Are you spending too much on toys for your children?

Image by 4-6 via FlickrEvery child is precious
Children are becoming a precious commodity in Singapore as the fertility rate has dipped below the replacement level of 2.1 for many years.

Small families of 1-2 children are becoming quite common due to increasing educational levels, attitudinal changes towards family size and in some respects, the dollars and cents of having children.

As a result, many parents love to dote on their one or two children and buy toys, clothes and all manners of material ways to show their love for their children.


But are we spending too much on toys and stuff?
I also want to provide the best for my four-month old daughter, and expose her to books and to develop a lifelong love for reading. Instead of spending money on buying new books, I realised that the public libraries provide a wealth of good quality children's books. With a premier membership costing slightly over $20 a year, you can borrow up to 8 books to entertain your child. Your membership allows you to borrow the books for up to 3 weeks.

I remember as a child myself, I didn't have LEGO but shared a set of PLAYMOBIL with my brother and sister and played a lot with the household furniture and simple thing found at home. The most powerful plaything is actually the child's imagination as I often played cowboys, spaceships, fighter planes all using the re-arranged home furniture. Frugal Hacks shares how even simple everyday items presented many opportunities for play in children.

Children need our time and energy. Beyond a certain level of material comfort and well-being, it is really up to parents to be creative to encourage play using whatever resources is available instead of spending money on toys.

It's about quality or play, not quantity!