Hi! Not a toddler parent, but I am pregnant & want advice on toys as I build my registry

Activities & Play 🎨

My husband & I both grew up with toy rooms and houses over 2,000 sq ft. We live in a smaller home, and hope to be here for at least a few kids. Our parents are both over-buyers, and this will be the only grandbaby on one side, and the only in-state for the other side. Needless to say, we have some expectations to set when it comes to toy buying lol.

My husband and I are both more on the side of wanting to be minimal & not put so much emphasis on having load and loads of material things, but have a good balance of creativity & experiences & quality time. There are lots of reasons for us wanting to keep those things balanced.

I’m thinking we have 2-3 bins and baskets around the house with different toy “types” (one bin of magnetic tiles, one of play food/kitchen stuff, one of people/animals) all more geared towards open-ended play.

I know these will all get mixed up eventually, I’m fine with that. I still like the simplicity of keeping it basic though. Partially so we don’t have so many toys it overwhelms them, (I was overwhelmed as a kid by my play room) and partially so it’s easier to sort/clean up since we’re in a small space.

Toy rotation seems like another thing to keep up with, am I right in assuming that? I’d rather just have grandparents keep toys they buy at their own house. We’ve worked hard to declutter our home after inheriting a LOT of stuff. I want it to feel simple, beautiful & not overly cluttered.

Am I being realistic at all with how I’m hoping this goes? Is this a battle I need to accept I’ll eventually lose?

Posted Aug 4, 2025, 4:34 PM UTC

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