Graham
Lets just say if you buy your kids toys all the time they will become spoiled brats who will always think they can have and get whatever they want. My cocky prick twelve year old step brother thanks he can do and have whatever he wants because thats what it used to be like for him. I think thats a great idea what your doing. This is like how it was when I was growing up and I am most definitly not spoiled. Sure im a teenager but ive had my fair share of experiences. The time to get rid of toys is when they have either out grown them or they rarely play with them or both. My house is normal size and the toys are usually in my brothers and sisters room, out of the way of the adults. I will admit my room is cluttered with stuff but I manage to push it off the side out of everyones way. Now for the thing about your friend well thats flat out ridiculous. Not only is he/her wasting all the hardearned money on toys tthe kids will stop playing with after a month, but in this economy money is important. His/hers kids are going to expect everything they ask for which can cause a big problem when not provided. Keep doing the special occasions thing and how bout if there grades are good take them out to toys r us or something and let them pick out like a 10 dollar toy or something, this will not only keep them well mannered but will help them do better in school. And if there not in school yet keep this in mind. But don't get them something everytime they have good grades. Focus on the write and wrong times to do this. Good luck figuring everything out!

ms manners
We "restocked" on birthdays and Christmas. I went through their toys at those points, and removed any toys that were broken or unused, and tossed or donated them. There might be the occasional toy....something small....in between, of if a child wanted something special and wanted to earn it, but for the most part there were toys only on special occasions. My home was cluttered, even so. :o) I can't imagine what it would be like if I hadn't gotten rid of some of the toys on a regular basis.

tigerprawn
we have 2 big toy clear outs before xmas and birthdays, their birthdays are 3 weeks apart so it works out well, I only buy toys for xmas or birthdays but all the rest of the year I buy colouring books, paints, playdough and clothes, shoes hair accessories, things for their room :) my home is a small 2 bed flat and as we donate 2 times a year our flat is not cluttered :)

drkiagcgADHD
We go overboard on Bdays and Christmas, buy the little fillers for V-day & Easter, and then we have a reward system for acquiring new toys throughout the year. My son (14) gets rewards for good grades and helping out with things out of the ordinary. The 4 year old gets a penny cup. Everyday she goes without getting in trouble at school or at home she gets to put a penny in a cup. When she gets 10 pennies she gets a toy (usually under $15). We only have her half the time, and she manages to get in trouble about every other time we have her, so it takes a good month or so to pile up. We downsized on our last house, and have no basement now, storage is definitely an issue, but hubby and I donate right before Christmas & Bdays any toys that we've not seen being used by the little one, and we allow the older one to either sell or donate his items to make room as well.

Leah <3s Ari
Every once in awhile I buy her a new book or coloring book. But most of the time she gets just as excited about whatever else we're shopping for, or I make a big deal out of getting her something she needs anyways like socks or pajamas. lol But we try to keep the toys under control. We've got a 2 bedroom house and her toys are in the living room, her room, the bathroom...so at times it does indeed look cluttered but I wouldn't compare it to a hoarding case. lol I actually need to go through and donate some things, I haven't been through her toys since we decided to donate some of the stuff she played with as a baby.

Jenn ♥Cadence Jade's mum♥
I mostly just buy toys on special occasions like Birthday, Easter and Christmas. Occasionally if shes been good and I see something inexpensive she would like then I definitely get it, but we are the type to go all out on special occasions so she gets so many new things there isn't much else to get her in between. I have a box of old toys in the storage closet that needs to be sold. I don't just give away her toys...I sell them at a reasonable price. Usually a box full of toys (in good shape) for $20. I use the money towards getting her new things or new clothes. I throw out broken toys the moment they get broken however we haven't had many broken toys. We only have a 2 bedroom apartment but its not cluttered with toys. My dad build a big toy box so we keep everything in there with the exception of bigger items like her kitchen and doll house and such.

DeliCinq
Not very often. Like you, birthdays and special holidays are occasions when I am most inclined to buy toys. Also, if I see something didactic and practical that is relevant to my child's stage of development, I might buy it to try it out, but only after thinking about it and reading some costumer reviews. Something like a reading/writing toy or items that help with fine motor skills can come in handy if they are truly good products. The children just got a few small presents for Hanukkah, so I won't be buying new stuff in a while. We have a donation bin and we take it with toys and clothes that we take to shelters about once every six months and/or on special holidays. I would say our home is pretty big but so is our family. We used to have a toy room for the kids but now its a nursery for the littlest boys. The toys they can keep are the ones that fit in their room without cluttering or overflowing closets and chests. I don't think our home is cluttered with toys. Fortunately the children don't always need toys to entertain themselves, they have good imaginations and therefore aren't always asking for new things. They have just enough toys to play and use often. I'm also pretty good at disposing of broken or old toys they no longer play with. I *hate* clutter and having little pieces of everything taking over space.