we have a small amount of toys... in rotation. we try to purchase toys that are NOT made in china, are non-toxic and responsibly made (eco friendly and such). that said, toys in this category cost a lot!!! so, we buy a few here and there, putting them away for a little while and then bringing them back out. seems to work. i don't think kids need too many toys, it stunts their imagination. and my dad used to say "the unhappiest kids are the ones with too many choices."

I'm not fond of too many toys. Unfortunately, my husband really is a kid at heart and my mother thinks buying toys is equal to buying love from her grandson. The toy cars are out of control. Not to mention the hand-me-down toys we get from cousins. It's way more than I care for, and more than my boys need. I have a closet designated for toys, the rest fit on a bookshelf. I do confess to having a soft spot for books, though, which are available in every room of the house.

I also have seen much worse than we have, but I think we have too many toys - and my oldest isn't even 4 yet. We've been putting a lot of toys in "toy time out" lately because my boys won't pick them up. It has been so nice to have less toys around (although I'd like my closet space back!) and they have actually been playing with toys they don't normally touch.
In our neighborhood a friend of mine has set up a toy swap where moms can bring in toys that don't get used much and trade with another mom. Whatever no one goes home with gets donated.

We have 2 children, the eldest 6, and so yes, I feel like we have too many toys. We put ours away in a series of drawers in the living room, and only have out a few cool wooden toys which don't fit (e.g. a Plan Toys play house).

Definitely, rotation is important, as is keeping all the pieces of a toy together, and unbroken.

I find that it is the plastic toys which can easily overwhelm, in terms of size and sheer numbers. We too, rarely buy any (they tend to be presents).

So somewhere in between...

I worked in nationally accredited preschool programs for over a decade, and one thing I absorbed into my parenting from my teaching days is to rotate toys and books, whether weekly or monthly, and dependent on interest. They're stored in marked bins in the garage. My DH and I have also designated one small but well lit room as a play room so that the children's possessions and personal items are concentrated in that room. Keeps our home well organized and minimalist while encouraging ongoing play for the kids.

umm. i think we fall in the larger amount of toys category, but its more of collecting and amassing collections so its limited to a few different types of toys (board games, marble maze stuff, playmobil). the difficulty arises when a new collection is sneaking its way into the house (say... star wars collectibles). we have a stash of older things in one closet (a shallow linen one) that we use to gauge how ready we (dad, daughter and I) are ready for the older interests to move out. 3-4 months with little inquiry means outtie-patouttie. well... that's ideal. its more like 6-8 and then its really out.

now books. therein lies the real problem of attachment and letting go...

umm. so yeah. its the adults driving the toy acquisitions and purges. and she is following right in step with similar habits now.

Man I literally just got back from the awesome used children's store we have in town where I satisfied MY need to collect cool wooden vehicles for my one year old. They aren't his favorite (he likes the little ones we get for $.10 at garage sales. Balancing my need to buy toys I like with his need for new things as he develops is going to be my challenge. I also admit that getting new things is exciting for me because he will play by himself with a new toy for a couple of days (leaving me time to say, type this comment without a fit).

As for swapping things out. I've tried this, but bringing in hidden toys doesn't seem to have the same novelty as a truly new toy.

We have a good amount of toys but it's not exactly a toy store. Now that my son is almost two I recently decided that I would finally store away his baby-ish toys. Well the very same day I made that decision he, of course, played with most of toys I had decided to exile. Consequently nothing has been packed up yet. I do know with his birthday and Christmas coming up I'll definitely be editing.

My husband and I do try to purchase toys that aren't made in China or made of plastic. But that's pretty much a joke considering most of my son's toys are from other people and it's pretentious to make demands on what can and cannot be given.

we do not have tons of toys. we do have lots of books. i get a panic attack around too much "stuff". and so far, my daughter is completely fine not knowing what she doesn't have...

