Toy Story ~ Abhijeet123

If have a toddler at home, you must have felt what I am feeling now. Well, its not just another toy story. This is about the havoc that toys tend to create in your life and how important it is to get rid of them as early as possible. Infact, don't buy them in the first place. I am sure many an eyebrows are raised by now. But please don't judge me just yet! Hear me out -

The global toy industry market size is of roughly US $85 billions. On an average you spend $500 per child per year on toys. That is equal to Rs. 35000 for a span of at least 15 years. Isn't it burning a hole in pocket.
You think that it will bring joy to your toddler and hence in turn to you. However, babies have very little attention span and they get bored very easily. This makes you buy new toys again for momentary pleasures that is not going to last. And burns a still bigger hole in your pocket.
Imagine what you are teaching inadvertently to your children. Having a lot of toys make them needy, greedy and with low attention span. And these habits have a tendency of growing into the person your toddler will become.
Coming to parents and especially mothers, somehow buying toys help them fulfill their own desires of being a righteous and rich parent. They think this is the least they should do. Also, it happens very often that you get competitive with other parents. Your toddler will definitely come back home narrating how that other kid's dad gifted him/her the latest dancing bunny on christmas. Would you like to be left behind?
Gifting is always a ritual when you meet friends and family. And buying an appropriate gift for an adult is so difficult. But guess what, having a child makes everything so easy. It may happen that people will bring gift for your children on your birthday. Cause it is easy and they will never reject it and it looks good and they get free approvals and entry.
Now having a toy is good. But having a lot of them requires you to do proper space management. So you will end up buying wardrobes and cabinets and wall mounted racks. Additional cost and space in your home.
Also, most of the toys get dirty very soon. They get stains of food and digested food (after vomiting). So you have to constantly clean those little pieces of the puzzle. Afterall, you are responsible parent and would not like germs to get your children.
Toys have a strange way of creating a mess. Because you will find them in every corner of your house. After all, children like to move around. But they end up destroying the zen and tidiness of the house.
The least unmanageable units in this world are toys. They come in little pieces. Each one of them is unique. If you lose a piece you lose a set. Good luck buying new one if your kid is hung up to it.
It leads to frustration and fights among parents, since they try to manage this seemingly doable task repetitively until they give up and their house looks like a garbage bin. The most important and limited thing in life is time. Just imagine the time and energy you are putting into managing toys. It is never going to come back.

Is it really worth it? Their are better ways of teaching and learning. How about inter personal skills? How about being social? How about playing with you? The fact of the matter is even the kids will appreciate your time spent with them more than your time wasted in managing toys. And it is not their fault. You think toys will keep them busy, but in the process, you might get substituted.

My two cents. Don't buy new toys. Have a minimalist approach. Have only that one toy that your baby is crazy about and donate the rest. Teach them how to put their toys back to their place. It is not worth your precious time and you are simply trying to fulfil your own desire for someone who can be taught into living on simple means - your baby.