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Seriously my husband and I after this weekend are going to have to limit gifts to 1-2 toys and some clothes or something. When people asked what they wanted we gave them ideas of this they need (next size clothes, new jackets, Sippy cups, diapers and wipes well because what parent doesn’t etc) we also gave ideas of experience cards since my twins LOVE to go places. We have 3 truck loads of toys and I am appreciative of all that our families have given them but we don’t have room for all this, we don’t have a designated playroom which everyone knows and 2, the kids get overwhelmed as do we. We removed all their old toys into a bag to donate that they don’t really use. But this is too much. I just am so overwhelmed with all the boxes piled into our living room and we have NO SPACE. Some stuff we are returning but I mean the amount of huge stuff is nuts. Our families must have chosen the biggest things they could find. Rant over. But how do you one go about adding all they got from the holidays into your den or playroom and 2, how do we nicely tell them thanks but maybe less next year? I know they want to see them happy but I almost cried because of how much stuff I now have to find a spot for. I really don’t want my kids spoiled like this. I want them to know that this isn’t the norm for everyone and that they shouldn’t expect things. I get they are still so small but I don’t want to have to deal with later on the complaints or asking for a bunch of toys...

And to top it off their birthday is in 2 weeks....

Message edited 12/26/2017 8:51:07 AM.

Toys...

If you figure it out, let me know.

My son's birthday is early December. We had a party, because he loves parties, but I really wanted to just tell everyone to not bring presents.

Then Christmas. My family isn't bad. They send a few small things, because my parents know he doesn't need anything so they put money in a 529 for him each year. My in laws however go way overboard with gifts, and it really annoys me because A. we don't have room, B. It's wasteful/not needed, and C. I feel like it takes away from what we're giving him. I feel like my MIL wants to be "Santa" and it annoys me because she got to do it for her kids, she doesn't get to do it for mine. In particular this year, in addition to buying him tons of other things, she also found something we were going crazy looking for. Instead of telling us she found it and letting us give it to him, she gave it to him (without telling us about it before hand, so we'd gotten a similar gift that wasn't as good). Then, in addition to my MIL trying to be Santa, we get gifts from extended family on Christmas Eve, which are usually a little smaller, but still not really needed. I feel like he received so much stuff between his birthday and Christmas that it lost all it's meaning and he's not thankful for anything, he just wants/expects more presents. And I know if my husband tells my MIL that she needs to buy less she'll be hurt and say we don't appreciate everything she does for us. (side note: she doesn't do that much, but it's more than her mother or MIL did for her so we're ungrateful if we don't praise the ground she walks on)

I feel guilty for being annoyed that he got too much, but it's just so wasteful. I have no idea how to control it. I want to put like a 3 gift limit on her, but I know it would never fly. I know we could buy less, but I don't think I should have to.

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My son has both sets of grandparents, four aunts, three uncles, and four great-grandparents. The first few Christmases were totally overwhelming. And we lived in an apartment at the time. Eventually, I put some things aside to donate. Taking things out of boxes helps tremendously. Pack things away and take a few things out at a time. I also started an Amazon Wish List (set to private) and when people ask I send them the link. I asked for specific gift cards to specific places (like Build a Bear, the Aquarium, etc.), books, outdoor toys, things like that. This year was so much more manageable compared to past years, but DS is also 6 and is starting to ask for more expensive, smaller things like video games.

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I could have written this almost word for word. I don't even want to go into my living room right now because I literally feel like I'm going to have an anxiety attack at the stuff all over the place, that we have no room for. When I was growing up, I received about a quarter of what my kids get, and I feel like I appreciated everything so much more than they do. And believe me, Santa did not go nuts this year, it's our family and friends. I feel like a spoiled brat complaining about having too much stuff, but my husband and I are just upset about how spoiled our kids are getting. I have politely reminded family, for several years now, that our kids need clothes and shoes, but they don't want to be the ones to give the "boring" gifts that the kids won't be excited for.

Your kids are young, no? I would try to return as much as you can if you know what stores they're from. I can't pull that with my kids, they're too old, but you can still get away with it.

Sorry I have no good advice for you, but I feel exactly the same way.

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I dont open up all the presents at once. I know it sounds cruel but I dont like having too many toys out so some stay in the boxes and if they are out of sight out of mind I generally donate them at the end of the year or dare I say re-gift them. My son knows that he cant open all his gifts at once anyway so he generally forget about gifts once they are put away. I just gave toys for tots many toys that were from his bday party that were never opened.

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They are napping and I made a return pile of 5 things so far, some of the stuff they have already, some stuff they have something similar. I get their family may be sad when they don’t see them play with what they got but I have no where to put this. My SIL has 2 massive outdoor play yard delivered here last week without saying anything to us that are taking up havoc my garage, my parents go them these huge outdoor ride on sights and like a 8 ft tandem sled, where that’s going idk. My brother bought them a 7ft indoor mickey train tent...no clue what I’m doing with that. We bought them 4 toys and 2 joint gifts and they got a pair of PJs and a mickey from us in their stocking. Luckily they love the wooden activity cube we bought them that was our “big gift” I’m hoping target will take some stuff back without the receipt that someone can’t find. I’ll put it towards diapers and wipes. But this just can’t happeb next year. They will never learn to appreciate what they have. If target won’t take things back, it’s going to stony brook hospital peds floor I already called and asked if they will take New in box toy donations

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Return, regift, donate, and drop constant hints about keeping things small/lack of space/nothing bigger than a shoebox, etc. Eventually most people start to get the picture but you also just have to get used to it, be grateful, and deal with it.

