How do you decide which toys go?

[StephandOwen]

I'm getting ready to start decluttering ds's toys. Woo! But my problem is- how do I decide what goes and what stays? There are some things we've been keeping thinking (hoping) ds would play with them eventually. Some things he actually has started playing with (some of the things he got last Christmas he's just started playing with. LOL!). I would hate to get rid of something if he might play with it later on down the road. But at the same time I hate taking up space with something that may never get used.

We currently have 2 totes in the garage full of toys on rotation. He has a bunch of toys in our family room as well as a bunch in his bedroom. I would like to cut down drastically on the number of toys he has right now (as he's sure to get more for his birthday coming up and Christmas).

[chely7425]

I just did this in preparation for a major move... first I got rid of anything that was missing pieces or looked like it had been thru WW3 (this rule was not followed for very favorite items that my kids tote around all the time). Then I got rid of anything that drove me absolutely insane... they had some toy trucks that made a ton of noise that made my head hurt and some blocks that were never used as blocks, just as projectiles. I also got rid of some stuff that drove me insane to clean up that I never really see them play with.

[InchByInch]

Originally Posted by chely7425

I just did this in preparation for a major move... first I got rid of anything that was missing pieces or looked like it had been thru WW3 (this rule was not followed for very favorite items that my kids tote around all the time). Then I got rid of anything that drove me absolutely insane... they had some toy trucks that made a ton of noise that made my head hurt and some blocks that were never used as blocks, just as projectiles. I also got rid of some stuff that drove me insane to clean up that I never really see them play with.

Good advice! What's helped us, too, is having the kids pick out which toys they'd like to donate; it gives them a feeling of control and contribution. I also pay attention to what toys they regularly ignore, and eventually I put those toys in another room in an open box. If they pull anything out and play with it, I know they're not ready to part with it. But if they continue to ignore it (and they usually do), I know it can go.

Hope that helps! and have fun decluttering.

[kissum]

I have mine help (she's 4). She helps me choose what goes, and then drops it off for donation with me. I also do the WW3 rule, though. If it's nasty, I just chuck it as soon as I notice.

[peaceful_mama]

I just did a toy purge after reading Simplicity Parenting--well, WHILE reading it after the section on 'toys'....

Items that were not broken/junky went into a big garbage bag in my closet just in case anyone asked for them back. (Nobody did, by the way)

I got rid of a few specific-character dolls. Limited play use, taking up space, all you do is push a button and it does something.

Any toys/stuffed animals that I never really saw them play with went.

Anything broken/missing parts.

I KEPT--baby-type dolls, all lovey-toys of course, *most* of their small toy vehicle collection, as I have 3 kids who play with these and they need enough to share and all that. Plus, the baby is *obsessed* with "big trucks"
Several blankets that were in their room that aren't necessarily loveys, for their potential as fort materials, for the doll basket, for any number of things. Their toy dishes--but I have no fake food, they have to imagine that up. The doctor kit. Doll clothes. Other toys that don't really have a category but one or another of them likes and uses it.

I ADDED--a few art supplies--because of the ages of my kids, I limited it to paper, washable crayons, and erasable colored and a couple regular pencils. And erasers. And a sharpener. And two old coloring/activity books I found--that is one thing that DS1 found and *loved*--a "spiderman' puzzle/activity book. He now wants to go buy another as this one is almost done!