Decluttering Toys - Simplifying our lives

[Anguschick1]

Ds1's birthday is coming up and we're trying to declutter in anticipation. We also have so many toys for him and kept most everything so ds2 has so many toys now, it's a growing problem and they don't play with 2/3 of the toys. Most are plastic - noisey - light up monstrosities that need to be donated to someone who will appreciate them. So here are the 3 areas of the house where we play - and what items are there currently;

Family Room - Play Kitchen (wooden food, pots, pans etc are stored inside the oven/under the sink) Train Table (w/a drawer at either end of the table)

Play Room - 4 Shelves w/trucks & cars, books, Stuffed Animals on them, Play Workbench, Lego Table, Something like one of these things filled w/random misc crapus http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html...sin=B0000CEJWZ

Basement - Play area tbd, right now ds2 is in the exersaucer/ergo while dh and I declutter and ds1 plays w/trains on the floor, we want to eventually have a bookcase or two w/a couple baskets of toys.

Here are the basic category of things we have - what would you keep?

Ds1 LOVES trains so thanks to the generosity of relatives we have Geo Tracks, Lego Duplo Thomas, Wooden Thomas and a Plastic, Battery Operated Thomas.
Fisher Price Little People - Zoo, various random people, a car or two, animals
6 Playsilks
Books - Baby board books, bath books, pop-up books, lift-the-flap books golden books, regular books (Anything chewed on should go, right?)
Wooden Blocks
Legos - Quatro and Duplo
Toolbox w/tools for the workbench
Matchbox cars
Safari Animals / Farm Animals
Fold and Go Wooden Dollhouse
Random plastic stuff that was given as gifts that if given the chance ds1 will play w/but he doesn't miss it or ask for it when it's packed away

Then there's the baby-type toys - Plastic Blocks, soft balls, Fisher Price See Through Blocks, Shape Sorters, Rattles and on and on and on...

This doesn't count the craft stuff, but we have one cabinet for those items (paper, playdough, crayons, yarn, stickers, pipe cleaners, pom poms, etc) and bins inside the cabinet, so that actually stays clean and fairly organized)

So - What are your criteria for keeping toys? How do you determine whether to donate or sell them? Whether to donate/sell or throw them out? Do you involve your child if you know it would involve one lengthy tantrum over not being able to play w/all these "new" wonderful items?

HELP!!!

[Shiloh]

Okay first step in decluttering is make sure everyone knows what you want for ds's birthday - not more 'stuff' maybe think of a larger purchase and ask for gift certificates towards it.. or make a detailed list of what you do need.

Family Room - Play Kitchen (wooden food, pots, pans etc are stored inside the oven/under the sink) Train Table (w/a drawer at either end of the table)

watch your kids they often only play with a few kitchen items, I find my kids its mostly pots pans and some food but not the utensils. 2 kids only 2 of anything one kid can only play with one pot

Play Room - 4 Shelves w/trucks & cars, books, Stuffed Animals on them, Play Workbench, Lego Table, Something like one of these things filled w/random misc crapus http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html...n=B0000CE JWZ

go trhought the random crap

1. I'd pick two zones for kids toys max. I'd put the toys that aren't for babies downstairs the ones with little parts.
Thomas is great up until the age of ten for many kids.

Fisher Price Little People - Zoo, various random people, a car or two, animals

I'd get that down a bit your baby son won't play with baby toys as long as ds1 did. Maybe just 2-4 people, 2 cars max.

Books - Baby board books, bath books, pop-up books, lift-the-flap books golden books, regular books (Anything chewed on should go, right?)

yes! I'd also put the nicer books away maybe a few in the bedroom just for nightime.

Wooden Blocks

they rock but make sure they are in a bin with a lid as that can be nasty! same with lego...

Legos - Quatro and Duplo

watch your kids play with them figure out the largest tower, the most they will use and cut it down.

Matchbox cars

This was hard but I got it down to 10..
they can't really play with as many at a time even with a few friends over.

Safari Animals / Farm Animals

same thing watch them keep a few animals but sometimes you just need to pare down.

Fold and Go Wooden Dollhouse

do they play with it?

Random plastic stuff that was given as gifts that if given the chance ds1 will play w/but he doesn't miss it or ask for it when it's packed away

then it goes girl now!!!

Then there's the baby-type toys - Plastic Blocks, soft balls, Fisher Price See Through Blocks, Shape Sorters, Rattles and on and on and on...

wash them and pack them away if you are having another baby I find many of those toys only really go well for kids under 1 year...keep 2 soft balls, a few see through blocks to throw in diaper bag, and maybe a shape sorter.. but only keep one of each item so if you have two shape sorters one got to go!

So - What are your criteria for keeping toys?

1. I watch how my kids play with them, I try to just trim the stash a bit, and if its broken, chipped, never used it goes.

How do you determine whether to donate or sell them? Whether to donate/sell or throw them out?

I donate, if i get money I might buy more stuff and I am trying to cure the stuff addiction. It also makes you feel better knowing you've saved a mama who might not have money $20 bucks buying that toy brandnew vs getting 2 bucks for it. I am trying to cure my consumerism I also value my time and energy I want more time for the things I want to do not those darn people on craigslist!

Do you involve your child if you know it would involve one lengthy tantrum over not being able to play w/all these "new" wonderful items?

no
also selling items is emmotionally traumatic for kids, if things go missing they are used to that.