I first heard about Simplify Saturday here. I love the idea of stepping back each week and taking a careful and critical look at my belongings, asking myself, “Do I really need this?” or “Do I really love this?” and “How often do I use this?”

When Oscar was born we were showered with many thoughtful, generous, beautiful, and practical gifts for our new baby. We will always be grateful for the ongoing generosity of our friends and family.

However, recently we have become victim to what a friend of mine refers to as “toy creep.” Oscar has more toys than we know what to do with and that we have room for. This week I made a decision to pare down and organize his toys. I’ve found that he will get really excited about toys that he hasn’t seen in awhile, so I took some toys to my office at work for him to play with there. I will rotate which toys become “work toys” so that Oscar gets a break from his toys and gets to rediscover forgotten toys.

We also hope to avoid too many plastic toys that make noise and need batteries, although I don’t mind the ones that are educational. My favorites are wooden toys, puzzles, books, and toys that inspire creativity and imaginative play.

This is Oscar’s current favorite:

A simple set of nesting blocks, purchased at a locally owned toy store and made from BPA-free plastic. Oscar will literally play with this for hours, and has recently learned how to fit the blocks into their holes.

My goal for now is to be able to fit his toys onto a bookcase, so that I can put them away at night. He does have more toys than this, as we keep some in the living room as well. However, I’ve found that the fewer toys he has access to, the more he plays with the ones he has.