Hello- We all know that kids need a lot of stuff. There’s a lot to decide on what’s necessary and what’s a necessity. I honestly feel like in the beginning– pregnancy/ infancy, you think you need so much. I think ultimately you need it all, you will just have to figure out what your kiddo likes and go from there.
The theme carries on to kids and their toys. Like WOW. I hate consumerism. These cute little kids get suckered by every single advertisement in addition to whatever is the new fad. I HATE toys. I think they’re such a novelty. They’re great for the day and then pieces get lost, broken, shoved in some drawer and that’s the end of it. You probably had some kid cry over this mundane thing. (Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for bribery..but the toys just engulf all of the space!)
I think if I had to do it all over, (GAH, the thought is frightening) I would vote for classics and things that don’t make noise. Sorry to all of my friends that I’ve bought annoying loud toys because let’s be honest… One kid or three, they’re all loud.
For the babies, I love the mini board books, anything from the Manhattan Toy Company, anything that is cause and effect (shakers, rattles, etc). When the kiddos get a bit older, puzzles, nesting cups, books, figurines, arts and crafts, legos, magnatiles, a scooter or some sort of ride on-vehicle and if you must some sort of tablet. I feel like once they hit a certain age… Probably right about 8– their need for toys has significantly dwindled; however their want hasn’t. That is a struggle I deal with all the time.
I have a love-hate relationship with the Dollar Tree. As you can imagine, we can get a lot of stuff from there but we can also get a lot of junk from there. Not too long ago, I went for lined paper and pencils and while standing in the checkout line Zoe blurts out “Mommy you’re so mean, you never get us anything, you only buy stuff for you when we go shopping.” If you could hear her little munchkin voice and her big brown eyes… You almost get suckered then you actually HEAR what she’s saying and one thought comes across my mind… I’ve raised a spoiled brat. WHY?! I wouldn’t even have to go shopping this often if my little munchkins didn’t have to eat every 25 minutes or use 15 paper towels a day and pull loads of toilet paper off the roll OR squeeze the toothpaste all over… UGH! I calmly squat down to her level and tell her firmly, ‘that is enough, and that you do not need to buy something every time you go into a store…’ That was the end of that, until the next time.