Decluttering of toys.....how does that look to your family?

[ChristusG]

I'm tired of toys. Our playroom looks like Toys R Us. Over the past year I've gone through, several times, and gotten rid of over 100 stuffed animals, broken toys, rarely used toys, etc. Now we're down to the nitty gritty.....favorite toys. We're keeping American Girl dolls. However, my daughter has like 8 of them. And my other daughter has like 9 Disney dolls (her equivalent of American Girl dolls since she cares more for princesses). That's 17 dolls!! Not to mention the AG table, close to 30 outfits, and accessories. I mean, really.....I don't believe a child needs that many things.

 

My LIttle Pony....my girls LOVE My LIttle Pony. And they have like 35 each. They've been collecting every. single. pony. 70 ponies in my house.

 

Hot Wheel Cars.....like 50 of them.

 

And on, and on.

 

Then there's the things I'm hesitant to give away, even if my kids say that it can go. I'm always wondering what and how much I should save for my 1 year old. My 5 year old brought me some Disney princess Barbies that she no longer play with. There's a good chance DD1 could end up liking something like that. I'd love for it to be gone right now, but I'd hate to have to buy it again later.

 

How in the world do I convince them to pare down? I honestly believe that children will play better with less toys than more. But if I ask my girls to look through their AG outfits and choose some to get rid of, they'll end up with one or two to give away. Am I just supposed to go into the playroom when they are asleep and pare it down myself? I'm afraid that could be devastating to them. I'm just so tired of the playroom clutter.

 

We literally couldn't see much of the playroom floor (it's a large room) the other day. It took them ALL DAY LONG to clean it. It's overwhelming to them and I refuse to continuously help. I have other things to take care of.

 

I'd love to be well on my way to becoming a minimalist as I cannot stand clutter, but the playroom is like another world.

[besroma]

We talk regularly about having too many things. We explain that it is a burden, and point that out eslecially when the kids are struggling to keep their toys picked up. We also talk about how nice it is to pare down and donate to others.

 

Then, at a time that seems appropriate, I just announce in a fun way, "Okay, everybody go find 3 things to donate and bring them to me!" It works really well here. At first, I thought they would show up with small, insignificant items, but they didn't. They brought stuffed animals they no longer played with, dolls, etc. We put everything in a bag and take it straight to the donation center. It has been a good experience for them, and in some ways a relief for them not to have so many things.

 

It is pretty cute when the younger ones bring toys belonging to the older ones because they "want to donut something too!" :D

[kubiac]

I bought GIANT (really really really big, like big enough for a sleeping bag) Ziploc bags--found on the bottom shelf of the plastic bags section at Target--and the toys were removed from their themed storage bins and hidden on a top shelf in the garage. Removal happens before Christmas and birthdays and stuff will return in about six months.

[mom2att]

I think your best solution is to rotate the toys. Store each AG doll with her accessories, but don't have all 17 dolls accessible at once. Make three bins of My LIttle Pony, but only have one out in the playroom. Store the other two in a high closet, out of reach. After a couple of weeks or even longer of one bin being out, magically switch a bin in the middle of the night--it's like the toy fairy visited. HIgh shelves and closets are your friend. Fewer toys out means easier clean up and higher play value. And a toy that has been hidden away and suddenly reappears is like a long-lost friend and a brand-new toy all in one--it will get played with more than it ever would when it was lying on the floor with the rest of the mess.

 

My kids are older now, but we've always had a lot of toys. Still do. We also have a smallish house with no designated playroom. Really it wouldn't take long to drown in toys if they were allowed to overrun the house. So we've always had an organized system--our hallway closet has been converted to shelves and plastic bins of toys. The kids can get one bin at a time out, maybe more if they're planning some elaborate set-up and promise to put everything back where it belongs. I admit that this took effort on my part when they were younger, since I had to fetch the bins and follow through on whether everything was put away. But as they got older it pretty much took care of itself. We still have a lot of toys and my boys still love them. They also know how to put them away, and we do from time to time get rid of some. We also hold onto favorites--my grandkids are going to love coming to my house someday!

