OK to give away stuffed animal gifts to 2nd baby?

[indigosky]

Our house is overflowing with stuffed animals -- I actually have a garbage bag full that's ready to be given away (all animals that DD1, 4 years old, never cared about and has not noticed that they vanished from the shelves -- I saved the sizable collection of animals I know are at least somewhat meaningful to her).

Now DD2 has been born and people are sending stuffed animals as gifts. I'm inclined to add these to the bag of animals-to-be-donated. However, will I regret this once DD2 is old enough that she and DD1 are fighting over toys -- does DD2 need these so she'll have her "own" stuffed animals, so not every animal is owned by her older sister? Or will it work out fine because our house already has so many?

I know that in a couple yeras, when DD2 opens her own gifts and remembers them, I won't be able to make gifts vanish as quickly and easily as I can now. And the gifts will keep coming -- we have a LOT of relatives who buy gifts for our kids.

[clutterwarrior]

I think that you could do a bit of both....add some to the donate bag, and maybe keep one or two if they are extra nice? However I am guessing that they are not that amazing if you are tempted to donate them already, so maybe you should donate them all for now, and wait till she gets older to see if she asks for one of her own..you can always get one for her then!

We had accumulated a ridiculous number of soft toys with three children, which years ago they all insisted on not throwing away but instead storing under the house or in closets....they ended up being stored for years and years, my oldest two are now 20 and nearly 18, and so I have recently made an executive decision to throw most of them away. I actually asked the girls if they wanted them but they had lost interest in them thank goodness, so they looked at me as if I am slightly crazy when I asked if they wanted them...not surprisingly at their respective ages!! 

My youngest is only 9...he was given a truckload of soft toys as a baby because he had cancer and was sick for a year, so we had soft toys coming in at a ridiculous rate as gifts....but the majority of them ended up being donated as he lost interest in many of them. He had no interest in soft toys for the last few years, but recently he suddenly likes soft toys again...but only very particular ones, so he has two special ones and that is it. So I would suggest waiting till your new DD gets older, you will have a better idea of her personality and what toys suit her.

Edited by clutterwarrior - 1/1/12 at 2:37am

[Imakcerka]

Oh geez, family gave doubles.  When DD2 was born people sent two of everything so DD1 wouldn't feel left out.  They've always loved stuffed animals.  I actually had a closet literally packed with them.  I gave them a bag a couple of weeks ago and asked them to fill it with things that were nice but they didnt need or really want and they came back for another bag.  They'd rather have the space.