' and others went to the charity shop.

I had a clear out here, too - and now they keep asking where the toy till and musical plane are!

(Unless they want something in particular - I'll give them a voucher to choose their own present.)

I put a certain amount of money into a fund for the parents. They then can tell me what they would like the children to have for b’ days or Christmas. That way the parents choose and the babes get! It saves such a lot of wasted money on toys that they never play with.So far it has worked out so well,and the children are really happy with something they like, instead of useless things! I have five great-grands,who are happy small children.The last one has got one of these play trays, and he makes all sorts of things in it, or on it! ?.

I decided after Christmas that I would do the 4 pressie rule,

Something you want
Something you need
Something to wear
And something to read.

Thay way my GS will get 4 good presents rather than 20+ 'bits'

When we were children we had hardly any stuff.

Our children had more stuff.

Our grandchildren have loads of stuff-probably too much stuff and we are mostly responsible for that.

Our family Xmases are an orgy of generosity - or indulgence.

There is no doubt that our much loved grandchildren will never have the regard for the cost of stuff that we did or our children did.

When ours were little we had very little money so didn’t buy many toys but had some passed down to us from family. However my MIL still managed to comment on how there were too many toys - it was ever thus! We still have a few old favourites - a couple of wooden jigsaws, a picnic set and, of course, some Lego. Strangely enough I can’t remember having many toys at all when I was a child. I remember my brother having toy cars. I think I spent most of my time reading.

I remember my gran saying that ours had far too much, I really can’t imagine what she’d make of our grandchildren.
It would remind my grandad to tell us how he had a lump of coal and an orange, and was grateful.

Far too many! We’ve always followed our 2DDs instructions as to presents and have tried to avoid as much plastic as possible. We give DGC premium bonds + a present to unwrap but now as they all approach double figures, it will be money for them to chose. Both homes are overloaded with previous gifts from all the family, some never get opened or played with once. Both my DDs sell unwanted/unused toys every so often. Here we have a cupboard full of Fisher Price and other 1980s toys which they have loved playing with, but DDs have declined to keep them for their grandchildren! My brother and I in the 50s didn’t have many toys (some were hand-me-downs) but I do admit to still having my Bayko Building set and floral garden set.

My DD and DSiL completely banned us from buying toys for the children unless we keep them at our house. She is very Montessori when it comes to play and likes a small selection of toys and swaps them about. I always buy clothes or put money in their bank.

My daughter has a subscription with a toy library. The children can choose the toy they want for that month. Toys are returned. If the children love the toy they can keep it for longer. They can also get play costumes. Some toys have proven to be a big hit and have been bought, others were one day wonders and returned. Parents have to make sure all the bits go back. I was sceptical at first but I now think for young children it is a brilliant idea.

My gc have too many toys as my dd exs family buys them far too much which they cant play with as they are kept at his house and they dont see him.very often. My dd tends to get them experiences instead or special days out -they are happy with this

Yes of course they have too many toy and my wife & I add to the GCs pile all the time. Let’s not worry the years will pass far too quickly and then the toys can be passed on.

My eldest GS is five. An 'only' child, his mum is a divorced high-earning professional who certainly over-compensates with 'stuff' as she is so pushed for time. He seems to have everything and more, and so many duplications. I was a little sad to visit them several weeks after Christmas and notice the bag of presents I'd given him was still under a side table, they'd all been unwrapped in front of me but clearly not looked at since. I always aim for 'something they want, something they need, something to wear, something to read', but this Christmas I'd got extra books instead of a 'need' - there's simply nothing he actually needs.

He goes to after-school club until 6pm because DD is at work. She works on emails and phone calls from home most evenings, so she can rarely actually play WITH him, he's more likely to be watching something on TV or the iPad between getting home, having supper and then bath and a too-late bedtime. He does always have a story at bedtime, and reads his school book with mummy, then his weekend is divided between his parents and they both take him out somewhere, to friends with children, or to the beach or the woods, so again he isn't usually at home to play with any of this stuff. I'm at work in the evenings so I can't even have him after school.

