Worrying
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I agree with Wis! I constantly feel like I have too many toys. But your worry about development is totally normal! My parenting style is influenced by Waldorf and Montessori philosophies. Often this looks like less is more and more natural materials or outside stuff. But another huge part of it is stepping back and observing. You don’t need to entertain your child with yourself or toys but rather make room for them to explore their environment. They will naturally discover many things about themselves and the things around them through play. Try staying quiet and just watching how your child plays with a toy. Notice when they get stuck, how do they respond? When they start to concentrate on a toy or item, be quiet and observe, and don’t distract them or ask them to do anything until their concentration has waned. A guiding principle for me has been to ask “what are you capable of?”. This way it’s less about the toys and more about what experiments your child is running.
I aim for entertaining toys instead.
I worry too. And I swear I always buy things that are too advanced for my son. I’m either not buying the right things or the things he’s not ready for yet!
Tbh educational toys can be helpful but it’s not a must. I see both my kids learn and grow faster when I let them explore around the home within limits. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself or getting toys. I only have a few and that’s enough. If you were to never buy any toys for your child, he’ll develop , grow and learn just fine. Past generations did much better. We have all this technology and kids are actually declining in development. Less is sometimes better