[fourisenough]

No specific advice, but this an issue in our house too. I purge things continually, eliminating anything that wasn't "intentionally" acquired - birthday party goodie bags/favors, fast food toys (we don't ever eat there, but somehow we end up with their toys?), well-meant but unloved gifts from friends & relatives, etc. With 4 kids in a relatively small house, we have to do this our we'd suffocate under a pile of their stuff every night. I keep the rest of the house very lean and tidy, but the playroom is always on the verge of chaos. Since my youngest is nearly 4, I've already gotten rid of nearly all infant/toddler toys and am beginning to pull-out and donate preschool things she isn't attached to. The older girls aren't really collectors or toy hoarders, but collectively they have a LOT of stuff. Board games, play kitchen/dishes/food, and dress-up clothing gets used constantly, but everything else is just clutter. I'd like to get a treadmill soon and it will have to go in the playroom; that will be my perfect excuse to toss about 50% of that room and cause them permanent psychological harm, no doubt! Sorry, I know that isn't terribly helpful, but I thought I'd let you know I'm right there with you!

[nd293]

DS6 has 2 Ikea trofast storage units - the one built like steps. The two units have plastic drawers of various sizes. Each box has only one type of toy. He gets to have as many of a category of toy as fits in the assigned box (e.g dinosaurs, stuffed animals and farm animals share one box, Lego is another), and when he gets a radically different 'type' of toy, something he no longer plays with much is given away, thereby freeing a drawer. An excess of 'stuff' is not in line with our family values, so this system establishes clear limits, and works well for us.

[katilac]

I won't be of much help, I'm afraid - I don't consider it excessive for a little girl to have 8 dolls. I think that hard limits are best set in place before the child is given the toys. It sounds like you're making great progress on getting rid of the less-played-with stuff, so maybe you can go easy on the favorites? The playing with dolls stage is going to be over before you know it.

 

70 ponies and 50 cars sounds like a lot at first glance, but really each of those collections would fit in a smallish bin. I wouldn't stress over that.

 

Is your playroom arranged in a way that makes it easy for them to pick up? I found that open bins on shelves works best for those ages (bins should be either clear or marked with what's in them). It's also best to have several clean up 'cues' throughout the day: right before lunch, right before heading out to the park or watching a video, and so on. The toys you listed, even with some other games and such, really should not be causing overwhelming chaos in a dedicated playroom. I would definitely work on new storage ideas and cleaning habits.

 

By all means get rid of the stuff your dds are willing to part with! That's only fair, lol, and surely the baby is going to get presents for her birthday and such regardless, no?

 

Believe, I get being over the clutter. You have three littles and a teen in the house - that can be overwhelming on its own, and the toy clutter makes such a tempting target when one is trying to organize life. I'd keep working on it, but they're just little kids, and it's not like they're the ones who went out and bought all these toys. It's hard to give things up, especially beloved toys, so I try to be on the patient side.

 

American Girl dolls, clothes, and accessories in decent condition generally sell quite well. If you aren't sure if it's true love that's making them hang onto the dolls, ask if they want to sell them! My dd made $80 after fees and shipping when she sold one of hers on Amazon. More worn dolls will still usually sell, and even a smaller amount of money can seem like a lot to little kids.

 

She still has three of them that she will probably start selling soon. She is 12 years old, and no longer plays with dolls :sad:

[Lily_Grace]

We keep what we love.

 

For my kids, that may mean I say "put the 10 cars you like best in this basket. Pick 5 that are broken" The 10 cars are definite keepers. We'll look at the rest and I'll say "pick 10 that are different from the ones you like best." Those will go with the keepers, the rest will be donated.

 

We don't keep a lot of toys here. Christmas is pared way down and holiday specific toys (bunnies, stretchy skeletons, Santa jingles) are discouraged. We don't give a lot and we don't want our kids accumulating a lot. Every so often we go through and pick out things to donate or get rid of. And yes, sometimes it has to be done without them watching. Fill a box, put it in the garage, and if they ask for something in the box take it out. As far as what to keep for the 1yo - very little. Pick a few things that you want to save but know that she'll accumulate her own pile of stuff through b-days and Christmas, and if she doesn't, is that such a bad thing?