The first thing I usually do, especially since my kids are a bit older, is hide away duplicates or anything excessive that I may not keep. I return what I can and regift or donate the rest. My girls are 3 and 5 and some people insist on giving them matching gifts which I'm sure is an issue with twins. Sometimes it's great but many times it's too much and unnecessary. They don't need the same book or the same pack of barbies. You also find ways to make room and the toys creep into different areas of the house. One year I had both sets of grandparents go in on a nice play kitchen to replace our old hand me down one. That was the best since it killed two big potential gifts and didn't take any extra space.

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I make sure I don’t buy him a million things. I only buy things for Christmas and his birthday. That’s it. And for Christmas, we got him 4-5 SMALL toys: walkie talkie, phone, remote control dinosaur, doll stroller, and a bouncy ball. For his birthday, we get him and outside toy like a bike.

For birthdays and holidays, I try to encourage experience gifts, but only one set of relatives get him those. Two of my siblings got him gifts he already has so those will be returned or regifted- my son actually has unopened gifts from Christmas 2016.

On Friday, I’m sending him to Daycare and purging a bunch of toys. We’re lucky that we only have on child and a lot of space (playroom and basement) for storage. He has a big room but I don’t let him keep any toys in there.

ETA: I don’t think buying them gifts for Christmas will make them not appreciate things as long as you set an example for them. My son knows that we just don’t get toys whenever we want them. Are there times he gets things outside of his birthday and Christmas? Sure, but those are few and far between.

Message edited 12/26/2017 11:59:20 AM.

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We were once invited to a birthday party where the family was in the process of gutting their home and were living in a temp rental for a few months. They set up a registry (I forget which site they used) and put on all experience gifts. Memberships to things..... movie and bowling gift cards...... Benihana gift cards..... It’s prob too late for that since I’m gueseing most people already got them birthday presents, or have something in mind, but could be a good idea for the future.

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I counted between grandma, aunts, uncles and Santa my girls got 71 new toys! That does not even include the clothes and accessories. It’s intense 8 large contractor bags went out of cardboard/plastic garbage and we haven’t even opened it all yet. I take stuff and put it up in my attic and open it through out the year. Some how, some way I find a place for it all. After 7 years I’ve given up on trying to limit gifts my family loves to spoil them and I try to remember they won’t be little like this again.

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OMG I hear you.
We don’t buy our kids ANYTHING for Christmas.
Santa brings one present each.
No advice. We always get overgifted.

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I cannot open the door to our guest room because it's packed full of toys, in addition to the birthday toys (dec. birthday) that are occupying a corner of our basement- and I donated half of the birthday toys already. AND she got 2 toys from my in-laws- that's it. It's all my parents, our friends and us who bought everything.

Quite honestly, it's disgusting. No child needs this many toys. It's excessive and gross. There are children who have nothing for Christmas and here we are with toys stacked to the ceiling.

Next year she will be allowed to keep one or 2 birthday toys for herself and then for every Christmas toy she gets she will need to donate one.

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As long as she is happy I really don't care about the clutter.
But I am of the mindset that life is too short to worry about a messy house. Cleaning and organizing mean nothing to me to be honest .
Nobody will remember you when you're gone for what a clean, organized house you had.

She won't be little and so excited and thrilled over toys and gifts and Santa for long...at all. So I just go with it and drink my wine. Whatever....
10 years from now none of this will matter

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I have 3 kids. It’s always insane. And we do a big Christmas as Santa. But over the years I’ve realky learned to tell people exactly what I want for them. My mom was the worst. She’s rather but 100 things at the $1 store to make it feel big than I nice thing. But over the years she’s seemed to give up and actually listen some what lol.

And we always say people by the biggest things they could find lol. Buuutttttt it was such a. Fun Christmas and seeing their eyes light up in amazement at everything. My kids are 7,4 and 1. It’s hard but I also return a lot. We don’t need everything we got and some stuff is just stupid or made poorly. I really return so much every year.

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I have two large bins in the attic. I fill them with some of the new toys and bring one out here and there throughout the year. My kids know it's there and sometimes they pick which toy they want next. Anything left over I will donate by next year and start over again. I also go through all their toys and anything missing pieces I throw out or donate some of the good stuff.

We had Christmas #3 today and my foyer is filled! I told dh I'm just going to ask everyone to limit it to one gift next year. My kids have 11 sets of aunts and uncles and 3 sets of grandparents. The gifts are insane!

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We keep unopened toys in the basement or the the front closet. When she starts getting bored of her toys throughout the year, we break out a new one. No need to use them all right now.

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What I do is donate the toys she hasn't used in a while. I have two large bags waiting to be picked up by the Salvation Army. It's two fold because it teaches her the importance of donating and it gets rid of some of the clutter.

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I just want you to know that as they get older they want fewer, but more expensive toys. I've asked for experience gifts, like tickets to a Broadway or local theater show, movie tickets, or zoo passes. I think family members like the suggestions, my kids like the experiences, and it reduces the clutter.

To the poster with 71 toys, I would ask for contributions to my child's college fund. I could not deal with 71 new toys for my kids all at once.

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Donate, Donate, Donate. I would keep what you think they will enjoy the most and return anything you can. Donate the rest to a hospital, daycare etc... I did that with a few doubles or similar items that I didnt want to bother returning.

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I get overwhelmed with all the gifts coming in this time of year too. We have a very small house, and 2 kids, so there are toys every where. We've been asking family since our first was born 5 years ago to go easy with gifts. Some listen and some blatantly just do what they want and buy them tons of large gifts. I've returned/sold/regifted several unwanted gifts over the years and I don't feel one bit guilty about it. Especially when it's close family who KNOW just exactly how little space we have and they chose to get ridiculous large items. Right back to the store they go! Now it's a little harder to do thst though since my oldest is very aware of every gift she receives so if I returned something she would be upset obviously. Luckily some family members are starting to get it and go lighter on the gifts (thankfully).

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