Toys - a question and a vent

SigmundsGirl

We don't think Evan has too many toys. He has about 10 toys he plays with regularly and many books. And we only have about 5 more that we have changed out that are probably too young for him now. My ILs think he has way too many toys and didn't want to get him anything for Christmas. Fine whatever. Well, today we bought him one of those toys to walk behind. DH was talking to his parents on the phone and in passing told them about it. Before DH could even tell them what the new toy was they asked why on earth would we buy him a new toy.

I'm sorry if DH was only given a stick as a child, but we have decided to buy our child actual toys.

So, how many toys do you think are too many? How many toys does your child have that they play with regularly?

Kimmer123

Oh that would make me mad!

Your MIL would be absolutely disgusted and probably die on the spot if she walked into my house. We have an insanely ridiculous amount of toys. I really need to go through and clean them out again because we have too many. I couldn't even begin to count actually. 

Lately all he plays with are his Hot Wheels (like 20 of them), his Cozy Coupe, and his Wiggle Racer.

rayskit10

You know what-- you need to just shrug it off. Who cares what they think and who cares if they buy him presents. If they don't want to buy him presents, tell them to buy him savings bonds. That's what my mom gets because she thinks my kids have enough toys. Her choice. My kids have as many toys as I want them to have and what anyone else thinks is irrelevant.

and my kids have more toys than I can count... They do have too many, but oh well. 

BritanyV

Kimmer123:

Oh that would make me mad!

Your MIL would be absolutely disgusted and probably die on the spot if she walked into my house. We have an insanely ridiculous amount of toys. I really need to go through and clean them out again because we have too many. I couldn't even begin to count actually. 

Lately all he plays with are his Hot Wheels (like 20 of them), his Cozy Coupe, and his Wiggle Racer.

I totally agree, especially with the bolded!  DS seriously has a whole ROOM full of toys!  

We don't have the same issue as you, it's quite the opposite.  My MIL is more conservative on gifts but that's because of finances, they still get him toys though.  My mom, especially for Christmas and birthdays, buys as much stuff as we do for DS!  I think she actually bought him more than us this past Christmas because money was tight for us.  

kat.in.the.hat

Your MIL can kiss it.  The girls have a ton of toys, but we rotate them out monthly (I started a system for rotation when Marion had just a few toys so it's been easy to keep up with even as they've multiplied) so they keep interested in them and all the toys get used and loved.

princessmah

I would just brush it off.  Different parenting styles for different generations of parents.  Yes, I do have a lot of toys for my daughter, although I don't think it's a ridiculous amount.  She also does not go to daycare, so other than our occasional playdates, this is what she has to play with every day.  Staying home with DD, I think I need a variety of toys more than she does to keep from going insanely bored playing with the same ones day in and day out

step2mom2010

rayskit10:

You know what-- you need to just shrug it off. Who cares what they think and who cares if they buy him presents. If they don't want to buy him presents, tell them to buy him savings bonds. That's what my mom gets because she thinks my kids have enough toys. Her choice. My kids have as many toys as I want them to have and what anyone else thinks is irrelevant.

and my kids have more toys than I can count... They do have too many, but oh well. 

This! We dont have a TON of toys.  We have been given almost all of them. I bought toys for the bathtub and that is it.  Everything else has been passed down.  I rotate the toys out so that Kolby doesn't loose interest.  Plus he goes to daycare and has a bunch of toys to play with there.  Let your MIL think what she will, it is your son and parent as you wish. 

nital

lol!  your ILs would have a fit if they saw my house.  my DOGS have more toys than that.  in this room. 

i haven't bought a single toy for the LO yet, and there's already a mountain of toys that we've received from baby showers.

cali_girl92504

nital:

lol!  your ILs would have a fit if they saw my house.  my DOGS have more toys than that.  in this room. 

i haven't bought a single toy for the LO yet, and there's already a mountain of toys that we've received from baby showers.

