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Behaviour/development

okay seriously, how do you choose which toys to get rid of?

16 replies

trinityrocks · 24/09/2005 08:30

I know that the things she doesn't play with should obviously go BUT
the reason I need to do this is for my sanity and hers
her room is in such a mess becuase there isn't enough storage and I'm a crap mum who is having trouble at the mo which means that day to day tidying and organising is falling apart
I don't think I have ever taught her to tidy up behind her and she just leaves a trail of mess and destruction.It's my fault not her but feeling particularly bad at the mo(hadn't realised I had run out and hadn't been taking my tablets for about a week and a half now)need to wait till monday and try and get an app as soon as poss cos they wont give me another presc. without seeing me first. Can't seem to get a grip on the house at the mo, try to do littlew and often but the kids need things and make mess quicker than I can keep up with at the mo. I need to get rid of lots of her toys fast do I can organise the rest so she could play and put away easier. She hasn't played with much at all lately cos she can't find all peices for some things or most toys at all in the bombsite that is her room (fault is all mine)
If I start going through it she will say she wants everything cos she hasn't seen it for a whi;e and it seems new and fun IYKWIM
Need a morecutthroat approach I think any advice.She's 5 by the way

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auntymandy · 24/09/2005 08:34

when you find out please tell me!
Someone said you could put the toys in their room as the lounge is full of them..but their room is too!!!
Do we all buy too many toys?

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SherlockLGJ · 24/09/2005 08:35

Wait until she is not in, and bin anything you haven't seen here playing with recently.

I have always worked on the principle that if ten toys come into the house at Birthdays or Christmas, then ten old toys go out. but then I am a meanie mommy.

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trinityrocks · 24/09/2005 08:36

i know I bought way ytooo many toys. I have cumpulsion to shop when depressed and in my head it seemed ok if it was for the children......

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fqueenzebra · 24/09/2005 08:37

Cross with DD I recently shoved a load of her toys in the loft... she hasn't missed most of them.

What about if you choose about 25% of her toys, toys that you don't like, or you don't think she'll play with for more than a few minutes if she saw them again. Hide them somewhere else & see if she asks for them in the next 1-2 months. If she hasn't asked for them in 9 weeks and you don't like them or want to keep them, those ones should go to charity shop.

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trinityrocks · 24/09/2005 08:39

ok zebra I'm off to do that right now, I have the power I CAN DO THIS

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auntymandy · 24/09/2005 08:41

all those boomi ng soft toys.

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philippat · 24/09/2005 08:41

sounds like now might not be the best day for trying to sort it out - perhaps better to go out and play in the playground instead?

About every six months I get sick to death of dd's toys everywhere, then I spread it all out all over the floor and say 'let's decide which ones you don't like any more'. These go in a bin bag and straight to the charity shop (some go in the bin because they's too scraggy or just bits of paper etc). I always phrase it that it's to make room for more toys she'll get at birthday/xmas etc so it doesn't feel like a punishment. I always have to say 'you don't need to get rid of ones you still like' several times to reassure her. And I do sneak some back in the toy box that I know she likes, regardless of what she says. I have also tried to explain what happens to the ones that go to the charity shop - she's quite good at the concept of sharing so that helps. It's also a great opportunity to reunite seperated bits of toys. But it's not a quick job, takes ALL day...

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auntymandy · 24/09/2005 08:43

then you go to the charity shop and see some bargain duplo or the like!!!

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peckarollover · 24/09/2005 08:43

An extreme way to do it is to EMPTY her room - throwing out any obviously broken or worn out toys and bringing them back in as she misses them or just a couple at a time to encourage her to play.

I did this and left only about 10% of previous toys - NOTHING has been asked back

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auntymandy · 24/09/2005 08:44

whee di you put it all?

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Nemo1977 · 24/09/2005 09:02

mt ds is only 23mths and has wqayyyyyyyyyyyy too much stuff. We have baby due in dec and have no idea where all the stuff is going. I recently sold a load of his toys and we have move him into bigger bedroom to accomodate the rest...lol Am slowly getting there but have a few more toys to go for sale.

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auntymandy · 24/09/2005 09:03

its one of their birthdays on tuesday. I have said clothes please!!!!

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Caligula · 24/09/2005 09:21

I start with stuff which is way below their age group and which I figure they're not really getting much stimulation from anymore.

Then I do the thing of removing stuff and hiding it, and if they don't miss it, it goes.

And also, I have a screaming hysterical tantrum every couple of months and tell them they have to get rid of some of their toys before Mummy has a nervous break-down, so we get a big plastic bag and they put the ones they've decided they no longer want into it. In fact, they do it with such enthusiasm that I get a bit alarmed and start saying: "Are you sure you want this to go the charity shop - I think you'll probably want to play with it again!"

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peckarollover · 24/09/2005 09:52

I put them all in the garage

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nutcracker · 24/09/2005 10:09

My kids birthdays are november and december and so round about now I start going through their rooms and anything broken or that has pieces missing goes in the bin.

Then i sort a pile of stuff they don't play with anymore and then sit and go through it and decide what has to go.

I have recently sold some of their toys and used the money to put towards their new birthday and xmas pressies. They haven't even noticed that the stuff has gone.

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bensmum3 · 25/09/2005 20:07

trinityrocks,I'm sorry, I don't know why you have depression, but having an untidy house is a sign that your a super mummy, as long as you and the children are happy, the mess will just wait. I often have a major panic about the mess in our house, but at the end of the day it really doesn't hurt us. My vicars wife has a sign in her kitchen along the lines of

If you don't like the mess,
come back another time,
today i've got much more important things to do.

A friend of mine also said to me once, when i was worrying about the children I'd left with grandparents because I had to go away for 11 days,

It doesn't matter how dirty they are or what they are doing, as long as they are safe and well.

Sorry if thats not much help on deciding what to get rid of.

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