Too Many Toys?

A wise friend once told me when my children were young that the best solution to constantly picking up toys was to go through the toy box and pick out toys to pack away for later and narrow down the choices the child has to make. Trust me it works!

I passed this tip down to my daughter for her young son, when she too got tired of picking up toys. There are so many nice crates nowadays at a reasonable cost. When you pull out a toy, pack away one or two that he seems to be bored with. It is exciting to the child and a little less work on Mom. Too many toys to choose from is overwhelming to a small child and they naturally play with them only for a while and eventually toss them aside.

I now babysit for a 3 year old granddaughter and tried this again to see how it would work. I found a little kitchen at a flea market and cleaned it up and bought the little plastic foods and dinnerware. She'd outgrown the "Baby Days" toys so I packed them away and brought out the new one. She loves to play cooking and we have meals and tea parties for fun. She feeds her dolls as well.

The point I am making is: too many choices are mind boggling to a child as well as to an adult. Think of it, you know how it feels to go to a crammed closet and try to choose what you really want to wear, yet you really don't want to get rid of the extras you don't need. Make it easy on both of you. Moms: reduce and recycle toys. Trust me, it works!

By Sharon from Ravenna, KY