A little after the holidays, I went to ikea. I wanted to have a shelf with compartments to store my son's toys. I didn't know what to do with it, so we went on an expedition, tried to find something that would satisfy my desire for order. After eating Swedish meatballs, walking around with a kid running around and seeing my boyfriend's patience diminishing visibly, we arrived downstairs to realize that there was no longer any furniture in it. question. He was going to receive some in 2 days. But since I live in the pays d'en haut and the ikea is in Montreal, I didn't think of going back there.
We came home a little disappointed and I started cleaning Dylan's room. I filled 3 bags with toys and other stuff he no longer used and finally got his toys put away properly.
Afterwards, I wondered why I had had this idea of buying a piece of furniture, I who hardly ever buy toys. And who greatly prefers activities to materials as a birthday present. If you come to my house, you might not even know that I have a child. There are no toys in the living room, maybe a few animal magnets on the fridge might give me away.
The few toys he has are in his room and I rotate them. It frees us and everyone is doing well. In part, that's what led me to the next thought: how to keep possession simple in our little hearts. Here are some tips.
Time, rather than things
Of course, we all know that the best and the most rewarding is not one thing, but the time we can give to our little ones.
ps it's free!
Prioritize quality
It's no secret. However, it sometimes seems difficult to apply. Especially since, during birthdays for example, children like to have a lot of gifts, but by doing away with their disappointment, we get them used to consuming more responsibly and that's the best gift we can all give.
Buy wooden toys
Firstly because, in my opinion, it's so much prettier and because at a time when everything is going fast - too fast - the need for authentic values is increasingly strong. The wooden toy is, in a way, what it represents by its artisanal side. In addition, it has many qualities: durable, solid and it ages well. Very eco-responsible, we like that!
Toys that are consumed
Toys that disappear or serve, that's really great! These are the case of pencils, bath foam, cooking and gardening. There is also everything that is DIY, always a winner.
Second-hand toys
Like clothes, there are toys that only last a few months, such as activity mats, walkers, cars, etc. So why not stretch their lifespan, at the same time as saving a lot of money and getting some in second-hand stores. For my part, I bought the famous “farm” from my son for Christmas, $5.
He saw no difference and as soon as he played more with it, it was much easier to go to the reporter than if we had invested a small fortune in it. Thus the wheel turns.
Borrow
To borrow is not to own. It frees up the wardrobes and any other corner of our friends, sister, cousin, who are between 2 children. In addition, most of us don't even have to ask, they are so happy to get rid of those cumbersome things that parenthood embarrasses us for a moment.
Avoid dollar stores
Even me, who is so anti-plastic toys whose lifespan is 10 minutes maximum, I got caught. it's just a little toy and he'd be so happy to have it and it's only a dollar and he's throwing a tantrum. Then, to confirm to me that I had really bought something harmful to the environment, he only played with said toy during the trip back home.