The short answer

Toy rotations aren't necessary, and they can actually work against your toddler. What helps is having fewer toys out at once, kept in the same place, so your toddler can build real mastery and creativity through repetition rather than novelty. Instead of rotating on a schedule, only swap out the toys they've genuinely lost interest in.

In recent years 'toy rotations' have become a hot trend and I'm not quite sure why or where it came from?

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It might have come from the idea that children play better when they have access to less toys (which is true) and that lead parents to the idea of switching out the toys every so often so that your child doesn't get 'bored' of their toys. 

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I am here to state my case against this premise. I completely agree that children need way less toys available to them than what they currently have. Our over consumption mindset mixed with free access to almost any toy our child could want means that our children have far too many toys. I've seen it with my own eyes - my daugher begging me to buy her a toy at the shops like she'll treasure it for the rest of her life, only for the toy to be left in a corner somewhere a few days later, completely forgotten about.

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So lets get back to why you're here in the first place - my reasons why I don't recommend toy rotations.

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Toddlers like sameness and predictability

This makes them feel safe, secure and competent. I want my red car and I know exactly where to find it. Knowing that all of their toys are staying put and can generally be found in the same place each day is extremely reassuring for a toddler, and helps their developing independence.

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They don't need to ask you where the toy is that they're looking for because they can go and get it themselves. They might take comfort in certain toys being available each day, and if one day they wake up and those toys are suddenly gone - it's the equivalent of if a little elf came in the middle of the night and switched out all of the things in your kitchen... you'd feel a bit out of sorts to say the least.

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Using the same toys repeatedly leads to mastery and creativity

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The more times a child uses the same toy, the more they can master that toy. Whether it be magnetiles, a train track, Mr Potato Head or their baby dolls, each time your toddler plays with their toys, they're thinking of new things to do with them, discovering different ways of using them and feeling more and more confident with the material.

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We always have magnetiles available in my house and it's been incredible witnessing how much 3yo has gone from laying the tiles out in a row to stacking them in piles to building intricate and complex buildings. All because she's had so much time to keep playing with them.

This dips into the belief that boredom is good for kids (it is) because it forces children to be creative and learn how to entertain themselves. The same thing is true for toys. When presented with a limited number of toys for an extended period of time, toddlers will take their creativity and problem solving further as they come up with novel ways of using the toys. 

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What this means for actually getting use out of all your toys

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I believe strongly in having a limited number of toys available to your toddler and I recommend storing the rest of the toys out of sight/ reach of your toddler. From that point on, just observe which toys your toddler is spending a lot of time playing with, and which things haven't been moved off of the shelf in a while.

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If you notice the same toy not being played with, it might be time to rotate that 1 toy into storage, and bring out something else. You can choose the new toy based on your child's latest interest or a new skill you've noticed them working on. Your toddler will be able to manage one of their toys being switched out, especially if it's one they're not currently interested in. 

For more on setting up play at home, browse my playtime guides, or book a 1:1 consult.