Toy Theory, part 1

 Ah toys.

So basically I have a 5-year-old, a 3-year-old, and a 1-year-old. All girls.

They have a lot of toys.

Part of me is a softie, like, "I had this when I was little and I loved it!" or "I didn't have this when I was little and they need it!"

Then on birthdays and Christmas people keep giving them toys, which is nice, but how many cheap babydolls with cheap accessories do they need? A fake makeup kit? Second hand games? 10+ stuffed dragons? (Ok, Rose actually loves all of them).

Age three and up we're trying to teach them the value of money, so they can do simple jobs for a dollar, which they can then save for buying something. More things. (Do I encourage a consumable, like candy? Ah, food rewards and nutrition, another issue).

And then building toys, like LEGOs (which are heirlooms, as far as the husband and I are concerned), blocks, magnatiles, rods and joints, etc get scattered over the house, causing far more mess than warranted for a single category. Puzzles are almost worse because if you lose one piece, it's unsolvable, and the cardboard pieces are not up to Joy's chewing.

So many stuffed animals. And all these cheap tiny plastic ones. And the random things that get played with, but aren't particularly their own thing. Like plastic dragon eggs, grocery store boxes used for houses and building, car seat straps that have become dog leashes, whatever.

I can't consign stuffed animals. So they've kind of piled up.

For a while I had all their favorite stuff in the boxes upstairs (and it was getting crowded) and a bunch of things I liked but they had basically forgotten in a box in the basement. Rose seemed to think of it was a mythical present storage wherin untold delights lay hidden, and occasionally asked, "Can I have something from the basement?" Then she would peruse the whole box and select more than allowed but I never had the heart to force the rule.

There are other toy theories. I haven't studied.

I believe Waldorf/Montessori aficionados focus on open ended toys, dolls with really simple faces or none at all, simple stuff. Definitely nothing with batteries. As in, not many toys. I believe studies show that when there are a lot of toys, kids play with each one less amount of time, but when there are only a few toys, kids spend more time with each. So having a ton of toys can actually discourage play. Having toys with "bells and whistles" often limits the amount of use the toy gets. Like if it has buttons that make noises, often that's all it's used for, when open ended toys, like blocks, can be shapes, can be lined up, can be built into buildings, sorted by color, dumped in a bucket as "soup," etc.

Another theory is even more simplistic. Forget toys, use found objects. Like seriously, does the baby like playing with the baby toys more, or ransacking the kitchen cupboards? Give them wooden spoons, bowls, balls, whatever (that's baby safe).

Here's a picture my cousin sent of her Janet Lansbury Independent Play for two year olds:

Which is a fair point. Joy is almost one and she ransacks each kitchen cupboard she can reach almost daily.

So what's a girl to do?