Monday, December 8, 2008
One of the Many Questions of the Learning Parent
Hey fellow blogging parents: I want to know how you decide how to de-junk your kids toy boxes. We have TOO many toys but I'm such a pack-rat that I can't find it in myself to get rid of stuff. So, how do you decide just which toys go and which toys get to stay? Also, what do you do with the toys you get rid of? Just wondering... Any help would be greatly appreciated! ☺
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9 comments:
I don't speak from experince yet but I have heard you take toys away and then each month put the ones you took out back in and then take new ones out. Swap toys with your friends.
I have a really hard time with this, too! I weed out toys as I clean them up, broken ones, ones that are seldom actually played with, but always on the floor, ones that I don't like, toys that inspire disobedience (my kids like to put certain toys in their mouths--those are always mysteriously thrown away, that and ones that get filled with water and taken into their bedrooms. I'm a mean mom!)
One thing I've done that has helped with my anti-toy throw away-ing-ness, is to find better ways to organize the ones we do have. That makes it easier for kids to clean up, which is really my main concern with toys.
Another thing I do, with toys that have lots of little pieces (puzzles, memory, dominoes, candy land, etc.), is I have a big bin in the top of the closet, with all of these types of toys in it. That way, if they want to get these ones out, I know about it, and then I can make sure they only get one out at a time, plus it's more of a treat, and less of a daily mess to clean up.
Good luck.
MariJoe lives in a small space like us, and she says she boxes up toys, puts them in storage for a few months and then rotates. I just decided to try it. The only problem I'm having is that there's still too many toys. And Christmas is coming. Santa is bringing more toys, that crazy oaf.
Let me know what works for you.
We just throw away what the boys destroy.
...or what they flush down the toilet.
So I guess they decide.
I just took 6 trash bags of toys to first step. I've heard of the rotating thing, but my kids get so many toys for their bdays & Christmas that I just gave them away. They still have a ton of toys though even though I just cleaned out their room. Kids are so spoiled!!!
The first thing that I throw out is all of the little tiny toys you collect from eating out....or like the dollar store goodies or all the little things you have to pick up all the time but really don't get played with. I know it is hard to do though. Good luck. Oh and make sure you do it when she is sleeping it makes it alot easier.
Laura is a meanie! Just kidding! Love you chick! I hear exactly what you are saying. I did end up realizing that when we had toys in storage due to space issues, my kids didn't really miss the toys. It was fun to get them out, but while they were gone, none were missed. Thus, you can throw them out. I just tossed one of MY dolls. It was painful, but I only kept it for sentimental reasons. No one else cared. (It was in bad shape too) Good luck.
I don't throw away ANYTHING! especially toys. It would damage someone's psyche and we wouldn't want emotionally damaged individuals running around creating havoc.
Clutter Hoarders of America Unite and fight this urge to get rid of your roomfuls of knee-deep creative objects. Fight the tyrants who want to have you play with only 1 toy at a time. You can well imagine that the trouble-makers in the world are those whose authority figures threw away their toys.
The toys also feel lonesome. Haven't you watched the documentaries on the subject - Toy Story I and II? Have a Heart!
The thing I do with Elizabeth is pack up half her toys and leave them in storage for six months at the end of the six months i switch the toys (i.e. pack the ones that are out and un pack the ones that are packed). This works great because it is like they are new all over again! You can do this a minimun of three months or up to six and it will still work great. The older they are though the longer you pack the toys away! Hope that is an idea you'll like I have a hard time getting rid of toys too but this works great!!
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