It seems like this has more to do with clutter and appropriate toy storage rather than the amount of toys IMO.
Since I don't have kids, I'll relate to dogs. Eli has a shitton of toys. In every room of the house. But you'll never know because they are all stored well since I don't like clutter. We have friends who have way less toys for their dogs but it's a mess because they have no storage and it's cluttered.
The blogger's house is well organized and clutter free, so she'll look like she has less toys. She also doesn't have a huge amount of toys which compounds it.
The place is like a museum. It's very beautiful and very cold, and you're not allowed to touch anything.
They put all the balloons in her room for her birthday. Kind of cute but I'm sure they snapped their pictures for the blog and quickly popped all of them so their house could be clutter free.
In defense of the bedroom - I'm pretty sure it's currently in flux. There are several posts in the past couple of weeks about big girl room decor. i think they're still working on finishing it out.
Oh, and for the record, DS never had toys in his room (beyond a few decorative keepsake items, high up on a shelf) until he was about 2.5, same with dd, and they are both in the not STTN until age 2 category.
AMEN! I wish toys in room was the root of the my kids don't STTN till they are past 2 years old problem.
When I had one kid it was fairly easy to keep the toys manageable. But now that we have three, all at different developmental stages, the toys have increased exponentially.
Even if I limit each kid's toys, there's still a lot because there are three of them. And I'm certainly not forcing my five year old to play with the same toys my 18 month old plays with. So, for now, we have a playroom filled with toys.
I love that she stopped to take a picture of the spilled paint before crying/hyperventilating.
A bloggers work is never done.
she took a picture, POSTED IT TO FACEBOOK, and then recommenced crying/hyperventilating.
True. I also don't understand why she thought it was a good idea to leave 3 year old+can of bright ass pink paint in the room unattended. That's just asking for disaster.
she took a picture, POSTED IT TO FACEBOOK, and then recommenced crying/hyperventilating.
True. I also don't understand why she thought it was a good idea to leave 3 year old+can of bright ass pink paint in the room unattended. That's just asking for disaster.
yeah. though I'm trying to picture my best friend's reaction if she caught her (just turned) 4 year old throwing a can of paint. Granted...she's a year older. But still. Her mama would freak. Even if it didn't pop open...she'd just freak because little miss knows that there is no throwing of stuff in the house, and especially especially there is no throwing of stuff that is not yours (and cans of latex paint are clearly not yours). I can hear the scary mom voice in my head and it's making ME cringe.
Post by bunnymendelbaum on Feb 19, 2013 17:45:36 GMT -5
We have the worst combo. WAY too many toys (thanks to grandparents who do not listen) and not enough storage for them.
Compound that with the fact that I had 2+ girls here for the past 2 years and it is a bit out if control. I try to purge but she literally plays with almost all of them so it is really hard.
I did just donate/trash 3 bins of toys from my sister that were in the basement. We are going to purge more in order to stage the house but I'm sure we will still have too many. In the new house I am going to have a place for every.single.thing to be put away, not limited to toys. I told DH that is honestly my #1 desire in a new house. I don't even want to see utensils stored on the countertop.
I guess I just wonder how people like this avoid the avalanche of toy gifts from grandparents and other family? Or convince people to give them blog-photo worthy toys.
I love that she stopped to take a picture of the spilled paint before crying/hyperventilating.
A bloggers work is never done.
she took a picture, POSTED IT TO FACEBOOK, and then recommenced crying/hyperventilating.
Confession...my 3rd old covered my living room in diaper cream including brand new FLOR tiles. That stuff does not come out. I'm not a blogger but I took pics & posted them on FB. It took me hours & like 20 rolls of paper towels to "clean" what I could get off. That little accident is nothing.
I guess I just wonder how people like this avoid the avalanche of toy gifts from grandparents and other family? Or convince people to give them blog-photo worthy toys.
My mom is the one who goes crazy with gifts. At first I tried to explain that we don't have the room for it, but she didn't listen. So I started showing up at her house with bins full of toys "so the kids will have something to play with at grandmas." And when she shows up on a random Tuesday with a new toy I say "wow, ds will love that! Are you sure you have room in your playroom for it?"
One of the benefits of living close to the grandparents.
Dairy's spawn has enough toys. Of all sorts. Whatever the hell she wants to play with is fine by me.Parents really analyze this sh*t to death? Still? For real?
