Clearing out old toys– I need your help!

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by

Amy
in

This week, Works for Me Wednesday enables bloggers to ask readers for help and boy do I EVER need your help!

My house is filled to the brim with items that I just might need… someday. And it is time for that to stop. Now. I MEAN it.

Asking you to help in decluttering my entire house might be a bit much. So perhaps you could help me with just part of the trouble: How do you get brutal and get rid of all those toys you know don’t need to be in your house anymore?

I thought I was pretty good at clearing out and donating, but it feels as though the toys just never end. And they are everywhere.

When I run across a toy that hasn’t been played with in a long time or, say, ever, I wonder… “but what if I pulled this out of the depths of the closet… Perhaps he has forgotten about it and would get so much joy playing with this lovely item?”

Or “I can’t pass this along, so-and-so gave it to us!”

Or “This might come in handy someday for…”

People, I need your insensitivity training. Give me what I need to go forth and slim down the toy department. Please, please PLEASE advise….

Comments

27 responses to “Clearing out old toys– I need your help!”

  1. Creating Memories with Fisher Price Toys

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  2. Felicity Avatar
    Felicity

    I think children can be less sentimental about toys than the parents. I have found it is easier to get the children to do the sorting (with your supervision) into two boxes/bags. Letting them choice what they play with alot an the other goes into storage (then after a couple of month donated to a thrift shop). I found that more toys were being put in the I don’t play with pile and I wanted to question my child’s judgment and kept asking Are you sure you don’ want that! (lol). Anyhow, the toys which were put away weren’t asked for again and have gone to another home.
    All the best for your sorting :-)
    Another trick is to have a soft toy box. Once the box gets full then some toys have to get donated before new ones can be added (one in one out system). It’s worked well and keeps them less materially focused and realising they can’t keep everything and that there is finite space.

    Reply
  3. Carey Avatar
    Carey

    You have a ton of advice! I just would say, the stuff that you just can’t let go of, maybe you can let them stay at the grandparents house so they have toys to play with when they visit. We sent a few to visit nana and although the kids were sad at first, they are excited to go now.

    Reply
  4. Christina S. Avatar
    Christina S.

    Oh such a great post! I have this same problem getting rid of toys. Same excuses and everything, lol! I have two girls age 3 and 2. I have good intentions of weeding out the toys but then I think , gramma gave them this so I cant get rid of it or they might play with this. I really need to get serious and get over the excuses. I will be reading back through the comments to see what suggestions you have received. Good luck on your venture!
    .-= Christina S.´s last blog ..Such a Great Challenge! =-.

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  5. Mom to 3 h's @BelleBearBerry Avatar
    Mom to 3 h’s @BelleBearBerry

    You got some wonderful advice. What worked for me is to put all like toys together. So cars, regardless of where they came from are in one bin, animals, regardless of what sets they belong to are in one bin.

    While, you are the mom and you have the final say – Respect your kids – I try and remember how I feel when my husband looks at my craft items and thinks it is all junk – even when it is nicely organized. It doesn’t make you feel good. We do not gain a sanctuary just by purging, it may feel better to us, but be careful to not do it at the expense of your children’s feelings.

    Example:
    One thing here I would say I was ready to part with and the girls still enjoy it on a regular basis is a poorly put together pony castle. The girls love it. It is falling apart, but it suits their purposes, even if the turrets are not attached. Yes, I would rather see it gone, but I know it really does get played with. So I put it in a container that it can go in and they can play with it.

    Which leads me to….
    Be honest about what the kids play with. When in doubt, containerizing some toys and out them in the back room or garage and if they care enough about it, to ask for it – move those to the top of the list. If not, after whatever time line you give it, you have them easily accessible to donate or toss. These are also great to pull out when there are extra friends over and you need a new distraction.
    .-= Mom to 3 h’s @BelleBearBerry´s last blog ..My very own ionator HOM was just delivered!!! =-.

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  6. Anne-Marie Avatar
    Anne-Marie

    I’m well acquainted with the unnecessary guilt that accompanies the desire to pitch the toys, but we must!

