There is no specific number of toys that is ideal for all children, but child development research has supported the general sentiment of “less is more.” This is even more true for babies, who can get overstimulated from too much in their environment.

For U.S.-based families, there is a tendency to overconsume. While 3.1% of the world’s children live in America, American families own 40% of the toys consumed globally. More toys often lead to clutter, not more play. This unexpected phenomenon is supported by research.

While the research has demonstrated that playing with 4-6 toys sparked better play than 16 toys, it’s okay to trial and error an amount that seems to engage your child best.

If your baby or child seems overwhelmed or disengaged with their stuff, remove a few toys by placing them in short-term storage. Over the course of a couple of weeks, see if you notice a difference in engagement. As engagement dwindles with the available toys, consider rotating them out and placing the other options out. This is called toy rotation and is a great way to prevent both physical clutter and “decision fatigue” when baby is trying to choose play!

As a general suggestion, you can remember to limit current toys available by matching the amount to the baby’s month of age, so:

As your baby approaches 9-12 months of age, stop adding. Many families find 9-12 toy options at once to be plenty of choice throughout the early years.