I don't know the answer. Of course he loves to unwrap presents and he is polite with his thanks for them, but I think he is utterly overwhelmed with toys that he'll never actually use. The outdoor things are great, but with a trampoline, bike, scooter, basketball net, battery car, goal net, pool, slide, swing... one is enough. And playing alone isn't always much fun.

But a contribution to his savings account won't make him smile at this age, will it? Nor a ticket to the zoo for some weeks hence. So he'll keep getting more toys and books than he'll ever play with, more clothes than he'll ever wear, and if he ever takes up a super-expensive pastime like horse-riding, perhaps he will actually be easier to buy for!

It’s quite sad because the most precious thing to give them is time, time to play with them. Plastic rubbish toys from china end up in toy boxes and then landfill !

My DD has a friend with 2 boys under 12. For years their DGM has for Christmas bought them an annual family pass to Chester Zoo . They love it and get great use out of it . Better than even more toys.

I always ask my daughters what can I get the grandchildren Also saw one little boy have so many toys he never actually played just flitted from one toy to another .I look after 3boys they have absolutely so many toys but cannot play on their own or use their imagination

twiglet77

My eldest GS is five. An 'only' child, his mum is a divorced high-earning professional who certainly over-compensates with 'stuff' as she is so pushed for time. He seems to have everything and more, and so many duplications. I was a little sad to visit them several weeks after Christmas and notice the bag of presents I'd given him was still under a side table, they'd all been unwrapped in front of me but clearly not looked at since. I always aim for 'something they want, something they need, something to wear, something to read', but this Christmas I'd got extra books instead of a 'need' - there's simply nothing he actually needs.

He goes to after-school club until 6pm because DD is at work. She works on emails and phone calls from home most evenings, so she can rarely actually play WITH him, he's more likely to be watching something on TV or the iPad between getting home, having supper and then bath and a too-late bedtime. He does always have a story at bedtime, and reads his school book with mummy, then his weekend is divided between his parents and they both take him out somewhere, to friends with children, or to the beach or the woods, so again he isn't usually at home to play with any of this stuff. I'm at work in the evenings so I can't even have him after school.

I don't know the answer. Of course he loves to unwrap presents and he is polite with his thanks for them, but I think he is utterly overwhelmed with toys that he'll never actually use. The outdoor things are great, but with a trampoline, bike, scooter, basketball net, battery car, goal net, pool, slide, swing... one is enough. And playing alone isn't always much fun.

But a contribution to his savings account won't make him smile at this age, will it? Nor a ticket to the zoo for some weeks hence. So he'll keep getting more toys and books than he'll ever play with, more clothes than he'll ever wear, and if he ever takes up a super-expensive pastime like horse-riding, perhaps he will actually be easier to buy for!

I dunno. A plastic toy and a 2 minute smile versus a shared experience or something they'll get genuine pleasure from and remember afterwards...

Hello,
I am new to this site. I am looking for some ride on, push and pull along toys for my 2 year old grandchild who us visiting from abroad. I live in London in the NW3 area.
Please email me if you can help at:[email protected]
Thanks,
Sharon

Yes, I think that many will have the same experience as regards Grandchildren with a houseful of toys. I think that we've gone from one extreme to another in just three generations. Can you imagine a child today being even mildly interested in receiving a Christmas stocking containing a sugar mouse, chocolate money, a kaleidoscope, a tangerine, a Happy Families card game and a three colour torch? All treasured in my own childhood. There is a happy medium, but I can't see that arriving any time soon. So yes, far too many toys these days, and just yet another example of conspicuous consumerism/consumption. Nevertheless, it's also sad to say that despite the current trend, there are still some children out there with virtually nothing, and with the current economic crisis things can only get worse for them.