Although we have TONS of toys, everything is well organized and gets used. I have a 2-year-old daughter, but 4 nephews ranging from 1-6. My daughter's room has a fully stocked-play kitchen, blocks, books, her babies and all or their care accessories, musical instruments, dress-up stuff, puzzles, etc. But then I have outdoor toys and ones that need supervision (markers, playdoh, paint, etc) stored in bins on the top shelf in her closet. Everything has it's place and 95% is behind closed doors/cabinets/bins under the bed. It is possible to have lots of toys so all kids are pleased, but still be aesthetically pleasing. I should email in some pics of her room...it's really nice and efficient :)

We just packed away all the toys except for baskets, large trucks, some books and favourite stuffies (and a few missed toys). The packed away toys are awaiting organizing but are already seperated in four boxes. Each box has an assortment of toys and books so that they can be rotated. Although I hope to get rid of the toys that have no lasting value for my kids. If they forget about all the plastic toys, all the better.

We used boxes from the grocery store that I work at. The boxes that 2 litre pop bottles come in, 8 to a box. They are the perfect size with handles.

Nobody seems to miss anything, yet, and it is pure bliss to be rid of the chaos and clutter. So easy to clean up too:)

We had far too many toys, with a heap of kids and a heap of birthdays and generous grannies who wanted to give a great gift at every birthday and christmas - it was just overwhelming. We chose which toys were the favorites: robust and multiple age ranges and something that everyone played with. I know it helped us the grannies to shop... they no longer had to choose from a million toys: choose something from the list. It sounds mad and restrictive but I found the less toys they have the more creative our kids became.

Here is a link to our Se7en Best Toys...

http://www.se7en.org.za/2008/07/31/se7en-of-the-best-toys

Our daughter is 4, and we don't have many toys. Many were bought years ago and are still in use, because they are versatile, like legos and blocks. We don't have toys that need batteries, maybe 1 or 2 RC ones. We never had to rotate toys, partly because they all are arranged on the shelf the Montessori way and she can pick what she wants to play with. She also knows to put the toys away after she's done with them.

What helped to stop unwanted toys from coming, was to ask grandparents for the particular items or say that they can send books, craft supplies or PJs.

We pay close attention to what our children play with....the ones they don't go away. I do not get rid of things without letting them know and they are usually quite happy to put toys they no longer use in a basket for "a little boy that needs new toys". It is heartwarming to see them doing this I have to admit. This sort of purge usually is followed by a new toy for them.
The two things that we could not live without are an inside swing, made by HABA (I think) and a trapeze that is set up in the living room. We are a family of 4 living in 700 sq ft so a trapeze in the living is... noticeable . It has lead to quite a fascination and circus classes!
A toy that kids can climb/swing/ride on is worth the space it takes up.

My kids are fully entertained in a room stock full of toys all day...its called day care. We go outside on weekends. In the house? Not even a tenth as many toys as most of their friends. And yet it still seems like way too much.

We have way too many toys, but only because we live in a small apartment and don't have a proper place for all the toys. I actually filled a small box this morning with stuff to donate.
I really really want a play kitchen for my son, he would absolutely love it, but I don't think we have the space.

Wow - tell me about that chair in the photo! That's wonderful - it looks like it holds both kids and adults comfortably.

great - and timely - post! our girl is only 7 months and I'm wondering how many toys are reasonable, what kinds and how to handle the possible onslaught of presents with the holidays and birthdays in our future. even with a preference for things that don't flash or talk there are so many mouth-watering choices! experienced parents, I would LOVE to hear more about which toys are the absolute best - interesting to a wide range of ages, stimulating, indoor and outdoor and so on. more of this please, ohdeedoh!

My version of "just the right amount" means we don't need storage bins or toy boxes. I put toys on one short bookshelf and in a small, low cabinet that holds other supplies. The day I need a storage system is the day we have too many toys.

I think we have too many, but we probably have less than average. My son (almost 4) has a toy box in his room for his larger toys, and tupperwares under the bed that house his cars and trains. We have one small chest in the living room for toys and we rotate which toys come downstairs into that chest, the majority stay in his room. I am a purger so I always think it's too many, my mom won't stop buying stuff so now I have limited her to nothing larger than a shoebox!

