The obvious answer is to get rid of them. But how? When? Why? This post explores what happens to so many of us. What do we do when we have too many toys? Some challenges include deciding which ones to keep and which to find a new home. From getting emotionally attached to just keeping a handle on a large number of toys, it can be a challenge for any parent at some point in time.
Add multiple children, and things can get out of hand pretty quickly. Some might feel guilty about this problem because we know some may not have enough. This post is also for them. If we can be responsible with what we have, we can help to ensure that more children have what they need.
Too Many Toys
It’s easier than we think to get overwhelmed by too many toys. Christmas alone is such a huge holiday in the United States. Add birthdays, special events, what we want for our kids, and what our kids want for themselves. Our best attempts to be modest, not even with the most money, can amount to too many toys before we know it. We look up or are cleaning up toys and suddenly wonder where these toys came from.
Part of the reason for this is that we don’t often decide ahead of time how many toys we should keep, what types of toys, and so on. We don’t say, for example, that our children should have this many dolls, stuffed animals, and trucks. We more often keep a sense of what toys they have. This is very common, but it’s also how we end up with more than we realize.
Donating Your Toys
Again, considering that an obvious choice is to give away your toys, let’s think about some strategies to donate them. One way to donate them is to do so on a schedule. Rather than trying to do it when it seems like it’s becoming overwhelming, you can set a schedule that will help you to do so without as much stress. The problem with cleaning up toys once a year during spring or fall cleaning is that you might need to do it more often than that. But you may also not need to do it as weekly as you take out your trash.
Perhaps 1-2 months, or every three months, you can set a time on your calendar to give away your toys. That will help keep your space nice and clear so you can enjoy your home more, and your children will have more fun playing with the toys they have left. This will increase everyone’s happiness knowing that you have clear spaces. Also, you and your children will be much more aware of what toys you have, so you will remember to play with them! A cleaning toys schedule that is a part of your chores but with its specific schedule may help make this task less overwhelming.
Handing Your Toys Down
Before donating your toys to a local center like Goodwill, it’s best to think of who you can give them to. If you are seriously thinking about having more children, you shouldn’t be ashamed to keep toys for your children until you are sure that you are not expecting to try to have more children. Some toys last a very long time, and you shouldn’t feel like you should have to repurchase the same or similar toys for children in the future. After you’ve decided
Keeping Your Keepsakes
The hardest part about managing too many toys is knowing which ones are keepsakes. That can be difficult because this question is more often emotional than anything. That’s not a bad thing; it’s just sometimes more challenging to manage or keep track of. When thinking about what will be keepsakes or even heirlooms, consider where the gift came from, how difficult it is to replace it, and how much the gift giver cares about you having and keeping it.
Also, think about why you have a connection to it. For example, if it’s a gift from a family member who has died, and you have good memories connected to it, you are much more likely to want to keep it. You may even be surprised at how your children connect to items from your parents that you didn’t think they would relate to.
Rinse and Repeat
One important thing to remember is to clean your toys before you give them away, even if you’re keeping them. Sure, the person or organization you gift them to will likely have its process for cleaning them. Still, with as many germs that our precious children pass around to their friends at daycare or anywhere, it’s not a bad idea to take some Lysol wipes and clean your toys before you pass them along. This is a reasonable courtesy; even if they are clean, it will ensure they are prepared for their new grateful owners.
And that’s it! Cleaning is your last step and might be fun for your children. Participating in the cleaning will also help them process the fact that the toys are going away. This always works well in our house, whether turning off the TV or whatever activity we’re moving on. If they are participating in the activity, it helps them process and move to the next step!