If my kid wants a day to play with all her plasticy light up gifted stuff...rock on. Two Tylenol for me. She wants a day to play with her play-doh paint and wooden blocks that mix with my decor. Great. I'll be mopping later. Two rounds of Sesame Street? Sweet. Time for me to get the floor mopped! She wants to run free outside for 90 days this summer..rock on Child!
A toddler lives here. There's a toddler tornado on any given day about this time of day. If say the Pope or somebody out of the realm of my reality shall ever stop by I do have coordinating baskets to throw it all in and Poof! It'll blend with my decor no problem. No sign of toddler anywhere.
And if we're back on all the "our generation" speeches..do you really think our parents gave a damn waht we played with as long as we didn't a) steal a butcher knife b) poke an eye out? I doubt it. Hell, I love my parents and they love me, but they didn't spend 42436423643 minutes of every day analyzing what we played with, muchless play with us!
Post by kristilynnmy on Feb 19, 2013 20:15:19 GMT -5
Forget the toys. I'm drowning in freakin' stuffed animals over here and the grandparents just don't get it! I'm all out of room! They make them too cute and I don't know what to get rid of and who the hell wants stuffed animals anyway? I think they should just stop manufacturing them!
Dairy's spawn has enough toys. Of all sorts. Whatever the hell she wants to play with is fine by me.Parents really analyze this sh*t to death? Still? For real?
If my kid wants a day to play with all her plasticy light up gifted stuff...rock on. Two Tylenol for me. She wants a day to play with her play-doh paint and wooden blocks that mix with my decor. Great. I'll be mopping later. Two rounds of Sesame Street? Sweet. Time for me to get the floor mopped! She wants to run free outside for 90 days this summer..rock on Child!
A toddler lives here. There's a toddler tornado on any given day about this time of day. If say the Pope or somebody out of the realm of my reality shall ever stop by I do have coordinating baskets to throw it all in and Poof! It'll blend with my decor no problem. No sign of toddler anywhere.
And if we're back on all the "our generation" speeches..do you really think our parents gave a damn waht we played with as long as we didn't a) steal a butcher knife b) poke an eye out? I doubt it. Hell, I love my parents and they love me, but they didn't spend 42436423643 minutes of every day analyzing what we played with, muchless play with us!
Moderation people. Learn it. Apply it.
I pretty much agree with all but the bolded part. I am likely the same age as most of your parents. I did think about my kids toys, what/who they were playing with and what they watched on tv. They did get to play on their own, but I did play with them a lot. I loved sharing my favorite toys and shows from my childhood with them and having them share what they loved with me. I gave them space, but at the same time, I was very aware.
Dairy's spawn has enough toys. Of all sorts. Whatever the hell she wants to play with is fine by me.Parents really analyze this sh*t to death? Still? For real?
If my kid wants a day to play with all her plasticy light up gifted stuff...rock on. Two Tylenol for me. She wants a day to play with her play-doh paint and wooden blocks that mix with my decor. Great. I'll be mopping later. Two rounds of Sesame Street? Sweet. Time for me to get the floor mopped! She wants to run free outside for 90 days this summer..rock on Child!
A toddler lives here. There's a toddler tornado on any given day about this time of day. If say the Pope or somebody out of the realm of my reality shall ever stop by I do have coordinating baskets to throw it all in and Poof! It'll blend with my decor no problem. No sign of toddler anywhere.
And if we're back on all the "our generation" speeches..do you really think our parents gave a damn waht we played with as long as we didn't a) steal a butcher knife b) poke an eye out? I doubt it. Hell, I love my parents and they love me, but they didn't spend 42436423643 minutes of every day analyzing what we played with, muchless play with us!
Moderation people. Learn it. Apply it.
I pretty much agree with all but the bolded part. I am likely the same age as most of your parents. I did think about my kids toys, what/who they were playing with and what they watched on tv. They did get to play on their own, but I did play with them a lot. I loved sharing my favorite toys and shows from my childhood with them and having them shrare what they loved with me. I gave them space, but at the same time, I was very aware.
I was joking for the most part. :-) It wasn't like my parents didn't care at all or never played with us either. I just think it was different then. What I was getting at was my parents weren't so wrapped up in worrying that every little thing we picked up ws going to scar us for life because it may or may not have taught us some worthwhile lifeskill. Much less be worried if a basket of toys was some decor offense. KWIM? And there are moms on the bump and a few girl I know IRL who can't even unpack the dishwasher because they literally feel the need to play all day.
