I have two young children that get stuffed animals for gift all the time. We have everything from teddy's the size of my two year old to ty babies that fit in the side pocket of the diaper bag. I know my family gives them with love but I don't know what to do with them all. I hate to get rid of them but really I'm running out room. Dose anyone have any ideas about what to do with them? Also my daughter's first birthday is coming up fast and we will probably end up with five to six more. Would it be ok to put something on the invits saying no more plush toys please?
I say its fine to say no plush animals in the invites, but prepared for questions why. In the end it might be more trouble than its worth. I think to avoid this I'd set up a registry at Toysrus or something like that, and include this information in the invites to cut down on stuffed animals.
I have this problem myself, wish I had a good answer for you. When I've asked in the past, other moms on Mamasource have said try homeless shelters, police/firestations, hospital chaplains, etc. However, I don't find that these are always places willing to take them. You'd have to call around and ask individual places what their needs are. Also, some churches take various kinds of stuffed animals for use in care packages for local or international use (I know this from personal sources); but, again, the question is what do they need and do they need it at the same time you are looking to give away the toys. Good luck to you on this. You can always just take them to your local thrift shop.
On the question of putting it in the invitation... I'd say no way. What people give as a "gift" is just that, a gift, and the only proper response is "thank you". That being said, I do think it would be perfectly fine to tip off some close relatives ("Our kids don't play with them, we have enough...") and also make some general conversation about the same ("We have so many, wish I knew what to do with them...) with other gift givers when you see them and are just talking. Or you could go the other direction and do the registry as was suggested... but I think that's a lot of work when all you want is to NOT receive something.
This is a really hard issue, this issue of "too much". When I tried to talk frankly to my mother-in-law about this in the past, she got really angry and called me "ungrateful". So now I just take whatever is given and get rid of what I can. I think it's generational too - the generations that didn't have enough now showering the next generations with everything they didn't have and then some. Know you aren't alone, and good luck to you!
It would be considered inappropriate, rude and ungrateful to request what others give or don't give as a gift. Look into sending the little Ty babies to the troops over-seas. They give them to needy children. An option for the bigger ones would be teaching your children about less fortunate children and then have them help you bring them around to different shelters. Police officers often keep stuffed animals in their police cars to give out to children in tough situations. I would call the local police department. It would be a great teaching tool for you. If you don't want to get rid of them, then get a mesh net and put them up high in the closet to be out of the way.
Valarie,
I have told family members that our kids have enough of something and ask if they would like suggestions for gifts. They are usually really good about that - I know I would want to spend my money on something that would get used and enjoyed, not piled up.
On birthday invites, I have seen some moms put "no gift necessary" to friends and neighbors. If you get lots of plush toys anyway, they can be returned to the store.
As far as what to do with the excess you have, you can donate them to a charity - maybe the children's hospital would even take them.
Good luck,
Shellie
You could put on the invits that you would like to have help with your babys devolpment by getting the baby some educational toys like music toys, books that are musical,multi useable toys like ones baby can honk-ride on- pull-twist ddials etc.
And please give baby colorful toys so babys eyes and brain will be stimulated.
And ask them if they would mind helping you donate toys to say the police so children of victims and accident victims can enjoy them as baby has.
You could have them each bring a new or clean used toy for this to much your toys donation.
Hay good way to clean out the closets of many house holds .
donna
Here's an idea! My dad wins stuffed toys from those crank machines all the time, and when he gets a bagfull, he donates them to the police department. Then the cops give them to little kids when they have to go to their homes for a tough domestic situation. It is a nice way for the little ones to be reassured in difficult times, and helps them to understand that the Police are there to help.
