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Playroom Panic

Solutions for Toy Overload

By Shannon McKelden

There is a post-holiday syndrome that frequently hits households with children – toy overload. You know, when your child's bedroom or playroom looks like the aftermath of a toy store explosion?

Whether parents go overboard or well-meaning relatives think Johnny and Suzie need everything on their wish list to be truly fulfilled, it's common that, come January, families are faced with a glut of toys overflowing their homes. So what do you do about it?

For starters, more toys means more clutter. On top of that, too much of any kind of stimulation can create sensory overload, says Dr. Vicki Panaccione, better known as the "Parenting Professor" and founder of the Better Parenting Institute. "Toddlers can only take in so much information at one time," she says.

Besides making her house look junky, Stephanie Nakhleh of Santa Fe, N.M., noticed that too many toys make her kids whiny and bored. In her 25 years as a child-clinical psychologist, Dr. Panaccione has seen this often. "Too much stimulation, too many choices can actually result in acting out or withdrawal behaviors," Dr. Panaccione says. "Their little nervous systems have a hard time processing and dealing with so much information coming at them at one time."

Dr. Panaccione also believes too many toys takes away the "specialness" from individual items. Toddlers will naturally go from toy to toy, exploring their options. "Too many toys can spoil the enthusiasm and decrease the chance that toddlers will fully explore [any one] toy, using creativity, imagination and observational skills," she says.

Dr. Carol E. Kessler, coordinator of the Early Childhood Education Programs at Cabrini College in Radnor, Pa., agrees that an overload of stuff isn't a good thing for some youngsters. "They will throw the toys, break them intentionally or use them aggressively (disrespecting property and other persons)," Dr. Kessler says. "[They can] be overwhelmed with clean up and certainly not be appreciative of their parent's generosity."

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