Mama BlogHow much toys needs a child to be happy?

2016

Mama blogger Timea from Munich writes for Wunderweib.de about her new life as the mom of a 1-year-old daughter. Every week she learns something new, she wonders, laughs and cries.

How much toys does a child need, asks our mom blogger Timea.
Photo: Timea star head

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This week she writes about overstimulation in the toy box.

You give your child a great new toy, maybe it flashes and makes some noise, it's colorful, it's beautiful and it's expensive, and what happens, child sits there playing with the packaging.

Léla has everything a child could wish for. And maybe a little more. This is first of all a nice condition, I am grateful that I could offer my child until now everything in love, affection and just one or the other (superfluous) toys. There are so many kids in the world who do not have expensive toys. But they always find something to play with. Children are bursting with creativity and love the simple little things that we all too often overlook.

Less is sometimes more

Of course, Léla likes to play with her toys. But we have done a lot wrong as parents, I think. We gave Léla too large a selection of toys right from the start. The result is a home-made sensory overload with a fast bored child. The most satisfied and longest she just plays outdoors with pebbles, sticks and leaves. Or if I put away all their toys and leave only a small handful outside.

Kinder lieben es, in der Natur zu spielen. — **Children love to play in nature.**

I think we proud parents tend to overwhelm our darlings (especially the first child) with gifts. It is nice to see how the little ones discover something new. And admittedly: Finally, I can freely choose everything in the toy store uninhibited. The little girl in me is happy like a schnitzel. My husband is a big kid, disguised as an adult. Of course he loves to buy toys. But does Léla need it all? Certainly not.

Timber tension vs. expensive plastic toy

I am not one of the mothers who want to panic protect their child from the evil world at the sight of plastic toys with loud buttons and batteries. Of course, I prefer toys made of natural materials, it is clearly healthier when it disappears in the mouth. But an early understanding of technology is not fundamentally wrong. Our kids will grow up with computers and cell phones, that will not stop. Léla has her own laptop, her own tablet and her own cell phone. All terrible plastic toys from a terribly unhealthy country.

The funny thing about it? She finds these things deadly boring after two minutes (except Mom's real phone ...). If I give her a wooden train to play, she is busy ten times longer.

Léla has a selection of stuffed animals, as if we had bought a whole business. Many come from my own childhood and some (many) from recent years. I like koalas, pandas, cats, dogs, teddy bears.

Kinder lieben Plüschtiere. Klar, dass Timeas Tochter schon eine ganze Kiste voller Plüschtiere geschenkt bekommen hat. — **Children love stuffed animals.** **Clear that Timea's daughter has already received a whole box full of stuffed animals.**

Schlaubi - winner of the plush toy competition

It is almost a miracle that Léla, despite the immense selection of stuffed animals, has chosen one as their favorite: Schlaubi, the smartest owl in the forest. Schlaubi is cuddled when she is tired, when she is ill, when she is angry. Schlaubi has to go to bed every night. Schlaubi is always there for you. Schlaubi is there twice: once at home and once in the crib. Of course, Léla does not know anything about it, the official version is such that Schlaubi flies home alone from the crib every day, right in her crib.