how many toys is too many?
For me too many is when there are toys that are age inappropriate (so not played with, so should be packed away for later or got rid of altogether) or broken (so should mended or got rid of). My mum gave DS a wooden Noahs ark shape sorter for xmas close to his 2nd birthday, it was appropriate for maybe up to 1yr old or longer if the child didn't have any other animal toys. For us it was 'too many' from the day it arrived. It didn't fulfil any of his needs, as a shape sorter it was too simplistic because the animals fitted into any slot so didn't challenge him and he already had a wide range or animals for imaginative play. She also gave him a remote control car suitable for maybe a 5 yr old at the youngest (prob more like 10 yr old) so it was stored away.
I'm mostly happy with the toys DS has, I have been quite careful to get things that have multiple uses to prolong their life and offer a variety of play at different ages. So if the living room feels like there is too much I just reduce and take out of rotation, there's rarely anything that is totally superfluous or 'too many'.
I had probably 1/10 of the toys my kids have!
Same here, but I also remember spending a lot of time complaining that I was bored, there weren't enough age appropriate books, crafts materials, or toys and most of what I had was passed down from older siblings and either worn out or not age appropriate. The risk I suppose is to go the opposite to this and have too much for DS, but I see good value in everything he has.
Well done Becky! I know what you mean about spreading the clutter. We bought 3 bookshelves to store DS's out of rotation toys and books, they are all full and then some and our guest room looks pretty tatty as a result. But our living space is usually tidy enough and that's more important to me.