Lessons I Learned About Sorting Through My Kids Toys

December 22, 2014

With three boys and the youngest being seven and nine years younger than his brothers, getting rid of toys and clutter can be a challenge. The older two have DEFINITELY outgrown toys, clothes and other things such as blankets and books. However, why get rid of perfectly good toys when the little guy can EVENTUALLY use them? But then you’re stuck with suggestions to give to friends and relatives when it comes to birthdays and holidays. Is it too much to ask them to just donate to a college fund??? None of them NEED anything!

Here are some lessons I have learned in the years of sorting through my kids toys.  Maybe you can find these helpful or maybe you can you relate:

1. DO NOT attempt to sort through toys while your children are home. This totally defeats the purpose. Unless of course, you are just trying to get them to play with them again. This is actually a great strategy to rotate toys they already have! Toys long forgotten, broken with missing pieces and never played with suddenly become their FAVORITE toy ever in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD!
2. DO NOT put toys in the garbage unless they absolutely CANNOT be found – for example: the garbage can is on the curb being picked up IMMEDIATELY. If your children see their most prized possessions in the garbage, they will KNOW you did it and you will be the most EVIL creature on the planet. Something I would advise you to avoid at all costs.

   Oh, and DO NOT get rid of toys that you cannot identify. This is going to end up the most important piece to a game or toy that just doesn’t work without it. Put those in a pile and make the kids put them where they belong. I have had to pretend to know NOTHING about these missing pieces when I’m pretty sure I threw them away at some point.
3. A CLEAN house? Eh, you can try but it’s really not worth the stress. I keep coming up with BRILLIANT ways to “hide” their toys or make a place for them to keep them NEATLY. I just had to realize, a mother’s definition of clean is DIFFERENT than children’s and that’s ok. Oh, and when they BEAM about having cleaned up without being told or helped, you HAVE to appreciate them and tell them what a good job they did . . . even if it’s DIFFERENT than what you would have done.
4. Your kids don’t need all the toys they have . . . If you do this right, they won’t even know they are gone. No, the people that gifted them never need to know that your kids only played with them for a few days and then never touched them again or that you got rid of them!
5. When they are asking to spend money on a new toy (your money or theirs), in my experience, it’s been pretty easy to make a deal that they have to choose a toy or game to get rid of when you get home.

I’m still learning (and scheming) . . . I’m always trying to stay ahead of the game.  As they get older, it does get easier – the toys get fewer but much more expensive.   If you have any suggestions for me, I would LOVE to hear them.