There is a post-holiday syndrome that frequently hits households with children – toy overload. You know, when your child's bedroom or playroom looks like the aftermath of a toy store explosion?

Whether parents go overboard or well-meaning relatives think Johnny and Suzie need everything on their wish list to be truly fulfilled, it's common that, come January, families are faced with a glut of toys overflowing their homes. So what do you do about it?

For starters, more toys means more clutter. On top of that, too much of any kind of stimulation can create sensory overload, says Dr. Vicki Panaccione, better known as the "Parenting Professor" and founder of the Better Parenting Institute. "Toddlers can only take in so much information at one time," she says.

Besides making her house look junky, Stephanie Nakhleh of Santa Fe, N.M., noticed that too many toys make her kids whiny and bored. In her 25 years as a child-clinical psychologist, Dr. Panaccione has seen this often. "Too much stimulation, too many choices can actually result in acting out or withdrawal behaviors," Dr. Panaccione says. "Their little nervous systems have a hard time processing and dealing with so much information coming at them at one time."

Content on this site is not a substitute for professional medical or healthcare advice, diagnosis or treatment, and may not be used for such purposes. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical question or condition. Reliance on information presented on this site is at your own risk. This site contains the opinions and views of other users. Given the interactive nature of this site, we cannot endorse, guarantee, or be responsible for the accuracy, efficacy, or veracity of any content generated by our users.