    The best advice I ever read was to select the items you feel the kids are done with (ask older ones to choose some too) & put them in a rubbermaid tub & store in the basement or garage for a determined period of time…3 or 6 months. If a child misses a toy & requests it, give it to them. Whatever is in the box at the end of your predetermined time gets donated or tossed.

    As far as items that people have given…chances are they don’t remember what they gave them & they won’t come looking to see if you still have it or the child still plays with it.
    .-= Anne-Marie´s last blog ..Bible in 90 days: Day 2 =-.

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  7. amydeanne Avatar
    amydeanne

    i do the quarter thing with the kids, but it became so crazy I actually made them empty all their rooms out, bring them to the living room, I sorted, boxed and got rid of a ton.. they were all aware of me doing it and actually think they were relieved… for stuffed animals my girls picked more than the boys, but all in all I now have a closet full of toys that are baged catorgized and so forth; they are not allowed a new bag until the old bag is picked up and put away. My kids range from 2-almost 7 and they all like it! Bigger toys are put against the wall, but they still have to take out the bags for the pieces that go with it.. sort of like a library system. They also know we are donating toys to kids who need them, and that they have more than enough; which they seem to be okay with that concept! I think just be consistent… as far as when more toys come in, something old has got to go… there just isn’t enough room to house Toys RUS in my basement! lol

    Reply
  8. Army Blogger Wife Avatar
    Army Blogger Wife

    I just was in my son’s room, and I need to follow these approaches. I have no helpful hints as we are overflowing with toys, and I just can’t part with them! I need one of your readers to come over and help me purge. Who lives in Colorado? LOL
    .-= Army Blogger Wife´s last blog ..Priceless Gift =-.

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  9. Missy @ it's almost naptime Avatar
    Missy @ it’s almost naptime

    here is how we do it. And this is one – the ONLY – area where I may have u beat. Ha!!

    1. Have Daddy help. Daddies are
    much more brutal about throwing stuff away.

    2. When I start going “but maybe they will play with this again later” this little voice in my head says, “next month is Christmas. Then in April a birthday. Then Easter. Then another birthday. Then another birthday. Then another birthday. Then Christmas again. Then…”

    LET IT GO.

    If they absolutely die from despair over something I threw away, then i will buy them a replacement. Ain’t happened yet.

    Reply
  10. Org Junkie Avatar
    Org Junkie

    Ahhh, the million dollar question! :) I am a huge believer in getting kids involved in the organizing process right from young. I’m teaching on this exact topic at the online Woman’s Inspired Conference. Get them involved, teach them the skills they need for making the decisions themselves.

    Toys seem to breed in the night that is for sure. I definitely agree that less is more. Containers also provide limits and boundaries as well.

    Good luck with your purge! :)

    Reply
  11. Nicole Ross Avatar
    Nicole Ross

    This was a great question! I need help in this area too. After Christmas is my son’s birthday and his room literally has more toys than a toy store!

    I love the advice to box some up and rotate. And I am getting rid of all the ones that are not age appropriate anymore!

    Nicole
    .-= Nicole Ross´s last blog ..Yogurt Making 101 =-.

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  12. Melissa Avatar
    Melissa

    The way we handled it was we had one area of the house where toys were kept. There was a large shelf with baskets there. Whatever didn’t fit-didn’t stay. So we were always rotating out old toys when new toys came in. I did this from day one so the children grew up knowing we donated to a local charity old toys when new ones came in. They would get excited to donate and still do now as teenagers. Now don’t get me wrong they’re not perfect. lol I did have a couple times where I had to send them to Grandma’s to clear a few things out. ;-) Sometimes it’s just easier when they’re not there.

