How to Curb Gift Overload this Christmas

Christmas is that time of year when kids are showered with wrapped surprises. lots of it. But if you always end up with a floor full of half-opened gifts, and a child who hardly plays with any of them, you may have a case of .gift overload..

Your child may be receiving just a bit more than he should, causing more harm than good. There.s a thin line between nurturing and overindulging, experts say. We sought help from child care professionals to help you rethink the gift-giving practices your family may have been accustomed to all these years.


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In How Much Is Enough?, a book which deals with the issue of overindulgence and its effects on a child’s life skills, parent educator and co-author Jean Illsley Clarke, Ph.D., tells of real life stories and gives strategies to avoid and fix this particular problem. Clarke writes, .Many of us, with good intentions, have provided abundance for someone only to discover that we have overindulged him. We can tell we have overindulged because instead of appreciation and joy, we get whines and demands for more..

Here are some indicators to help you identify if you are giving too much:

•    Confusion sets in. An-Marie Bartolome-Villarin, Ed. M., managing director of the Terrific Tots Preschool Program at The Little Gym Philippines, explains this is the time parents will notice a child’s short attention span.

Because there are just too many toys, he might find it difficult to figure out which one to play with first. Villarin adds, .This may lead to stubbornness, tantrums, or overexcitement, which are likely to pose problems in the future. Surrounding your child with too many push-button toys also robs him of the opportunity to develop important skills like creativity and movement that come from exploring his natural environment.

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