And I still think analyzing a normal looking playroom is stupid thing to do. Life happens.:-)
Post by rondonalddo on Feb 20, 2013 8:57:24 GMT -5
I guess I must be lucky. The grandparents understand that our house is 1400 square feet and when we say we don't have space for things, we mean it. Except for the 3 way easel my MIL gave DD for Christmas. It's in the box on our back porch because we don't know where to put it.
Post by lavender444 on Feb 20, 2013 10:04:04 GMT -5
My kids are fairly toy poor compaired to our friends. My house looks more like the bloggers than the first picture. I have a 3 yr old and a 4 yr old. Just about all the toys in their rooms can be contained within the 9 cube storage things I have in there closet, and most of that is books. I also have an Ikea Hemnes dresser in my basement for toy storage down there. It looks more adult, and stores a lot. My house is small, I hate clutter, and I'm home with them most of the time, so I do my best to keep it neat, and encourage the kids to do the same. Our only big toys that can not be easily stashed are a train table and a huge princess Dream castle. But outside of those, when my house is guest clean, it appears the kids are toyless, too.
Really, my kids play with very little of their toys. We do a lot of activities during the day swimming, gymnastics, dance, libraries, museumes, crafts, playgrounds. When they are home and playing usually it's pretend play that doesn't involve a toy at all, or they like to be outside riding bikes. My children are very bright and creative. I don't give all that credit to being toy poor, but I think it helps them think outside the box and use their imagination more.
Post by emoflamingo on Feb 20, 2013 10:58:29 GMT -5
Yeah, it's bad enough of grandparent guilt makes you keep it. Imagine 6 year old guilt. He LOVES stuffed animals. I'm going to probably end up sneaking the box in the basement (after I go through it to make sure there aren't any REALLY important animals in there) to the Goodwill stack. For real, we have 3 totes of stuffed animals in the basement.
Yeah, it's bad enough of grandparent guilt makes you keep it. Imagine 6 year old guilt. He LOVES stuffed animals. I'm going to probably end up sneaking the box in the basement (after I go through it to make sure there aren't any REALLY important animals in there) to the Goodwill stack. For real, we have 3 totes of stuffed animals in the basement.
When my son was 5 we started doing the whole lesson regarding "giving back" to those who are less fortunate. We explained how lucky he is to have so much and how there are so many that might only have 1 or two toys...if that.
Before birthday and Christmas since we know we'll get another avalanche of toys (2 sets of grandparents, 2 uncles and an aunt who show little restraint) we remove some to give away.
Basically we put all his stuff in a huge pile so that there is a real visual of just how much is there and then we pick a number for things that he gives away. Usually 10 items.
He actually feels very good that he's helping someone and he has full control over what leaves. I'm sure knowing that new stuff is coming in softens the blow, but stuff goes out before more comes in which keeps it from getting too crazy. DD is 4 and we'll start this with her next birthday.
Yeah, it's bad enough of grandparent guilt makes you keep it. Imagine 6 year old guilt. He LOVES stuffed animals. I'm going to probably end up sneaking the box in the basement (after I go through it to make sure there aren't any REALLY important animals in there) to the Goodwill stack. For real, we have 3 totes of stuffed animals in the basement.
When my son was 5 we started doing the whole lesson regarding "giving back" to those who are less fortunate. We explained how lucky he is to have so much and how there are so many that might only have 1 or two toys...if that.
Before birthday and Christmas since we know we'll get another avalanche of toys (2 sets of grandparents, 2 uncles and an aunt who show little restraint) we remove some to give away.
Basically we put all his stuff in a huge pile so that there is a real visual of just how much is there and then we pick a number for things that he gives away. Usually 10 items.
He actually feels very good that he's helping someone and he has full control over what leaves. I'm sure knowing that new stuff is coming in softens the blow, but stuff goes out before more comes in which keeps it from getting too crazy. DD is 4 and we'll start this with her next birthday.
We are still working on compassion lol. We bought 2 cases of yams for the city's Thanksgiving Feast and he was all "why are we wasting our money on yams?" and I hope that he meant yams were gross, but we had the "well, we aren't wasting money, we are giving to people less fortunate and sharing is nice" speech.