[blparent] toys toys toys!

[Dena Wainwright]

Pipi:

A couple things come to mind:

1. I actually  never have all of Elise's toys out at the same time. I 
frequently pack about half of them away into containers, and swap them out 
every few weeks. That way, she always feels like she's getting something 
new. I also have several of her toys in places where she can't always reach 
them. I hate the whole "I'm going to drag every toy I own into the middle of 
the floor" scenario. We put shelves up in Elise's play room. Now, I can take 
a certain number of toys down, and when she's done with them, I put those 
away and bring out more.

2. As Brandy said, looking at toys according to their function is a great 
thing to do. E.g., How many alphabet-teaching toys do you have? How many 
toys that teach numbers? I usually try to minimize the number of toys I keep 
that do the exact same thing. I generally choose the best one or two and get 
rid of the rest. Looking at toys that perform multiple functions is also 
great. That way, one toy can fill a variety of different roles. E.g., 
Leapfrog's Fridge Farm teaches colors, matching, and animals.

3. Having toys that she can play with alone, and ones that require your help 
or supervision is a great idea.

4. Toys that are appropriate for kids of varying ages are great, because if 
you buy a high quality toy that will last awhile, your child will get 
maximum use out of it. E.g., Elise has a bunch of the Schlike animals. They 
are kind of expensive, but I collected them over time. Originally, we only 
used them to teach her about animals. Now, she can use them for pretend 
play.

5. Get rid of what she has outgrown or doesn't seem interested in. It may be 
a great toy, but if your child doesn't like it, keeping it is pointless.

Hope this helps.

Dena


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Pipi" <blahblahblah0822 at gmail.com>
To: <blindparenting at googlegroups.com>; <blv-moms at googlegroups.com>; "NFBnet 
Blind Parents Mailing List" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, March 30, 2011 1:28 PM
Subject: [blparent] toys toys toys!


> Hey y'all,
> How do you decide what is too much toy wise? How do you decide what to 
> keep, get rid, of and when to buy more?
> I have my days where i want to start a bonfire and toss every toy in the 
> house into it. There are other days where I feel like Savannah is bored 
> and needs more. I have a list of toys that I'd like her to have. I've 
> purchased quite a bit lately, but some are being held back for her 
> birthday and Christmas.
> I've been blessed with clothes. I haven't had to buy Savannah more than 
> $100 her entire life. I've been given so many nice things clothing wise 
> that I just can't bring myself to spend the money of needless clothing. 
> It's gotten to the point, where I've given half her wardrobe away and she 
> still has plenty.
> I tell you this, because I feel my money is better spent on toys! I'm just 
> struggling as to what to get rid of, if anything, so that I can purchase 
> more educational toys for her.
> I know there's no cookie cutter answer as to how much is too much. I'm 
> just looking for ideas on how others make the decisions?
> Pipi
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