[Guest inoubliable]

Could you not just go in and take half of it out? I probably wouldn't do it while they were asleep (ie behind their back) if it's going to cause angst. I don't think you'd be out of bounds for going in with a few trashbags, announcing matter-of-factly that the playroom has too many items in it to function properly, and start picking somethings up and putting them in the bag. I'd talk to them about the concept of having too much "stuff" and how it's good to declutter so that they have the room to play and can easily access the toys that they play with most. Tell them about kids who don't have anything or much at all, explain that you'll be giving away the items to those kids. Maybe, as PP said, you could sell some things and start up savings accounts for them. (I wouldn't sell something for $50 and hand over the money for them to spend on new toys.)

 

It might feel harsh, but really, they'll be okay with less. Three boys here and we have just a small basket of toys in the house besides each boy's Lego box (Knex for the younger). They do collect things. Gogos. But those are small plastic little figures that go into a pouch whenever they're done and then into the basket. So I do get the collecting thing. Maybe some shelves for the dolls? To get them up and off the floor, I mean?

[Cera]

I have trouble telling my kids they HAVE to pare down toys because those things are theirs, not mine. I wouldn't want someone to come into my kitchen and tell me I HAD to get rid of 10 things because it really isn't their choice to make.

 

I ask them to go through every few months and set aside anything they are willing to part with. It tends to be things that they didn't ask for or choose themselves (the gifts from people who don't know them well, odds and ends that make their way into the house). Beyond that, we do what a pp mentioned and rotate toys. We have some out on the shelves and the rest go in bins in the garage. Every two months or so I switch what is inside so they have "new" things to play with. I always do different combinations because my kids like to mix toys together to make elaborate setups. They are also always welcome to ask for something from the garage if they want it while it is put away (we just trade for something in the house).

[2squared]

70 ponies and 50 cars sounds like a lot at first glance, but really each of those collections would fit in a smallish bin. I wouldn't stress over that.

 

Is your playroom arranged in a way that makes it easy for them to pick up? I found that open bins on shelves works best for those ages (bins should be either clear or marked with what's in them). It's also best to have several clean up 'cues' throughout the day: right before lunch, right before heading out to the park or watching a video, and so on. The toys you listed, even with some other games and such, really should not be causing overwhelming chaos in a dedicated playroom. I would definitely work on new storage ideas and cleaning habits.

 

I agree that I would start with your picking up routines. How often is the playroom picked up? Your oldest is only 8, so you will probably need to still be involved. Sorry, but that's life as a mom with little people. My oldest two can pick up on their own, but my 6yo & under crowd definitely need hands-on direction still. Until my 2nd was able to pick up by himself, my 1st struggled with it just b/c she was the only one "working."

 

I personally prefer to have a lot of toys in a few categories. I would rather have 50 cars than 50 different type of toys, so your list of toys actually sounds good to me. We have a lot of hotwheel cars, and I just rotate them out. Right now we have "cars with faces" out (CARS cars), and the regular hotwheels are in a closet. My 4yo loves My Little Pony, and she keeps them in one bin.

[BarbecueMom]

FWIW, we have a pretty pared down playroom, more than enough storage, and regular decluttering binges. I've found that no matter how much stuff they have, they will only play with 1/3 of it. When they run out of toys, they start digging out non-toys. We spend most of our "toy-pick up time" finding my cooking utensils, getting the Tupperware out of the bathtub, putting blankets back on beds, disassembling couch cushion towers, cleaning up the "alphabet stone path" of books in the hall, putting all the towels and socks back in drawers. I don't want to stomp on their creativity (and the precious time they get along so well without fighting), but if we didn't have a single block or train track or Hot Wheel in this house, we'd still have a destroyed house at least twice a day.

 

Basically, in our house less clutter leads to bigger messes. Weird.

[Critterfixer]

What's hard with my boys and their toys is that the items are their families, armies, crews for their boats, rulers of their own little kingdoms. We have mostly stuffed animals, and they take up a lot of space in a very small shared room. All of these things have names and positions. The last time I tried to pare down, with their help, there were tears over saying good-bye. Needless to say, I did not get rid of those things, but returned them. Nothing like feeling like a true tyrant to make Mom rethink her ideas on what is too much.