Ditto! Spike has not one but THREE baskets full of dog toys - one in the living room, one in the office and one in the gameroom which are the three places he spends the most time. He also has a dog bed in each of those rooms plus in our master since he sleeps with us.

I'm not a brush it off kinda person but I think you should in this case since they are pretty set in their way. DD has a ton of toys and we haven't stopped buying for her and won't. She has all these toys and she still prefers to play with measuring spoons, washcloths, her little plastic hangers, and my cell phone. 

I am fuming for you though. 

nvp05

rayskit10:

You know what-- you need to just shrug it off. Who cares what they think and who cares if they buy him presents. If they don't want to buy him presents, tell them to buy him savings bonds. That's what my mom gets because she thinks my kids have enough toys. Her choice. My kids have as many toys as I want them to have and what anyone else thinks is irrelevant.

and my kids have more toys than I can count... They do have too many, but oh well. 

DItto this. Rena has more toys than I can count, but I do rotate them out and try not to keep too many out at once (I hate all the clutter!). My MIL is the opposite and thinks a kid cannot have too many toys or clothes so always goes crazy with gifts! My mom does make comments once in awhile that Rena has too many toys and clothes...but of course that doesn't stop her from shopping for more!

I would be annoyed by your MIL's comment too!

SigmundsGirl

I'm glad to know this statement would annoy other people too.

I didn't realize how much it upset DH until later last night. We brushed them off, but he was still mad about it when we went to sleep. I think part of the reason it bothered him was because he didn't get very many toys as a kid and always wanted the fun toys that "everyone" had.

I just hope they don't make a statement about the number of toys he has at his birthday party next month.

M&M614

Oh goodness.  Yes, that would annoy me.  Though, I'd totally use it to my advantage to pimp the college fund.

 We only have a few "big" toys that have to be out.  But if you could all the ones that fit in our small toy cabinet or in their closet, I wouldn't even be able to count them.  And they play with them all at different times.  And, when comparing to the girls' friends, we have WAY less toys than most.  And you definitely have less than us. 

As long as he's happy and you are happy, she's the weirdo.

lilycat

IWe have a lot of toys. There is no denying that. There are far more than my siblings and I had when we were kids.

Too many? Perhaps. The stuffed animals are breeding. The Legos breed too, but they tend to become necessary citizens with purpose.

My dad thinks we have too many toys. He complains about it. He loves to talk about how our house is wall-to-wall toys. Well, if that is the worst thing he can find to complain about, then we're doing a great job.

I often wonder if he is just jealous? The whole thing seems to be lined with some low-level regret or resentment.

Mostly, I just ignore him. I suggest the same. It really doesn't matter.

Mrs.Weggy

princessmah:

I would just brush it off.  Different parenting styles for different generations of parents.  Yes, I do have a lot of toys for my daughter, although I don't think it's a ridiculous amount.  She also does not go to daycare, so other than our occasional playdates, this is what she has to play with every day.  Staying home with DD, I think I need a variety of toys more than she does to keep from going insanely bored playing with the same ones day in and day out

This...word for word!  T has a ton of toys already, but he plays with every single one of them!  We have toys in his bedroom, in the living room, and in the playroom.  He loves crawling from one toy to the next.  I often joke that I want a new toy when I buy something for T b/c I'm bored with the ones at home.  I had a lot of toys growing up (i.e. 45 Barbie Dolls...all still in perfect condition in a box in my spare room).  T has more toys than he NEEDS, but I don't see anything wrong with giving him a variety of toys to explore and I love watching him learn how each one works. 

stayathomedaddy

We have an entire front room dedicated to toys. It has 144 sq ft of foam ABC and number flooring and has a mass of toys surrounding it. The crazy thing is that we only bought about 5 of the toys, everything else is hand-me-down.

I don't think a kid can have too many toys, they all spark a different part of the imagination.

And the next time they ask why you bought him another toy, just tell them it's because you felt like it and he's enjoying playing with it.