    The way I handle keeping our clutter in check now is still a “everything has a place” mentality but also on the first day of each new season we do a donation run. We all go through our closets/rooms to purge anything we no longer need or love. I hand everyone a garbage bag and they know to fill it and bring it to the van. We do it all in one day and that same day we deliver it to our local charity. :) It keeps the house clean and everyone knows when to expect it. Oh one other thing I do is I keep a box in my storage room that is for donations too. So if someone tires of something before the next new season they can just put it in the box then. :)

    Reply
  13. Cassie Jowers Avatar
    Cassie Jowers

    Have someone else help you! I worked on one of my sister’s closets while they were out of town a month ago. I didn’t have the emotional attachment to the things like she does and so I just boxed it up. We listed some of the stuff on Craigslist and made money to boot. If you want to help them, that’s better. You’ll have an independent eye and extra muscles for those boxes you’re toteing to the curb.

    Reply
  14. Christina Avatar
    Christina

    We start in one corner of the room and slowly work our way around. Anything that is broken goes in the trash. Any games or puzzles missing pieces trash. All papers and candy wrappers that have creaped into the rooms end up in the trash. I tell each child they can keep x amount of stuff creatures. That alone cuts the mess in half it seems. My children can usually pick out the stuff they do not want anymore on their own. I run the clothing ministry @ our church, so my girls get to see the excitement of other children taking their old toys home. There are some toys I will not let them sell & they know this. A few of the toys they have loved the most I am saving in a tote in the garage for when they are grown & have kids. I know I still pick up old Fisher Price Little People, as that was my favorite as a child, my DH still loves transformers! I figure a small box in my garage will be awsome memories to return to my children when they are grown. On the day we clean out rooms (twice a yr usually) we usually go through all of our clothing too. When we do this, just with my 2 kids it is an all day event. Have dinner in the crockpot before you start, once it is over you will not want to move! My girls are 9 & 11 now, so it does get better! The toys are only a tiny fraction of what they use to be. If they need motivation, watch an episdoe of Clean House,that should get them going!

    Reply
  15. Betsy Avatar
    Betsy

    I think the first thing is to plan toy purge for a day when the kids are no where to be seen I can clear my kids toys out in about 2 hours if they aren’t there to “help.” Next, make sure any toys you are planning to give away are not visible when they return.
    Case in point – my daughters had some Lincoln Logs that were hand-me downs from my brothers. They NEVER played with them until I boxed them up to give away. Then, of course, it was their “favorite” toy (for all of 1 day).
    I talked with them about it and decided we would give them to some kids we knew for Christmas who weren’t getting much. I checked with the other kids parents first.
    Like others, though, I find this much easier to do with my kids or other’s people’s stuff than my own.

    Good luck!

    Reply
  16. Ashley Avatar
    Ashley

    I think this is the time of year for toy purging. We did it on Christmas Eve, while the kids were resting, since we knew they would soon have lots of new toys.

    My rule of thumb is to have age appropriate toys. We cleaned out a bunch of “baby” toys, since the kids have outgrown them (even if they still played with them occasionally). We also have put away toys that are “too old” for them, waiting until they are older.

    After the holidays, we reorganized our toy area (and moved it), giving each child an area of their own – especially important for my daughter as she has some toys that are not appropriate for my son to play with (age-wise), so she needed a separate area to store them.

    If I see toys being “neglected”, I take them away for a bit to see if they are missed. After a month or so, if they aren’t missed, they go in the garage sale or charity boxes.

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  17. Dana Avatar
    Dana

    This is my BIGGEST pet peave! I can not stand it when I go to other peoples houses and see so may toys I can’t tell the color of the carpet, I always swore my childs room would NEVER look like that. Not that yours does but I do agree with the last comment about imaginations.
    My son’s b-day is in October so in Sept we have a clean sweep he use to participate because it excited him so, that he was giving to needy children but the older he gets the less he wants to throw out. Instead he wants to pass them down to his little brother, lol. Happy meals toys only last a week and anything that gets broken gets trashed (if it wasn’t expensive)
    Though I think this year we might try the suggestion from the first comment, maybe my 9 year will be willing to get rid of more if he is paid for it, lol.
    Lots of great suggestions Thanx for the post!

    Reply
  18. Somebody's Mimi Avatar
    Somebody’s Mimi

    I have a couple thing to say… The less toys the more children will use their imagination and maybe go outside (if weather permits). If you or they haven’t used it in 6 months… toss it and don’t look back. The 2 bag theroy is the best way. Strange, I can do this at my Mom’s house with her stuff, BUT not so good at my house.

