Love-hate relationship with toys

By Jane Han

The playroom is a warzone, but Lauren isn't bothered by the mess as she concentrates on playing with her toy. / Courtesy of Jane Han

Toys ― oh how could such colorful and innocent playthings become such a monumental source of constant stress for a grown woman?

When you have too many. Way too many toys.

My children have a good-sized playroom, but nine out of 10 times I set foot in that room, I literally cannot make my way forward because of all the stuffed animals, Lego pieces, blocks, play food, puzzles, books and just all kinds of random stuff scattered all over the floor and in every nook and cranny.

And if only all that stuff remains contained in that room.

We’re now dealing with a major spillage situation where this mushrooming number of toys are pouring out of the playroom into the living room, into their bedroom, into our bedroom and even into the bathroom.

I thought this household’s monstrous pile of laundry was scary. Toys are worse.

At least laundry doesn’t make noise.

I’ve had numerous near heart attacks when I’d walk out of bed in the middle of the night for water, step on a random piece of Lego, slip on a pretend play princess dress and top everything off by landing on a ride-on car that would start pumping out a minute-long musical medley.

This is not cool at 3 a.m.

So yes, you get the picture.

Now don’t get me wrong. Toys are needed around here. Of course they are.

There are those truly heavenly moments when my girls would each find a toy they like, get totally immersed in it, play for an uninterrupted 30 or so minutes and won’t come anywhere near me.

Toys, for the most part, do a good job of keeping kids entertained and occupied.

But as I face the mounting pile of playthings slowly taking over my house ― especially after being showered with more gifts during the holiday season ― I began wondering whether this toy overload is doing any good for my kids.

In preparation for this piece, I surveyed the playroom to see exactly what kind of stuff we’re talking about.

First, the big stuff.

We have the Learning Home, a popular must-have in pretty much any household with a child, a few ride-on cars and two play kitchens. Not bad.

The small, little, tiny pieces are the messy, damaging ones. I think my girls have more play pots and pans than I do in my real kitchen. They definitely have more food than I do in my real fridge.

And then they also have a whole bunch of miscellaneous, some even unidentifiable, parts and pieces.

These days, the first thing my husband looks for when he goes toy shopping or receives a gift for the kids is the number of pieces the box contains. His worst nightmare is one of those 120-piece plastic play food sets ― and Play-Doh. Yes, Play-Doh. If you’re a parent, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

So at this point with Lauren’s birthday right around the corner, which likely means a few more new toys, what can I do now and going forward to relieve this buildup?

Well, the first, best and most obvious solution is to donate to the Salvation Army, church nursery or other people in need.

But what if you know that the kids aren’t ready to bid farewell just yet?

Hide them.

Put a few ― or a lot ― in a box and put them away in a closet or secret place for a couple weeks. When your kids start looking bored with the current batch, bring out the hidden stash and rotate them around.

I’ve put away two boxes today. That alone has helped me make so much breathing room in the playroom and I know my kids will be delighted to reunite with them in a few weeks.

The other way to keep toy buildup under control is to limit giving only for special occasions. I know sometimes this is hard for parents. Your kids want it, you want them to have it and even the price is good. I’ve been there.

But parenting experts say showering children with gifts for no reason only leads to one result ― a spoiled child.

Kids should even learn to save money for their own toy purchases after a certain age. And one general rule to go by is to never allow a child to buy a gift at first sight. Make sure to have them go home and think about it.

Interestingly and quite frankly, I think I do a pretty diligent job in going by these rules. But buildup still happens, and especially with three kids, it happens three times faster.

I guess I’ll have to be stricter on myself and the kids.

Hence, we decided to skip Lauren’s birthday gift this year. She’s turning two so we’re thinking that she won’t notice it.

We’ll find out in one week if mom and dad were smart or if our baby girl is smarter.

Till then, the decluttering continues.