How to decide which toys to keep ?

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How to decide which toys to keep ?

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Started 1 year ago by eternalvoyageur
Latest reply from aari
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kids
toys

eternalvoyageur
Member

I'm trying to unclutter my 1,5 and 3,5 year olds, As i go through the toys, I often hold up a teddy bear and think "how do I know whether to keep or toss ?"
What are your guys standards ? Do you have a magic number ? Or only one item per type rule ? (One bear, one dog, one ball). A container whose size is the ultimatum ? A list of criteria ?

My kids are too small to get involved in the process, they don't have the language skills. Don't laugh.
I also confess that I have a soft spot for stuffed toys. I half believed they were alive well into early adolescence,
Also, some things are obvious: anything cheap quality, damaged or plain ugly gets tossed. Very beautiful or high quality items stay, as do current favourites.
Apart from that, what are your criteria ?

Posted 1 year ago #
lucy1965
Member

I -- might have issues with soft toys, yes. *looks guiltily at the DVDs of the "Toy Story" films*

What's worked for me -- and the other members of the household, who share the affliction to lesser degrees -- is limiting the size of the container. Once it's full, that's it: if you want something else, something you currently own has to go to make room.

I'm confronting this now, in fact, as we start planning our move: DH's and my soft toys are currently on a loveseat in our bedroom, and that loveseat won't fit into the bedroom in the apartment.

Posted 1 year ago #
pkilmain
Member

Ah, I have a slight stuffed bear habit myself, with a few rabbits thrown in.... I've recently discarded some of the bears, and the rest of the tribe lives on the bookcases in my sewing room - on the top or, for the smaller ones , in front of the books. I stick to mostly one or two brands if I'm buying th (and I haven't in about two years) and have discouraged family/friends from giving me any more.

My advice is keep a few - the ones you/kids love and donate or discard the rest.

Posted 1 year ago #
Charity
Member

You can't just have one ball! We have tennis ball, football, rugby ball, bouncy ball, beach ball, golf ball....

I detest stuffed toys. Actually, as they get older you get gifted them a lot less often, which is helpful. I try to restrict it to one of each type of animal - ie a lion in means a lion out - but don't always succeed.

Posted 1 year ago #
Sesberry
Member

I would keep things like wooden toys and really good quality stuffed toys, and chuck the plastic crap. Bits break off and get lost and it's sharp and pointless.

I saw a great article (can't remember where, sorry!) where each kid had a toy box with 3 toys in. I think they also had a dressing up box and a lego box. the parents kept the rest in a locked cupboard and they got to swap the 3 toys once a week providing they'd put them back in their personal box each night. Might be good, after 3/6months you can tell which ones they don't want to play with and chuck them.

Posted 1 year ago #
lottielot
Member

criteria are the same as for adults: do they love it? do they use it? I know they go through phases, but at that age they probably won't have violent attachments to more than a few things. My ds1 was very fond of a few soft toys, my younger son didn't care less about soft toys unless it was something I made him. You probably have an idea what gets used and what doesn't, you can always designate the uncertain ones to toy purgatory for a period. Looking back, I should have been far more ruthless than I was with what came into the house and with what left, better to deal with it over time than ending up with a huge wodge of toy clutter. Recently I got my 5 and 8 year olds to throw out 12 soft toys, I told them I had a target of 10 (they probably still have twice that number) so they had to decide between them which ones could go. Your kids are probably not quite at that stage yet, but you could get them to pick their 5 favourite perhaps? I actually hate most soft toys too, though ds1 and I make them sometimes, it's a lot of fun picking materials and sewing them up.

Posted 1 year ago #
aari
Member

When my son was younger, I decided what to get rid of based on space. He had a trunk for toys if they did not fit, something had to go. I would find one toy that was unlikely to be missed and donate it or give it away. As he got older the trunk changed to drawers by type, again with the same concept. My son never cared when I weeded through his toys, when he became old enough to care he thought it was great and would mean that he would be making space for new things. He is almost 11 now and happily got rid of the majority of his toys, except for a few large cars that he still thinks are cool for a big kid. He has no problem being the unclutterer, and I am using that as some of my inspiration. Getting rid of the toys was harder on me than him.

Posted 1 year ago #

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