Plastic toys - WWYD?
DS's toy collection is already what I would call "out of control" and he's only 5.5 months. This is in large part due to the fact that every time someone in the family sees him, they insist on giving him some new plastic toy. I'm extremely grateful for their generosity, but I don't particularly care for these sorts of toys and most importantly, DS doesn't like them. He picks them up, seems interested for about 5 seconds, and then throws them on the ground. He'd rather chew on a burp cloth, his shirt, or play with his stuffed toys. (I guess he's just a soft kid 
) I've tried telling family members that he isn't really fond of the plastic toys, and I've tried to say that he already has so many (and suggesting books or outfits if they really insist on getting him something), but they refuse to change.
So, my question is, what do I do with all these plastic toys DS won't play with? How do I get the signal across that he doesn't like them? I am so grateful honestly, I am, but this kid is starting to have more stuff than I do and he doesn't play with any of it!
Sincerely,
Drowning in Plastic
BFP 02/04/2011;EDD 10/14/2011;Induced due to pre-e 09/07/2011;Jack born 09/08/2011
Re: Plastic toys - WWYD?
This. It's tough, but we try to keep clutter down also.
For holidays, birthdays we ask for money for classes that we probably wouldn't be able to afford on our own. Grandma's love it because they can go with her if they are in town. And we appreciate it as something that is more valuable than a toy they won't play with.
LO does like some plastic stuff and we are not anti-plastic, but most of our things are wood, cloth, or not toys at all. Like cups and bowls. We are more anti-clutter.
You could also pull the safety card - talk about the recalls of plastic toys from china the past few years and the dangers of that. We did that with MIL and it seemed to work - now she is freaked out by plastic.
Thanks for everyone's advice so far! I really agree with the above. I'm a big fan of donating things we no longer use around the house, so I may hold onto the toys for a little while (like a month or so) in a closet somewhere and try re-introducing them (like a pp said) and if they're still not interesting to DS, then they'll go to charity. I guess I have a hard time sometimes understanding the givers...even though it makes them happy, I'm very frugal and don't like the idea of buying things that aren't needed, lol. But, if it floats their boat, then great I guess. If DS doesn't want it, a child in need will certainly benefit from their generosity.
5 month olds don't do that much with toys in general, so I would wait until closer to a year to decide if you want to keep them or not. If space is an issue, I would probably get rid of some of them, but not all.
When new stuff comes in older stuff goes out. Like at holidays or birthdays. My SIL is pregnant so she is getting our old toys.
Some day care centers will take the toys or as said above a shelter. If you have a consignment shop you can make some money off of them and put them in a savings account for your LO.
Just be up front about all these toys and how you don't need them and how DS doesn't play with them.