How to De-Mainstream

Yes, people who have plastic and battery-powered toys really do take them all out overnight and change things over to the Waldorf way, with woven baskets of shells and pinecones and stones. I've done it. You simply say, "Oh! The toy fairies have come!!" And the kids are so excited!! They rarely ask where their old things have gone. If so, you can say they are put aside for another time.

35 inch square Waldorf playsilks

Kim John Payne offers some wisdom on this. His explanations are precisely put and calmly logical. This is from Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids

He has a ten point checklist on "toys without staying power." Here it is:

Discard

• 1. broken toys
• 2. developmentally inappropriate toys
• 3. conceptually "fixed" toys (detailed molded plastic characters from movies, comic books, or TV shows)
• 4. toys that do too much or break too easily
• 5. very high-stimulation toys (flashing lights, mechanical voices, sound effects)
• 6. annoying or offensive toys
• 7. toys that claim to give your child a developmental edge
• 8. toys you are pressured to buy
• 9. toys that inspire corrosive play (play that isn't joyous or pleasant)
• 10. toy multiples (reduce many versions or copies of the same toy to a more manageable and lovable little group)

Hope this helps. It's a great book and I highly recommend it as a read for a spouse or grandparents who are trying to understand this new approach!

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