    Reply
  19. cheryl Avatar
    cheryl

    I did a small purge before Christmas & plan on doing another one next week.
    1. Call Kidney Foundation & arrange a pickup; preferrable the day after purging
    2. Kids out of the house
    3. trash bag in hand; anything from McD’s, Burger King etc gets pitched (unless they got it yesterday or play with it all the time). Anything broken, missing pieces, with excessive paint missing or rusted, trucks/cars/trains that don’t roll straight or tick my son off cuz the wheels don’t work right (& can’t be bent back into shape), any musical instruments that are now off key & annoy the crap out of me (yes I am brutal)—but they are broken ones, any action figures that don’t move right or have parts chewed off, any transformers that are broken, any dried out markers or destroyed crayons/pencils and anything I call “deadly weapons” that can be used between 4yo & 2yo get pitched. I’ve also slowly been pitching the baby, baby toys for 6months & younger.
    This alone I normally end up with about a 1/2 bag full.
    4. I pull the rotation bin out of storage & then I dump the rest of the toys into a big pile & begin sorting. I have 5 bins & a donation box.
    2 for 4yo current play with
    1 for 2yo current play with
    1 bigger bin for rotational storage in basement
    1 same size wait & see bin for possible donation in future (if the toys aren’t asked for or aren’t noticed they get donated/taken to a used kids store, I normally try to do this once a season)
    1 cardboard box (or 2) for donating now
    Current bins are for any toys they currently play with ALL THE TIME, I also toss in some toys from the rotation bin.
    5. I go thru the wait & see bin, most toys get moved to current donating box or placed in a pile to go to the used kids store.
    6. Then I move the toys that are not played with into either the storage bin for basement, the wait & see bin or current donation box.
    While I’m tossing toys into the basement storage bin I grab any toys from there that haven’t been played with lately & they normally go into the donating pile too (sometimes the boys go down & switch out toys themselves)
    7. Take toys to used kids store & get money for what they want; the rest goes into the donation box.
    8. Kidney foundation comes & picks up the donation box sometime that week. I ask for morning pickup & have the box out on the porch CLOSED so the boys can’t see in. It really helps to have the kidney foundation p/u; otherwise the boxes can sit in the basement & the toys start coming back.

    I like the idea from previous reply of having the 4yo help & buying toys from him cuz he just wants to keep everything; this might help get him in the habit.

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  20. Jennifer Avatar
    Jennifer

    Hello,

    We did a clean sweep not to long ago of toys. I have a 5, 7 and 8 yr old – so our toys can easily get out of control in our smaller home. I got a big black garbage bag and I said it was time to give to others who may not have many toys. I called the salvation army or VVA and told them to come pick up the bag(s) the next day. Once the kids got going with putting a few toys in the bag, I praised them and said,”WOW, I’m so proud of you! Think of all the kids you are helping!”. Then, they got excited and put more in the bag. I heard the kids talking toys out to see if they really play with them anymore. I stayed out of the room and let them work it out. I also said there will be no more new toys coming into the house until we do this. However, they filled up 1 big black garbage bag. They did a great job and they felt good about helping other kids. It was the first time I felt like they were in it 100% and no tears. That was 1 month ago and already since Christmas we are piled up again :-)
    If you are feeling overwhlemed, then it is time to put your foot down. However, if you are creative and enthusiastic, you may be surprised that this job can be done without yelling or crying. Maybe mine are getting a little older now, but trust me – we have had our times when I couldn’t get them to give away ANYTHING. I wasn’t by their toy box this time and I wasn’t scrutinizing each toy they put in the bag either. I just was READY to see some toys leave our home.

    Thinking of you in this situation – It can be done!!

    Jen
    .-= Jennifer´s last blog ..Day 5 reading: Our walk =-.

