Decluttering Toys Before Christmas

Where Will All The New Toys Go?

If you declutter the kids toys before Christmas hits – it is much easier to find places for the new toys after Christmas.

I had someone make a comment this week that prompted this post.  She said that she will have to find room for all the new toys that will be coming in at Christmas.

I’m sure that is how many of you think when you think of all the new toys, etc… that come in.  Toys from Grandparents, Aunts & Uncles and of course you.

It is a simple solution, but not one that many people do. It can also be hard to do…. want to know what it is?

Here you go….  Get rid of toys NOW…. and make more room.  Simple as that.

One in – One out!  But do it ahead of time…. get the “Out”  ….out now and it will make bringing in the “In” much easier.

The advantage there is to clearing out the older toys now is that there hopefully will be some other children that will benefit from it on their Christmas morning!

Decluttering the Toys

Go through the kids toys (personally I prefer to do it when my kids aren’t home – I’ve never yet had them be upset because I got rid of a toy) and clear out toys they don’t use.

* If you have a toy box – look at the bottom.
* Get rid of broken toys (don’t donate those please – it just makes more work for the people who volunteer when they have to throw it away).
* Stuffed animals usually always need to be cleaned out.
* Be careful not to keep a toy just because you know what was spent on it. Keep it only if they really play with it still.
* Try to decrease by as many toys as you can estimate that are coming in.

It can be hard – but it is necessary if you want to keep a handle on the amount of “stuff” in your house.

But also keep in mind  that kids get overwhelmed by too much stuff.  We might think that you can’t have too many toys – but in a child’s eye – that is their “stuff”… their “clutter”.  So… think to yourself how you feel when there is too much “stuff” around… why would we think that a child wouldn’t feel the same when there are too many toys around?

Less is more – It doesn’t mean you are a bad parent if you don’t have as many toys as your neighbor… honest!

Linking up to these Link Parties:

Playroom Organizing – Part 4

More Storage Solutions

I am going to take you on an Ikea shopping trip with me.  These are all pictures I took when I went the year before last.  I love this store, but I am not getting any kind of affiliate, commission or any other compensation by telling you about them or posting this.  I just love some of the solutions they have for toy storage.

Keep in mind that there are many other alternatives for where to purchase like items. Target has great cubbies, and is where I get mine.  So look around, this is just meant to give you some ideas.

If you read me at all you know I LOVE cubbies.  There are many different styles and inserts you can get for cubbies.  Many stores have them, although not a lot of others have the full wall units like these.
Like OMG isn’t this the cutest?  These are slide out bins.  I do wish the colored ones were clear though.  But I still love it. You can mix and match and make your own set up with this system.

Here is another option with the same kind of units.

To have an art desk or homework desk would be awesome in a playroom. (Keep in mind that doing homework in a playroom is not a real good idea unless your child can really focus).

Here is another desk idea for a playroom. These also would be great in a child’s room if you had space for them.

This is a cubby unit that hangs on the wall. Then you can have storage space underneath it.  You could also use this above a desk or higher on the wall to keep the games away from the little ones.

These hanging net cubbies are cute for those little stuffed animals or trinkets.

Here are some other little cute storage ideas for the walls.  Of course these are fabric and you couldn’t hand anything too heavy in them, but wouldn’t they decorate a wall cute?

Here is something for the little bit older group.  A locker.  They could use it for game storage, DVD or CD storage like pictured. But they could also put books, have fun decorating it inside and out and use all those cool locker gadgets you see at the stores (but a lot of schools don’t allow).

I also saw these cute colorful frames there. They were only $1.99 each. What a cute way to showcase their most special artwork!  It would be another cute way to decorate the walls of the playroom and make them feel really special.

So I took you on my Ikea shopping trip.  It is to give you ideas. If you see something you like…shop around for it. There may be other places you can find it…or try ebay or amazon too.  Or you can do like me….garage sales, dollar store and Target & Walmart. Really Ikea’s prices are not bad at all….I want to take a shopping trip down to the one in Ohio again soon. The only one I went on was with my husband….and how fun is that?  LOL

Organizing the Playroom – Part 1

Is Your Children’s Playroom a Disaster?

“Before picture – too many toys & books”

Many times the main problem that we have in the kids playroom is that they have too many toys!! We love our kids and want to give them everything. But sometimes everything is too much.

Have you heard the phase, “Less is More” ? This can be very true in regards to this. I am not saying to throw out all they toys. Not at all. But I am saying 90% of the time that our kids have too many toys.

Are you overwhelmed when you walk into a room of your house and there is SO much Stuff? You don’t know where to start…and it almost makes you feel like just walking right back out of that room.
So why should your kids feel any different if they walk into a playroom with SO much Stuff? They can be overwhelmed by toys. I know that it seems they should be happier with lots of toys…but it can be too much.

So what to do?
Start with at the starting point. Sorting! (You knew I was going to say that didn’t you?) You can go back and look at how to sort in my “Five Steps to Sorting” post.

Sorting in a Playroom

Step 1 -
Get those black and white trash bags. Black for trash – White for Donate

Step 2 -
Make those decisions quick. Do not sit and remember each birthday party or Christmas that each toy came from. Remembering the fun, who gave it to them. Feeling guilty if you give it up. That is “personalizing” the toy. You can take a picture of it…if it is something you want to remember.