Do you know anyone that has a waiting room or lobby seating area at work? We used to have tons of stuffed animals that still looked new so I would send my husband to work with them. Then when there was a child that was crying or would not sit still he could ask the mother if she would like a stuffed animal for the child. This made the mother, child, and everyone else in the room that had to hear the crying child very happy. LOL
Melissa
http://www.yourfunfamily.com
I did. When my daughter was a 1-year old I saw that if we were to multiply forward a few years I would have more stuffed toys (toys in general) than space for our family! And my job was to move them around and clean them all the time.
Unfortunately, stuffed animals are an overwhelming problem in our culture. Throw them away and beg people to stop buying them. They are all made in China or Taiwan and only add to the world's environmental crisis as they are made from petroleum.
Write on the invitation, "We have all the stuffed animals/dolls/trucks (whatever you don't want)....we can house. Please consider puzzles and/or clothes (whatever you do want) when choosing a gift for baby."
As my kids grew, I made it a policy (based on my own experience) to give exhaustible gifts - things that could be used up. Just today my daughter is going to a 13 year birthday and bringing a gift certificate to an ice cream shop. When we have birthdays, we write "Exhaustible gifts only please!" on the invitation. She gets a lot of chocolate, pencils, writing paper, etc... which is great!
If some of the stuffed animals aren't in the best shape you could always give them to an animal shelter, too. I agree you shouldn't ask people not to bring plush toys, but maybe casually bring up the excitement about her birthday coming soon with those invited and then maybe they'll ask what she needs. Or if they have children you could say "My daughter really needs some new developmental toys, do you have any suggestions that I could get for her?"
That way they feel helpful that you are asking their opinion and you are also giving them a hint. Good luck!
NO don't be blunt about it be sneaky! Take a photo of your birthday girl in the mountain of stuffed animals with just her head peeking out. Make it even bigger if you can to really enfasize that she has MORE than enough to deal with. Use that photo as your invite to invite guests to the birthday party. They probably don't even realize how many she has actually accumulated and should take the hint (hopefully). :)
I think it is wrong to say don't get stuffed animals, but there is nothing wrong with giving some suggestions of things she might like. Ask for educational toys or clothes.
We have too many too, but I have stopped receiving them as gifts. I have the ones that don't go w/ the theme of the bedroom in the toybox or in the playroom and I have the others in the bedroom to play with and to serve as decor. Some people put up those corner nets to hold stuffed animals or you could put shelves up as a border of the ceiling and line them with the teddys or what ever you have most of and goes with your theme. I have a jungle theme so a wide variety of animals are in the room as decoration.
Give them to the fire department. They use them to comfort the kids on abulance rides or when their homes are destroyed. Then ask you family to give something that doesn't collect dustmites (savings bonds?). I have family that gives us teddies too and we usually take a bag into the fire department in Wausau atleast yearly.
Heather
valarie; awww, i m a big stuffed animal fan , as a mom of 3 boys, i still have my stuffed animals from when i was a kid, and i have theirs, i would pack some away, and see if they miss them, if they do they could be attached to some, keep those , but after a while, bring them out again, if still attached, keep them, if not, give them to good will, or buy some netting and store them in their room, i had created a shelf up by the ceiling, it made good room decoration, and when they wanted one down i would let them get it, but this way they see their freinds, and know they have the freind that got them through some special moment, but i would first test to see if they are important to them, pack some away , and then you can pull them out , and switch them out, just enjoy life, and buy some extra shelving, even if it goes all around the room, it will be cute, and they have them, enjoy, deb s
You could donate some of the old ones that don't get played with anymore. Lots of places welcome things like that...hospitals, ambulances, police depts, shelters, etc.
As far as the birthday coming up...what if you put a note in the invites letting people know what she wants for her birthday? I wouldn't outright say "no stuffed animals please", but would consider including what she wants for her birthday (i.e., books, whatever toys she's in to, clothes, etc).
Just a few thoughts for you. Hope they help.
I don't think many places will take donations of these toys because they can't be sure they are clean. I would absolutely tell people "no more, please". I agree with a previous responder who said give (or request) gifts that can be used up OR that can be experienced, like tickets to a children's museum, skating rink, or other appropriate activity.
