I do not have children. When my friends' kids were little I knew they would receive more than enough toys from their grandparents and other family members so I would always buy books. Thing was, these kids loved books so that was never an issue. The same was the case when I became an aunt.
My daughter prefers books to toys. She's not one for always being on a computer either. She loves to read and write. I tend to buy her both though, lol. I tell her its great that she loves to read but sometimes she needs to do other things, when she gets her head in a book I can't get her to do anything else, lol.
I buy books and toys. I read to my child everyday. In addition to books I also buy toys. There are many toys you can buy that are educational and can benefit your child. You can find toys that improve fine motor development and gross motor skills. Some toys or games encourage problem solving skills. By playing with toys and games your child can also improve social skills by learning to share their toys.
My little one is due next month, and we've stocked up on a lot of books. I don't have many toys. I figure when he's a newborn he won't need many toys, unless it's for teething or something. We plan on doing a lot of activities with him, so I don't think he'll need to occupy himself too much when he's that young. I do want to read to him every night before bed though, even in the very beginning!
I buy both, and I tend to buy more toys then books. I love books, but it isn't fair to push my likes on some kid - my mother certainly never did that to me. That said if I can find something fun and educational great, but I don't mind getting things that aren't "for learning" because everything has an attendant lesson or skill to it if time is taken with it. Of course, that could just be the psychology minor in me speaking.
I have a toddler who loves to have someone read to her, so we always go with books, specifically the board books. She likes to take them to bed after we read to her and read to her stuffed animals. With toys, she will play with them if she sees them but does not really maintain interest.
I buy him toys because I already got his older brother dozens and dozens of books for various ages. He already has plenty to read. He asked me to buy the wimpy kid books and I agreed. It wasn't out yet when his brother was little. Unlike books he hardly inherited any toys from his brother because most were broken.
I like to buy learning toys. They have the same influence of a book. When deciding to separate the two I admit, I purchase more toys than books. When buying the toys, I get the toys that they ask me for. If I see something that I would like for them to have, I get it also.
Kids outgrow toys fast but books? Well for one, a kid who's introduced to books early in life tends nudge alive their curiosity early in life. The more curious they get to be, the more likely they'll seek answers to problems or questions in their minds? If a parent wants a child to excel academically then books would be the thing to go for.
I think both are equally important and you couldn't choose just one. Kids need to develop their coordination, creativity and logic. They learn those and more from both toys and books, in different ways. I think no kid should have only one of these options.
I try to buy a wide variety of playthings for my children. I do buy them toys, but I buy lots of books and educational toys like blocks and Legos, too. I do a lot of thrift store shopping, and usually can find children's books for next to nothing. As a result, my 2 year old has a bookshelf full of books. Now I am leaning towards buying crafty stuff that will keep them busy through the long winter days. We've bought crayons, markers, paints, glue sticks, and those wire bottle cleaner things. When my son gets bored, I will pull all this stuff out on the kitchen table and let him create something. It's amazing how long this will keep him occupied.
It depends on the age. Kids should have toys, but then also buy them books so you can read to them (or them to you). Both books and toys tend to accumulate. I would prefer my kids enjoy a good book and develop and imagination. That's where the toys come in when they make up little stories as they play.