 

So I let them have their stuffed animals and repair the ones that have lost eyes or have a hole. And instead we work on taking care of real trash (torn papers, old notebooks, wrappers, broken beyond repair items) and organizing the animal kingdom. I figure, when they are ready to release the animals, they will be released, all but the most precious to them.

It's just something to consider when working with the things that children accumulate, in particular those who tend to have vibrant fantasy worlds. I'd forgotten a great deal between being a child and growing up but I can remember a toy that I loved dearly--until it rotted and I buried my Cu-ey the cucumber tenderly in the garden.....

[LostSurprise]

I think its reasonable for a child to have 1 collection. I would never touch a collection, as long as they care for it (put it away in the proper spot). What I think is a reasonable number has no bearing on how big their collection is. That's their choice.

 

I do have a toy limit though. Each child has a large plastic box with things that belong to them alone. Their things have to fit into that box. Sometimes things like board games or legos will outgrow this set up and there will be a second smaller box in the common area, but generally if the child wants a collection that means they have to pare down their other things so the collection will fit in the box or on their desk or shelf. We purge a few times a year. Once after school is out for the summer and once right before or after Christmas.

 

I allow myself to remove, give away, or otherwise deal with toys that belong to everyone. I try to keep in mind how often they play with them and if they keep them picked up, but otherwise its my decision. As the boys get older I ask their advice and we take votes, but if something needs to go it will go.

[besroma]

Another technique until you get it pared down to where they can manage what they have is to box up what they cannot handle. You can put it in a closet and tell them that they can take some of it back out when they can maintain what you have left them with.

 

This is a really good way for them to learn how much easier it is to maintain a room with fewer things in it without them having to deal with the difficult emotions that would arise if you just took things and got rid of them.

 

Once they feel how nice it is to be able to clean up without being overwhelmed, it should be easier for them to choose quite a number of things they are willing to part with.

[fraidycat]

In our house, it looks like "Pawn Stars", the t.v. show.

 

I buy the toys from the kids (as opposed to having a garage sale, which I'm too lazy for) so they get cash and I get stuff out of the house. We barter the prices. They tell me how much they want for it, I lowball their price, then we barter back and forth.

 

And now... the kids ASK ME, when can we play pawn shop again. They like having spending power. :)

[gardenmom5]

It varies with the child.

 

My sil had me help her declutter her house. Her dd was in another. state. going. to. college. and called five times the morning I was throwing out BROKEN barbies. neice was having a meltdown. they. were. broken. they had no head,, or were missing limbs. there had to be at least three DOZEN that were intact, and she's freaking about the broken ones.

 

I have two that will throw out EVERYTHING. (their personal style is "austere". Oh, if they would just help my packrat . . . . .)

[acsnmama]

I have taken things out of their room without consent. I'm the parent. My children have a TON of freedoms, but if the toys aren't being played with or cleaned up, and it's causing added stress in our home, and frustration, it is better without. I purged their room and I told them I got rid of some things. They quickly asked, "what did you get rid of?!" I asked them to take a look around their room and see if they could remember what was missing. They could not. I explained to them that if they cannot remember what items they had, than it doesn't matter, as they were insignificant. I showed them how much easier it is to clean up with only their favorite toys. No more toys laying around going unused. The items I got rid of were the ones I found everywhere, but weren't touched. The ones that were just gotten out to simply, plop on the floor.

 

I got rid of stuffed animals. They have their favorites and my daughter insists on sleeping on top of a pile of them, so I kept those specific ones and got rid of the rest. There is no point in keeping excessive amounts of anything that go unused. I also took some toys that I personally didn't want to part with and put them in a bin, in the closet. They haven't been played with, or even mentioned since. As much as I don't want to part with them, they aren't missed.

 

Since parting with the these toys, they have WANTED to play more. They have made good use of their toys, because it is true that they can get overwhelmed by having too much. My children have not suffered any sort of loss, in fact they have gained for decluttering their bedroom. They have actually played kitchen, played house, done puzzles, built Trio blocks, used the train tracks, etc.