My daughter is 6 and the number of birthday parties she gets invited to is outrageous, and the pile of presents at each is equally outrageous, it looks bigger than Christmas (xmas at our house, especially). It is up to us parents to put some limits on this.
I have six kids, so I know your pain as far as an excess of toys and gifts from others. Just before Christmas, when three of the kids have birthdays, I was feeling really stressed about all the additional gift that we would need to find a place for. So I called Dr. Ray Guarendi, a radio psychologist, to ask his solution. Since he himself has 10 chilren, I knew that it would be something that he'd have experience with. I told him that my three year old daughter just got anther doll for her birthday to a total of probably her tenth doll. I told him that I was making her chose a couple of them to donate to kids less fortunate and he said, "How about having her choose ONE to keep?" Then he said we do want our children to learn to be generous, not selfish and that they don't need multiple of the same or similar items.I asked about how to handle it when these saem people ask her if she likes the doll that they got her or wonder where it is. He said to let them know that she had so many that she gave some to children who didn't have any. Then he suggested that the duplicate toys be taken to a children's wing of a hospital to be given to a child who wouldn't have much for Christmas or who was in need.
Then he illustrated his point with a question. Could he give my child a cookie? I said yes. Then he asked if his sister could. Then his mother and the neighbor and friend. He said that one cookie isn't a bad thing, but one from everyone is not a healthy thing for a child. It's the same way with presents. After this conversation, I spoke with our families and told them what he said. This way they would likely cut back or at least not be surprised when we do take his suggestions. Another thing that I have found is that gift cards or consumable gifts(like coloring books, bath crayons, etc) make great gifts. For gift cards things that we can do together are great, like movies, restaurants or ice cream places.
We try not to open the box of a toy (once the wrapping is removed) for our chilren's gifts at their parties for many reasons. One being to prevent fights with other children around a new toy, another is that we can easily return or re-gift duplicate toys that haven't been opened.
I really think that the best gift that anyone can give a child in the gift of time. We've suggested taking our children to lunch or a play instead of giving them a toy.
At your daughter's age, maybe you could to a "book" themed birthday and ask for books for her.
Hi Valarie...
We had a ton of Beanie Babies and found out that the U.S. soldiers in Iraq were asking for them to hand out to the children of that country. They are small, unbreakable(travel well) and are offered to the kids to build their trust towards the soldiers. The website anysoldier.com is where you can find out where to send "care packages" overseas. Besides getting rid of our massive amount of Beanie Babies, we also sent the soldiers some goodies for themselves!
If you really want to do a reduction in toys, write on the invite that you'll do a gift exchange at the party because your child is blessed with so much already. Then suggest that each child in attendance bring a gift valued at a specific amount. This eliminates gifts from adults and makes it more fun for all the kids there. It's a little kinder.
I do think the best option is to have your child select half or the plush toys received to send to a charity. That's a great teaching opportunity for the whole family that can continue for a lifetime!
It seems pretty rude to say in an invite that you still want lots of gifts but only these types of gifts. Toy quantity is the gift receivers problem not the gift givers.
Hi Valarie, I'm Rose a mother of three young girls 6,4,2. I have them pick out two or three that they really love, and tell them that there are kids that could use and love. The others by donateing to kids hospitals, and good will. Don't be afraid to tell the family some plush toys are fine. But suggest maybe board games or learning toys there are so many choises this day in age. Hope I could be of some help.Rose
My son's birthday is in early January, and we find that we are always overwhelmed with toys from Christmas and then his birthday. What we have done (to kindly discourage things we don't need) is to put Gift Ideas and Suggestions on the bottom. That way we can list things that he really needs, and hopefully that will encourage people to buy those items instead of a bunch of stuffed animals and toys that he really doesn't need. We have had great feedback too! A lot of aunts and people have said "We had NO idea what to get him!"