Step 3 -
Look at each toy or book. Ask yourself these questions:
1) Does it work? (broken? – trash)
2) Do they like and and play with it? (If not – donate)
3) Have they out grown it? (donate)
4) Does it have all the pieces and parts? (If not – trash)
5) Is it broken? (Trash)
6) Is it worth taking up space in the playroom? (If not – donate)

Step 4 -
Decide if YOU are the reason they have too many toys. Are YOU the one that doesn’t want to give them up? Many times we are the problem, not the kids. We remembering picking out that toy and how excited we were to give it to them. We know how much it cost and know that it was expensive.
BUT…..if they do not use it any longer, if it is broken ….it is time to give it up.

Guest Post

Decluttering The Toys

by Stephanie Calahan

She has some great advice and was wonderful to offer me two guest posts on kids and organizing.
Please read Stephanie’s post as she offers her thoughts on helping kids to sort through their toys.

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‘Disappear’ Toys or Ask Your Child to Choose Which Ones to Give Up?

One of my Twitter friends @CarlaYong posted this question

“A question for the Moms out there: better to ‘disappear’ toys or ask your child to choose which ones to give up?  A bit more info on my Q: DD just turned 4YO & has previously willingly given up toys to younger friends & does get attached to everything!”

I am asked this question frequently, so I thank Carla for the blog post inspiration!  Keep reading for my reply.

When my son was about 2 years old, we started teaching him how to make choices about his belongings.  He was very into picking toys, books, clothes, etc. that could go to another kid that did not have as much as he did.  He was excellent and empathetic, and we thought, “Wow, this is going to be easier than we thought.”

At about the same age he was a complete and total Elmo fan. He had all kinds of Elmo things.  There was one in particular — it was a simple stuffed Elmo.  Nothing fancy to him, but Elmo was his best buddy and went everywhere with him.

Well, over time, he of course lost interest in Elmo.  When he was about 5 years old, we were in his play room in the basement going through his things.  Out popped Elmo.  Since he had not played with stuffed toy in at least two years, I suggested that Elmo should go to a new home.  This is somewhat of how the conversation went…

“NO!!!!!“ he screamed, quite passionately.  “I don’t want him to go….” he whimpered

So I tried to reason with him first…

“But D, you have not played with him in a long time.  Do you really think that you are going to play with him again?”

He then looks at me with those loving, pitiful eyes that only your child can get away with…

“Momma, I’ll play with him now that I remember him.”

OK, reason did not work like it used to.  He is now old enough to have learned that “things” hold some kind of emotional value.  Elmo represented his first best buddy.  Elmo was comfort and fun times.  Elmo was before school work….  This would require a totally different strategy… how about greed?

“OK, but what if we sold Elmo at the resell shop and he will go to a little boy or girl that really likes him?  You can take the money and get something else.“

“No, I don’t want Elmo to go to someone else.  He is MY friend.”

AAAHHHH!!  I had it figured out now.  I could do a lesson on friendship and still de-clutter.

“But how do you think Elmo feels?“

“What do you mean?”

“Well, have you been a very good friend to him lately?  I mean, think about it D.  Elmo used to go with you everywhere.  He played with you and visited cool places with you and stayed in your nice comfy bed at night. Now look at him.  He is in the cold basement in the back of a dark cabinet!“

“Oh no!  I have been a terrible friend.  I am so sorry Elmo.” he cried hugging the toy.  “Mom, I don’t want Elmo to feel sad.”

It was at that point that he acknowledged (to himself) that he really would not play with Elmo anymore.

“OK, I tell you what… Ms. Jeannine has a little boy who LOVES Elmo now.  How about we drive over to her salon and we can give her Elmo for her little boy.  That way, you know where he is going and you know that he will continue to be loved.“

“OK.  Can we do it now?”

So, we drove over to my friend’s salon and while we were parked, my son had a tearful goodbye with his first best friend.  We then walked into the salon and he talked with my stylist and explained that he wanted her son to have him.

She was touched—you could tell that this was a difficult parting for my son.  She even teared up a bit.

As we drove home, we stopped by Dairy Queen for a little treat.  As we ate our ice cream he was already giggling and talking about other things.

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I told this in a story form because I think it is important to see how this technique can play out in a situation with your child.  By personifying Elmo – by giving him feelings and making him more like a live person – my child had a totally different way of looking at the situation.

Yes, the drive to the salon took more time than I had originally allotted for that particular project, but my son learned so many good lessons:

• Empathy – thinking of how his actions could make someone else feel.

• Charity/Generosity – thinking of how my stylist’s son would enjoy playing with the toy.

• How to Make Difficult Decisions – it was not easy for my son to make the choice he did, but by helping him learn to make that choice at 5-years-old, other more difficult choices at a later age would be easier to make.

• Mom Was There for Him – because I did not take the toy out behind his back, or tell him that he had no choice…because I took the time to help him make a decision his way and gave him the respect to say goodbye to a good friend and understand his feelings.

Overall, I’d say that was worth it for me!  Since then, we have had other challenges when it is time to let things go and as he gets older, I use more of the techniques that I use with my adult clients.  But this, by far, is one of my favorite de-cluttering stories.

How would you have handled this situation?  Do you think I took it too far?  What are your thoughts?  How have you helped your child let go of things?  I know my Twitter friend would love the tips and my other readers would too.  Please share in the comments section below.

To your success!
Stephanie
@StephCalahan

You can hear more from Stephanie at her business blog or her family/home blog or get social/network with her!

Organizing on TV again! NBC4 with Ellie Merritt

I received an e-mail this morning from Ellie saying that I was going to be on her show again. She used the rest of what we filmed last week to make up the spot. Yeah!!