 

I kept the quality toys, I kept the things that last, the things that encourage them to use their imagination, and they have truly benefited from doing so, and for that, I'm extremely greatful, especially after growing up myself, holding onto everything, as I felt like there was some reason to do so.

 

I'm realizing they still have a little too much, but I'm happy with it for now. I think now is more or less a issue of "put the puzzle away, it doesn't need to stay on the table for a week!"

 

BTW, they still have a great amount of toys, imaginext sets, trio blocks, wooden tracks, trains, puzzles, games, dolls, play kitchen, trucks, tons of blocks, legos, and so on!

[KRG]

Buy some tubs and store what you think your younger daughter might play with. Store sentimental items. Sale or donate a lot of it. Stop buying and ask relatives to stop buying for them. Tell them they can keep x amount of toys and then make them part of the process of weeding out and donating them. When my oldest was little he had more toys than he ever played with. My youngest gets toys for his birthday and Christmas and it is so much more manageable! Good luck!

[Tardis Girl]

Three boys here and we have just a small basket of toys in the house besides each boy's Lego box (Knex for the younger).

 

 

How old are your boys, and what size box does each have for Legos? We recently started down the Lego path and am feeling unsure how to do this so it doesn't get out of hand.

 

This decluttering is such a nagging topic for me. <sigh>

 

 

ETA: Sorry, I didn't notice the topic was already a month+ old! But my previous question still stands. :)

[HomeschoolMamaOfTwo]

I read this topic when it was first posted but then again yesterday when it was bumped up. It was a good reminder. My kids got rid of some things again today! :)

[In the Rain]

My girls can keep however much stuff they can maintain in a tidy manner. They don't have to keep everything spotless, but they have to vacuum and dust their rooms weekly. It didn't take long for them to realize that more stuff= more time spent cleaning and arranging things. :tongue_smilie: This made them willing to put stuff in bins in the garage. From there, it was easier to let things leave the house.

 

To me, 8 dolls, 30 outfits, and 70 ponies could potentially be okay. That is only three categories of stuff to put away. If that is what they spend their time playing with, I would encourage them to move the rest out of the clutter out of the play space. If they don't play with those things, then I would pack them up.

 

My girls play with only a few categories of toys, which makes clean up easy. (magna-tiles, Calico Critters, dress up, dolls, stuffed animals) They have large amounts of those things, but clean up is still fast, and all of it gets used.

 

This system works for my kids, but we know kids who spend a few minutes playing with every toy they own. That would be harder to deal with. :willy_nilly:

[PrairieSong]

When it got to be too much toy clutter at our house, I would ask the kids to go through their toys and find items to donate. I would work on throwing away any junk or broken toys. My youngest son liked the idea of giving his outgrown toys to a family we know with four little boys. We also donated a bunch to the local thrift store. They rarely missed what was donated.

[Guest]

I have trouble telling my kids they HAVE to pare down toys because those things are theirs, not mine. I wouldn't want someone to come into my kitchen and tell me I HAD to get rid of 10 things because it really isn't their choice to make.

 

I ask them to go through every few months and set aside anything they are willing to part with. It tends to be things that they didn't ask for or choose themselves (the gifts from people who don't know them well, odds and ends that make their way into the house). Beyond that, we do what a pp mentioned and rotate toys. We have some out on the shelves and the rest go in bins in the garage. Every two months or so I switch what is inside so they have "new" things to play with. I always do different combinations because my kids like to mix toys together to make elaborate setups. They are also always welcome to ask for something from the garage if they want it while it is put away (we just trade for something in the house).

 

I agree totally - and I'm literally writing the book on decluttering! :laugh: If one is moving to another country or must live in 900 sq. ft, then I would say some of their things must go even if they claim they are so important. BUT if it's "just" that I personally think it's more than it needs to be, I don't consider that reason enough to invade their sense of ownership.

 

My dd still has a gazillion stuffed animals. I think it's a bit silly, since she's almost 16. However, they are still meaningful to her. It's not really *hurting* anything, much as I prefer uncluttered. So, they stay. Same with some of her books. I have offered to buy them on Kindle so they will not take up room, but she really just wants the physical books. Oh well.

