Helpful Mom

Undo toys from boxes and packaging to help easy frustration in preschoolers who just want to get their hands on the new toy.  If you have opened a new toy recently you know what I’m talking about, all the ties, wires, plastic things, and the tape, oh the tape!  And if it needs batteries put those in too.  There’s nothing like a 3 year old who can’t wait to get their hands on that toy to make you blow your cool on what should be a happy day.

When our girls were younger we would give them the box first and then after a while when that began to wear off, then we would give them the actual toy.  And as one and two year olds we only gave them one gift.  That young they are getting new toys all the time as they develop so we didn’t feel it necessary to pile on the gifts.  Plus if you give them lots of gifts at once there will end up being toys that just get shoved aside and never get played with.

One article I read suggested that when your kids are under 2, you can hide some of their toys a month ahead of time.  Then you can wrap them up as gifts.  I know I used to have two baskets of toys for the living room and I’d rotate them monthly, so there was only one in the living room at any one time.  And when I brought out the new basket it was like all new toys had appeared.

Ask for gift certificates towards museum or gym memberships, or movie tickets, etc so you won’t be bringing lots of toys in taking up valuable space.  They can also be enjoyed by everyone in the family yearround.