Finding the right toy for a child can be a difficult and sometimes frustrating process for some parents. Then factor in the news that over 30 million toys gifted during the Christmas holidays are neglected within three months and the whole task seems a bit fruitless.
A study conducted by UK toy subscription service Whirli and run by Sapio Research has looked at the extent of unused toys in Britain.
They found that while 88 per cent of parents are consciously trying to reduce waste, during the Christmas holidays it was a lot more difficult especially considering that children in the UK received an average of 21 new toys with 5 per cent receiving more than 50. Not surprisingly, 56 per cent of parents thought the price of toys were too high to be constantly updating a child’s toy box.
Parents might have undergone a similar dilemma in the UAE. During the holiday season, the top four trends in the Emirates included Pomsies, Little Fairy Doors, Olli Ella accessories and Twee Chalk with the toys all ranging in price from over Dh100.
“The scale of gifts already neglected in the UK following the Christmas period indicates a huge disparity between Christmas gifting and what households with kids can actually handle or make use of,” says Nigel Phan, founder and CEO of Whirli.
However, the study also revealed that 77 per cent of parents feel that toys clutter the home with 69 per cent believing their children simply have too many toys.
But toy fatigue isn’t just post-Christmas. Of all the toys purchased over the course of a year, parents estimate about 15 per cent are neglected, forgotten or bored of within days. So perhaps instead of going to the store to get the newest toy, it might be better to invest in a second-hand one.