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  21. Melissa Multitasking Mama Avatar
    Melissa Multitasking Mama

    I am a professional organizer and would give the same advice as Erika above. I did this with my kids- rotated toys in and out every three months. the rest I kept in 2 (limit yourself so you don’t keep all the toys) rubbermaid bins out in the garage.

    Going through and getting rid of anything with missing pieces, doesn’t work right, etc is a good place to start.

    I also found that telling my kids that these toys were going to kids that didn’t have much to play with made them more willing to part with them.
    .-= Melissa Multitasking Mama´s last blog ..Where I am at… =-.

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  22. Erika Avatar
    Erika

    I once read a post where the person put away half of their kids toys and allowed them to play with the other half for a while. Then, she would rotate the bunch of toys that were put away with the played bunch, therefore creating less clutter. I applied that strategy and it seems to be working fine. My son is currently into rains, so a train table keeps them off the floor, and my daughter has a Castle Tent that keeps her toys (a kitchen and baby crib and high chair) her toys in order. I definitely cannot stand little itty bitty toys, so if they are not a part of a bigger whole, they ether go into the donation bin or into the trash. I just have one toy bin with the toys they are playing with at the moment, it makes my life a lot easier. Hope it helps.

    Reply
  23. Mary Jo Avatar
    Mary Jo

    I don’t have much personal experience with this, since I have one child and she’s only 10 months old. But, Kim @ lifeinashoe.com (mom to 9 with one on the way) had a pretty interesting method for keeping down on toy clutter. When she found a toy lying around, she’d put it in a box, and if the child came to her and asked about the toy, she’d sell it back to him/her for 25 cents.

    You could probably do something similar…if you find an unused toy, put it in a box. If the child who owns it doesn’t ask about it within a certain predetermined time frame (a week, a month, whatever you decide), you could give it away.
    .-= Mary Jo´s last blog ..Freezing sweet potatoes =-.

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  24. Dawn Avatar
    Dawn

    I recently did this. In fact, I decluttered the entire HOUSE. I was brutal. This is not my nature. I had to detach in order to do it. I find it much easier to do this TO MY KIDS than myself. Step One: Send the kids somewhere overnight if at all possible, or at least all day on Saturday. You know which toys they absolutely love… the ones they are always dragging around the house. Those are the must keeps. Everything else is optional!! I posted some guidelines on my blog here http://www.5kidsandadog.com/2009/12/de-cluttering-december-do-i-really-need-it/ (sorry for the self promotion, it wasn’t my goal here). Basically it boils down to three questions: Does it get used regularly? Is it loved? Do you NEED it? Lemme tell ya, this was HARD for me. Really, really hard. SO worth it though. I say go for it! Bring a box of those white drawstring trash bags into the bedroom/s with you and a sharpie marker to label the bags with. You should have DONATE and TRASH. Make sure the bags aren’t see through, which is why I say WHITE, so if your kids spot the bags they won’t start with “HEY that’s my FAVORITE (whatever toy it was they never play with)…”) Be brutal. Bring a friend if necessary. She can keep asking you those questions and keep you focused. It really shouldn’t take too long to sort and remove the stuff as long as you don’t reminisce too much over every item. ;)

    Good luck!
    .-= Dawn´s last blog ..Back to (home)school =-.

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  25. Tweets that mention Clearing out old toys– I need your help! | Mom’s Toolbox — Topsy.com

    […] This post was mentioned on Twitter by MomsToolbox, Connie. Connie said: Just left my advice. RT @MomsToolbox: I need your de-cluttering help: The toys r taking over! http://bit.ly/7f6vF5 […]

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  26. Smockity Frocks Avatar
    Smockity Frocks

    We just did a toy reduction right before Christmas because I knew we would be getting a ton of new toys from Grandparents.

    I offered the kids a quarter for any large toy and a dime for Beanie Baby or smaller sized toys. They went through their closets knowing that they could earn some money for buying Christmas presents and we would be donating the toys to a thrift store.
    .-= Smockity Frocks´s last blog ..Thumb Sucking: Breaking the Habit =-.

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    1. Amy Avatar
      Amy

      Ooooh. That’s good! Thanks!

      Reply

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