[theYoungerMrsWarde]

lol At my house it looks like this: I sort out toys that I consider "babyish"/too young/not played with enough and put them in a box to the side. It's left open because some of the pieces are missing, and I want them put all away together. They boys discover the toys and get them out and start playing with them again before I find all the missing toys and hide them. Rinse and repeat. The only thing that has helped is moving to another state! But they're still trying to drag the plastic rocking giraffe that is BABY size and they can't fit on!

[Garga]

Rotate or store in attic. About 2 years ago, I told my boys, "We're not going to give your toys away. But! You are too overwhelmed cleaning up after them. There are too many out. Instead of giving them away, we'll put half of them neatly in the attic. You can go and get them whenever you want, as long as something out gets put in the attic in their place."

 

They both loved the idea. They knew they were overwhelmed. They were grateful to get stuff out of the playroom. And once the stuff was in the attic they forgot about it for the most part. Sometimes they do go up and get something, but the playroom stayed clear for a long time.

 

In fact, it's 2 years later and just now time to do another cleanup and putting some new stuff in the attic--we'll do it when the weather is a little warmer.

 

The key to this working is that they were overwhelmed with the cleanup and wanted a solution and (bigger key here) they can get the toys whenever they want them. They are in control. And since they are in control, there was no whining or misery in the process.

[LucyStoner]

About a year ago we took all of their toys and put them in the living room. We then gave them each $20 fake dollars and they bought what they wanted to keep back. Most everything leftover was donated except for a few nicer things we kept stowed away to rotate with the things they picked first. This worked really well. We will redo if things get out of hand with the gift swag again.

[dontknow]

We view this as a two-folded issue. What do we have and is there a spot for it.

 

Anything that is no longer in the appropriate age range - we seem to clean out about 3 - 4 times per year and donate. In fact, we get our child involved in the process of clearing out so there are no surprises. The trick for us has been to ensure what we have is within her interest and can be used in many ways.

 

Two examples, a Step 2 Art Table has been the largest used item in the playroom by far. It's open ended and is used for soooo many activities. Art is her favorite thing to do. The other is a Mellissa and Doug wooden table / chair set which again serves for all the "tea parties" in addition to writing activities and have actually had snacks at it.

 

The other element is storage capacity. It must be able to be put away properly or we think twice about keeping it. Sick and tired of not having storage, I went to Lowes one day and purchased what I need to make an ample storage facility which, so far, has done the trick of keeping things tidy and accessible. It holds pretty much everything including hooks for all dressup stuff, games, bins with various items sorted by "category" and all the art supplies. For about $250.00, it's been an incredibly valuable piece of furniture. I'll try to post a picture of it when I can.

[tex-bex]

Periodically, we empty their rooms 100% of toys and then put things back, 5 or so at a time, until we have a manageable level. That way, they aren't so much deciding what to get rid of, but what to keep. And the most important stuff goes first.

 

We keep some stuff up in the closet and allow trade-outs. This is mostly stuffed animals for my dd6. :)

 

But we still have too. much. stuff.

 

Sigh.

[Tardis Girl]

I seriously love hearing what everyone does! And I also love to see visuals, so dontknow or anyone else -- post photos! yay! :)

 

 

About a year ago we took all of their toys and put them in the living room. We then gave them each $20 fake dollars and they bought what they wanted to keep back. Most everything leftover was donated except for a few nicer things we kept stowed away to rotate with the things they picked first. This worked really well. We will redo if things get out of hand with the gift swag again.

 

 

kijipt -- this is very interesting to me. How old are your kids? How did you "price" stuff? Did you plot and plan your prices?

[HomeschoolMamaOfTwo]

I usually just ask my kids to go find X # of things that they can give to other kids, and they do. We used to rotate toys but I would always forget about them and they'd never come back out. Maybe I should try it again but leave them in charge of it. My biggest issue right now is the dress up stuff, there is SOOOO much of it. And it has a specific place that we built, but it is still a lot. And my son has all of these helmet for like transformers, star wars people, and they drive me nuts because they don't really fit in anything and they are fragile (stuff I bought at after Halloween clearance sales) I hate to have them get rid of anything because they use it all. They haven't outgrown anything except the stuff my mom hand made for them and I'm not even sure what to do with that, they are just up for now.

