mo2 Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 The problem is the kids' toys. I have 10, 5, and 3yos. One of them gets very anxiety-ridden when asked to get rid of things. I'm not sure how to pare down what we have in order to make things more manageable to move. Do I just need to be ruthless? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 Would they notice if things disappeared? If not, you could maybe get someone to take them out for the day.... Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakblossoms Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 I would have them go somewhere with someone. Then I get a bunch of boxes from a store. Open them and right charity or Goodwill on the flaps and outside of the box. Then start filling them up as you pack. You can use a different color tape on them if you need, too. Most kids won't notice another box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 For me, it would depend on why I couldn't take everything. I would use the opportunity to get rid of toys that are never played with, like things in th bottom of the toybox or at the back of the closet. The kids probably don't remember what they don't see every day. If you want to start packing things, go with the things that aren't used that much and get the kids to help. Explain you need to pack things up for the move. The 3 yr. old might not understand though. But personally, I wouldn't get rid of good, usable things just because I didn't want to move them. If you're downizing, that is hard. We did that when we had to move and we had to help the kids figure out what was important. My youngest was 7 when we moved and she had no problem getting rid of stuff. She was just excited to be moving into a new place with a new bedroom with new decorations. We painted her new room and got her new curtains and new bedding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mo2 Posted January 30, 2013 Author Share Posted January 30, 2013 Well, we are downsizing to a smaller home. I am actually not concerned about the 3 or 5 yo. The 10yo is very attached to her things, even things she does not use anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rgrin Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 When we moved, we had a yardsale and I sold some things on Craigslist. I told the boys that if they wanted to sell anything, I would match the money they earned. They could use that money to buy toys or decorations for their new rooms in the new house. I worked with them and made an Amazon wish list to keep their ideas together and serve as motivation. It was amazing what thy wanted to part with! Now, they have a super-hero bedroom, an Angry Bird playroom, and a dinosaur bathroom. Whatever works, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 I have a 9 yr old who is very attached to things, even things that are no longer used. I understand the dilemma. My latest tactic was to clean his room for him, while he was not home. I sorted, and purged anything that was clearly not going to be missed. Then I gathered most of the items that *might* be missed, and put them in bins. The bins are labeled "toy library" and put into the garage. DS had a hard time with items going into the bins, until he was assured that they would stay in the library, and he could access them later. For now, DS has approximately 3 types of toys in his room - playmobil (huge collection), magic (again, lots of pieces), and costumes. Oh, and books. My plan is to leave the toy library bins alone for a few months, and then slowly purge items that haven't been missed while DS isn't home. I'm not a fan of "disappearing" toys, but honestly can't come up with a better solution. Not sure you have time for that, but maybe staging the "loss" in a similar way will make this easier on your 10 year old? I also like the idea, in theory, of giving her a set number of boxes and having her choose what can fit. Offering her the option of selling toys, and matching the proceeds to buy new items is great, too. Or, if she's really like my DS, offer her the option of re-buying the old toys. :) Not that she will, but the thought might be comforting. Oh, and don't watch (or re-watch) Toy Story 3 any time soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeschoolMamaOfTwo Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 Box it all up, only give them back something when they ask for it. I bet they won't even remember a lot of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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