Being a parent, we want to keep our children happy and give them the very best in life. You’ve gone shopping to the mall and the kids saw the Toy adventure store and they begged you to stop by. Before you know, you enter the store and let the kids choose which toys they wish to have. In your mind you tell yourself that’s it’s ok, because you didn’t buy them anything lately, but the previous toys you bought them weren’t even played with.
Or it can be your child’s birthday party and he/she receive so many toys. By the end of the birthday party, it looks like a playroom with all the new toys laying around that you can’t even recognises your own living room anymore. I am sure that sounds familiar to many parents, because I have experienced it before with my own daughter.
So, it comes back asking ourselves: “Is it right for a child to own so many toys?”
Let’s start with our babies first.
Do A Baby Need So Many Toys
According to experts, just after birth a baby can only see black and white with shades of grey. As the months go by, the baby will develop his color vision. So, in the first few months of a baby’s life, he/she only sleep and drink most of the time. As a baby start to get his personality by making sounds, turning the head, recognising his hands or seeing colorful objects, then it’s wise to start investing in a few toys.
Recent studies have shown that babies are only interested up to 4 toys. Having a playroom with so many baby toys are pointless having. Crawling babies are more active and up to 8 toys interested them. So, it’s unnecessary and a waste of money to own a “Toy store” full of toys for a baby.
How To Choose Appropriate Toys For Babies Of Different Ages
Best toys to buy for babies are toys that have color and texture and not so much stuffed toys.
A baby gym can be an excellent choice to buy for a baby’s toy collection. It will help to develop the baby’s personality. After a few weeks of birth, they start seeing different shades and colorful objects. With a play gym, the baby can look and grab at objects from lying down or under the baby gym. Objects like the mirror and plastic links of the baby gym will teach them several skills like reaching and grasping or bringing the hands together. Placing the toy in the middle of the body encourages the hands to come together, placing the toy to the one side will teach them to roll to the one side and back on the tummy again. So, it can help with body movements as well.
As they are getting older, they are fascinated with open and close of objects and discover the feeling of different textures. They like to discover new things and simple things will keep them entertained for longer periods of time.
Tupperware, pots, pans and balls are good examples that they like to play with and its everyday items in your home.
Do A Toddler Need So Many Toys
Recent studies have shown that it is best to keep toys to a minimum of under 12 toys for toddlers, because they become more engaged and learn better with fewer toys than greater quantity.
So that means, “less is more”. Owning too many toys, makes it overwhelming for toddlers to play with all toys and that reduces the benefits of play. It is wiser to choose quality of toys rather than quantity of toys. Owning too many toys, make kids get distracted and they don’t learn or play, while kids with fewer toys are free to choose their own activities and how like to spend it like reading, singing, dancing or playing.
How To Choose Appropriate Toys For A Toddler Age Groups
When it comes to a toddler, it doesn’t help buying electronic toys. Toddlers like to play and be active most of the time. The best is to stick to more traditional toys that can help built and play with. It will keep them more interested and they the concentration span is better.
10 Traditional Toys That Toddlers Like To Play With
- Baby dolls
- Building blocks
- Shapes
- Doll house
- Kitchen play sets
- Legos
- Cars
- Trains
- Farm animal sets
- Big piece puzzles
How A Child Can Benefit For Having Fewer Toys
Fewer toys will help with the following:
- To increase the quality of play for longer.
- Can help with better concentration spans.
- Better engagement throughout play.
- More creativity play can be seen.
- More imaginary and role- play can be seen.
- Promotes more independent plays.
- Can boost the confidence.
- Fewer toys will let kids appreciate the toys they have and take care more for them.
- Improved their language and communication skills.
- Improved nurturing skills with a calmer experience.
It is very important with a child’s development to spend twenty minutes of interactive play with your child regularly. He/she will benefit much more, improve language, than having the child in the room without any interaction.
Click on the link below to find out more about the best dolls for toddlers.
How To Choose The Perfect Toddlers Doll
What To Do To Help With De-Clutter Of Toys
- Let kids have easy access to only a few toys. They like to play with toys that they can see.
- Rotate toys regularly – Put away certain toys, kids have greater interest in the toy when it disappears.
- When child is old enough, let him/her choose which toys to keep. Another option if you don’t want to get rid of it, put them away in crates or boxes and store it somewhere.
- Get rid of de-clutter by donating it to a charity or sell old unwanted toys.
When Do Kids Become Less Interested In Toys
Every child is different, so it all depends on the child when he/she is losing interest in toys or choose to discover something new. You will find that older kids won’t play every day with their favourite toys like smaller kids do, but only then occasionally.
They are getting older and taking sport activities, playing with toys become when there is time available.
On the other hand, you also get kids that like to have a specific interest in certain toys and start collecting them. In these cases, there’s an interest in toys and they may play with them for many years to come.
Mostly when a children start spending more time with electronics, they would then loose interest in toys. That can happen from around 13 to 15 years.
Boys like men and girls like women won’t outgrow toys. We find something that interests us and start investing more time and money in it. Perfect examples are building of an airplane model or collecting reborn dolls.
So, if your kids are still interested in play, let them play. It’s fun, entertaining and time is spent well!