I don't understand how a child can have too much toys?

We have a lot. The first room in our house is my pink workshop, and it's half filled with my son toys. Interestingly enough, it's such a cosy and cute atmosphere that I added armchairs : our friends love this room and parties always end up there.

I respect my son's toys. Each new set gets its own home made fabric bag, and the big ones are organised in colorfull baskets. It's a warm decor, and a very lively one.
Toys are dutifully repaired when necessary, and put away only if they are broken and can't make it for the next generation.

Lots of love, lots of fun, strict schedule, rules when necessary. That's my idea of an education.

I'm from Australia and we have 'Toy Libraries' where you can borrow toys after paying a yearly fee ($90 in my area). It's great one week we may have a dolls house, peddle car and dinosaur costume and another duplo, a tea set and a ride on tractor.
Surely this is a world wide thing!?

At present my son has exactly 2 small shelves in the living room and about half of a 2x4 cube Expedit's worth of toys & books. I rotate them and arrange them so different toys are more visible for him to choose from. I find this a good amount, it seems he has enough variety that neither of us gets bored with play, but it's is modest enough that tidying either space is quick and easy.

However let me caveat this with the fact that my son is only 10 months old and judging by both sets of his cousins I know this state will be tested as he grows and (hopefully) acquires a sibling.

We are currently planning re-purposing my sewing room into a playroom, however this isn't driven by toy storage so much as wanting space him to be that is separate to where he sleeps.

A few toys is SOOOO the way to go! My kids are never bored and we have VERY few toys. I don't even rotate them. That's too much of a hassle.

I think I have a small amount of toys compared to most parents. I don't just wait until special events to buy toys but I don't buy something everytime I go to the toy store. The toys & books take up 1 of the 3 level Ikea Trofast units & a 4x4 Expedit. I try to buy only one toy that has a specific purpose / function (i.e. why do you need 3 different toys that sort shapes?) I also avoid buying toys that make a lot of noise or take up a lot of room. If you're worried about clutter, my best advice is that I only store toys inside the kids' bedroom and generally everything has a place (love IKEA Trofast system!). They often take toys out into the living room, but before the kids go to bed, we put all our toys away and the kids are happy to help (I have a 3 yo and 16 month old, so yes, it can be done!).

Well my twin sister and I were raised in New Zealand in a middle income family. All our extended family remained in the UK and today are still very poor so our present exchanges were limited to practical lightweight items like books, comics and candy at birthdays and Christmas only.

We had enough books and toys to fill up a shared bookcase and none of our friends ever had a toy room or bonus room to call their own.

Today my twin sister and daughter live in the same city in a very expensive town and seem to have way less than we do. They share an office/toyroom with bookcases and a desk for art supplies. So everything has its place and looks well organized and just right...........

My friends in the USA all seem to have a bonus/playroom/basement just for their children's toy stashes and in some homes it is just excessive. However that is their choice and who am I to judge?

We live in a large house and have a small 11x11 playroom. Just big enough to fit a revolving bookrack, bookcase,toy cubbies and a sturdy play table that fits six people. It takes minutes to tidy up the mess after playdates/playgroup and everthing in the room is a free for all. However every toy has a space or bag or box allocated just for it.

The laundry room is right next door and I can watch the activity while folding laundry which is nice.

In each of the children's rooms are spaces, cubbies and shelves for collections and special toys. The girls have M.A dolls, A.G dolls, Tin Tin domic books, painted cows and tea sets all high up - so visable but not within easy reach. Our son too has comic book collections, wooden cars, antique planes and plaques all with an allocated space to stay.

So I guess I don't feel the need to buy lots of playable toys and typically limit it to three gifts typically Lego sets, Playmobile and art supplies and splurge on items like sleeping bags, room accessories ( lamps, rugs, boom boxes and bookcases) luggage, over night bags,dance clothes, watches and such.

It works for us............... and we have a large family, our fifth child is due in March.