I've Sworn off Buying New Toys for My Kids in 2023. Here's What We're Doing Instead

Do kids really need so much new stuff?

As a parent of two toddlers, I've come to realize many times over the past few years that kids can be a lot more expensive than you may expect -- even if you plan for their care costs. Surprise expenses seem to crop up all the time and can put a real dent in your bank account.

That's why I generally try to be mindful about what I spend on my children. Unfortunately, that's not always easy, and I realized recently that I was giving my credit cards a little too much of a workout buying toys for my kids. Once I saw what I'd been spending and surveyed their overfull playroom, I decided to swear off buying toys for them in 2023.

This doesn't mean I'm going to turn into the Grinch, though. Here's what we've decided to do instead of hitting the toy aisle and buying new things.

Focusing on experiences, not things

The biggest change I'm making to avoid buying more toys is focusing on experience gifts instead. This has become my top priority because I realized that when I think about my childhood, I can't really remember that many toys I played with, but I do remember amazing family vacations and outings.

To put this into practice, I gave my son Seaworld passes for his third birthday, and we're going camping at Fort Wilderness in Disney for my daughter's first birthday. My kids were super excited to hear about all the adventures we'd be having, and my son now has the Sea Lion and Otter show memorized after about a dozen trips there, so he's already had way more fun than he would have with any toy we'd have bought him.

We'll be doing different experiences for every holiday and special occasion this year, so instead of unwrapping more stuff, we'll get to make special memories as a family.

Organizing a toy swap

While I want to primarily give my children the gift of activities, I realize sometimes a toddler just wants to unwrap a toy. So, I've organized some toy swaps with other mom friends. We will each bring a toy or two our kids no longer play with and trade them for another item that we can give as a gift or special treat.

This helps everyone save money and get rid of clutter while giving our kids something new.

Rotating toys

We have also started the practice of rotating the toys that we have. I've made up about six different plastic bins of items that are stored in the basement. Every week or two, we switch out the bins and my kids get a brand new one to play with. This makes all of their toys seem new again -- and it also helps me keep my house cleaner since there aren't so many toys out all at once.

With research from the Toy Industry Association revealing that the average American child gets more than $6,500 worth of new toys in their lifetime, I'm very glad I won't be contributing to that total this year. Hopefully, my plan to swear off buying new toys this year will work out well and I'll be able to continue it into 2024 and beyond.