[NotSoObvious]

Well, what are your values? What's important to your family? What do you want to teach your kids?

 

If the point of this is to not be so material focused, then get rid of at least half of it with their help and donate it to a shelter or daycare. Then you have to STOP buying things. :)

 

If the point is to have lots of things and just be more organized, then rotate toys. It will be like getting new things all year and they'll probably play more with what's out.

[Tess in the Burbs]

My dd on her own is paring down her room to be more 'tween' appropriate. LOL

 

My ds is hoarding every little lego piece he can find.

 

They will do it when ready. Have a yard sale and they get to keep the money of the items they sell. My dd pared down the Little Ponies that way years ago. Now the rest are waiting for spring and another garage sale.

 

My ds' room however will be pared down while he's at summer camp this summer :glare:

[NotSoObvious]

Oh, and I would have the eight year old help you. I don't believe in throwing much away behind their backs at that age. It's good for her to see how to make decisions and feel good about donations, even if it is hard. By 8, kids usually care about their things and you start messing with trust when you just throw things out.

That's my feeling anyhow.

[dontknow]

I seriously love hearing what everyone does! And I also love to see visuals, so dontknow or anyone else -- post photos! yay! :)

 

Because you asked.... Click on the pic to enlarge.

 

These are the shelves I built.

 

This shows how most of the overall room is set up.

[Jayne J]

I do what Garga does. Well,*now* I do. I have previously spent hours sorting through piles of toys and papers helping kids pick items to get rid of or donate. How about this completely colored in coloring book? Nope. We must keep it. How about this broken McDonalds toy with the missing pieces? Nope, we might find the missing piece and then wouldn't we be sorry? Sigh.

 

Now, I give them huge cardboard boxes, a shovel (ok, that is hyperbole, but only just a little) and say "Fill 'er up!" We vaguely label the box, pop it into the attic and put away the keepers. So far only very rarely have dc decided to go dig something out.

 

And in a fiendish plot of my own, I am planning to keep each and every box until they are in their own first home/apartment, and then rent a Uhaul to deliver all of it right to them. (Cue maniacal, evil laughter.)

[Tardis Girl]

I like you're thinking, urpedonmommy! lol

 

Nice shelves, dontknow -- I love that you have hooks for the dress-up clothes! What are the ages of your kids?

 

Love those pics and would love to see more from others....

[redsquirrel]

After they go to bed I periodically pick up things that are not being played with. I put them in the basement in a box or a bag and I date it. If they ask for whatever is in the bag then I bring it right back up, no problem. But if I find the bag or box and it is over 6 months and no one asked about the missing toy, then I give it to church sale or salvation army.

 

It is very, very rare (like I think once) that they have asked for anything once it is gone.

[Koerarmoca]

Moving across country with only what fits in a mini van helps, we currently have none lol.

 

Before that I would randomly dump out the toy bins and get rid of broken or toys missing pieces. That would generally do the job with out getting rid of any toys that they wanted to keep. Also at times I would get rid of things we have simply outgrown.

[renmew]

OP - I haven't read any of the other replies, but this is how I handle it in my house.

 

Basically, if I have to keep picking up the same #!^@#% toys after asking a kid to do so, and a big bonus if I notice the toys aren't really being played with correctly, the toys simply disappear, like, into the large black container outside that gets picked up by strangers once a week.

 

Just so no one thinks me too mean, this is how the conversation goes: "Child X, please pick up such and such." If it happens, I say thank you. If not, I repeat the request one more time. If it still doesn't happen, I walk toward the item while saying, "Oh, I can see you're very busy. I'll go ahead and pick it up for you." My kids have learned this is code for "I'm throwing it immediately into the trash and you will not see it again."

 

While I have had to throw things away, it's been a while.

 

At the same time, there have been a few times when my kids have asked me to throw something away because they don't really want it anymore. Those times we usually decide together to donate the item, and we'll put it in the back of the van for the next time we drive past Goodwill.

 

ETA- I also go through their toys myself from time to time, without the kids, and just take things I know we don't need around anymore. That stuff I just toss or donate, and the kids have never missed any of it. I don't even discuss it with them.