Yes, I'm almost certain that they do!
I am sure that there are more stuffed animals in my kids' rooms when I wake them up in the morning than there were when I tucked them in the night before. And it's not just stuffed animals, it's all of their toys. I feel like we are in a constant battle. So, I developed a plan this last year to help combat this issue, and surprisingly it has helped. What is this magical plan, you ask?
1. Purge through the toys they have and throw out any toys and games that are broken, torn, or missing pieces.
2. Keep them in a box in the living room for two weeks. This one requires more from you, mom, as you will have to deal with the chaos of the toy box being in the living room for a couple of weeks. However, it's worth it! During the two weeks, the kids are allowed to play with whatever toys they want to out of the box, but they must put them away in their room after playing with them. IMPORTANT: they are only allowed to put toys back in their room if they play with them; don't tell them any more about this step than that.
3. At the end of week 2, look in the box. These are the toys that aren't really played with often enough to keep out all of the time. Now, take put the box in the trunk of your car and take them to donate somewhere...a shelter, a second-hand store, etc. If you do see a toy or two in the box that holds some sort of significance to you or your child, feel free to grab them out...limit yourself to keeping under 5 of these toys. Remember, they haven't been played with for 2 weeks!
At our household, we do steps 1-3 twice per year, every spring and fall. Luckily because we have implemented the next steps, we don't have as much to go through as we first did.
4. Set limits with yourself. I know that the $1 bins at the store call to your entire family; there's toys for the kids, home decor for mom, snacks for dad, and so much more. However, you don't need any of it. These toys will almost definitely be in the trash pile the next time you purge, so why buy them. And, I know that the clearance aisle calls to us in every store; nobody wants to miss out on a deal to good to pass up. But your child doesn't need that toy just because it is now 75% off. Limit new toy purchases to special occasions and maybe a spontaneous buy once every 2-3 months. I'm here to tell you, though, that your child will get more out of you taking them to the park, a play, a ball game, or any other experience than they will from a piece of over-marketed plastic.
5. Set limits for special occasions. If grandma, grandpa, aunts, uncles, cousins, mom, and dad all buy toys for every holiday and birthday, you will end up right back where you were before you purged. For my husband and I, we only buy one toy for birthdays and one for Christmas; other holidays are celebrated sans toys. Most of you have heard this before as gift guidelines: something to read, something to wear, something you need, and something you want. This works very well for kids to help put the act of gift giving into perspective, but it also works for adults. If we as adults stop to think about why we are giving the gift to begin with, it will help tremendously. We are giving the gift out of love. Well, overindulgence is not love and neither is giving into every whim. Stay strong with yourself and your loved ones on this guidelines, and you will be less likely to continue the perpetual cycle of multiplying toys.
I am far from perfect; I do allow the kids to go through the $1 bins at times. And they do buy junk toys, but sometimes they have been super diligent in their school work and chores and deserve that little something. And our daughter did get an entire collection of Wizard of Oz dolls for her birthday last year, but she can't be expected to play with Dorothy without the rest of the gang. However, if you keep the spontaneous buying and birthday presents to a minimum, you will find sanity upon entering your child's room, for it will no longer be overtaken by toys that are not be played with.
Oh....and perhaps separate the stuffed animals at night, so they can't breed!
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