Being a minimalist, I am highly devoted to keeping excess (of most things) out of our lives. This especially applies to toys, because there are just too many studies showing how much better off kids are with less stuff. My rule of thumb has always been: we have a toy shelf, and we can only have what fits on there. (Obviously that excludes larger items, of which we have several.) Also, I want clean up to feel do-able for my toddler, instead of overwhelming and stressful.
I try to keep mostly open-ended toys, and to avoid plastic, but we also respect what she likes/get things that only come in plastic (such as certain types of dolls).
Being so picky, what is on our toy shelf? I’ll show you!
Starting on the top left side, we have some close-ended toys: a shape-sorter, and a name puzzle, and a toy sword.
Underneath those are, her baby dolls, and ring sling (that, of course, matches mom’s). One was her first, gifted by her grandma, and the other is an anatomically correct doll.
Moving over, we have three Schleich’s animals she picked herself, a plane, a car, and a fun necklace made of buttons from my grandma’s collection. Next, we have name blocks, a small xylophone, and a harmonica. And, in the next section, there is a gorgeous pastel Grimm’s rainbow. And, underneath, a beloved pull doggie, a gorgeous peg board made by my dad, and a bird matching game.
Finishing off, we have the most Ultimate Equestria Girls My Little Pony collection, and her two stuffed animals.
Honestly, sometimes I feel like even that’s too much, as we have some big items in other places of the house (ball pit, play kitchen, rocking deer, and indoor gym). Plus, lately, she rarely plays with her stuffed animals or blocks, and almost never plays with the close-ended toys by herself. She’s also discovered my old Barbie things (which do not have a storage place), and spends a large amount of her time with those. We also keep her play silks in the teepee, instead of on the shelf.
Recently, we moved out her baby stacking rings, and donated a doll I loving bought her, but that she never played with. We are really striving to only get things that are more open-ended, and that she clearly loves, because I’d rather her be satisfied and unstressed, than have to be KonMari’ing with her at age 3.
Overall, our play shelf’s spread is still low plastic, even if she really loves some of the plastic ones. We’ve also only got a handful of close-ended toys. It may not be the perfect minimalist, or Montessori shelf, but it’s what we’ve got going on!
If you’re struggling to decide how many toys to have, why not give this ‘only-what-fits-on-the-shelf’ method a go? Your child will still have plenty of toys, and you might have a little more peace of mind with less clutter, and a defined limit.
