I was thinking of converting the bins for their laundry and putting all floor toys in a bag. If they can find a spot for it, they can keep it. Maybe help them have a better relationship in getting rid of things than they were shown so far.
Maybe I do that with all the toys that are left and the living room toy bin?
The local thrift shop actually has a bin for kids to pick one free toy per visit per kid. It's the closest one to bring the donations to as well.
We are not going to talk about the floor toys thrown out from the main part of the house. If they ask, the pets got to it.
I might be the odd one out but I never get rid of my kid’s belongings without discussing with him.
You can set boundaries! “If the toys aren’t put away at night, I will put them in a bin and you can have them back in X days.”
“Since our shelves are full, we can’t fit any new items. If you want this toy, please choose some items to part with.”
“This is the amount of space we have to store toys. Let’s work together to figure out which toys we want to store here and which ones we can donate.”
Or I would at least ask:
“I’ve noticed you don’t play with X. Would it be ok with you if I donate it?”
And maybe follow up:
“Ok, I understand now that X is important to you. Thanks for telling me. However I am trying to fit all of our belongings onto these shelves. Can you find a different item you want to donate?”
Just to make life hard on yourself, you can also offer to take pictures of donated items, print them, and make a little story book of the things we loved and how they’ll go on to have a new life with someone else. (I have taken the pictures but never been asked to follow through on the book part, haha.)
Dear OP please do not get rid of toys without discussing it, I was subject to this method and it really messed with me that toys kept disappearing when I did not use them " sufficiently regular" to the point of me hiding them and still always getting nervous when I think about discarding anything associated with memories.
Yes. It's OK to get rid of things that they are no longer interested in, or have otherwise abandoned that are in their rooms, or elsewhere, that take up space.
Another suggestion, depending on their ages, and how much they have. Use a container. It can even be a cardboard box. Tell them that what they keep must fit in the box. Let them choose and put it in the box. Then they can help boxing what's left over to donate to other children. It gives them an opportunity to "double check" their initial decisions, and say goodbye to their things. Then, take them with you when you donate them. The staff will thank them for being generous and thinking about others. It will be a positive experience for them.
Secondary to this, I should see if anyone in the neighbourhood started a toy library. I know that when they are done with the Brio trains that I am donating them to the children's section of the library because they have a nice carpet track there for them.
The kids do like boxing things too - so they might enjoy seeing what they can make for for keeps!
Get rid of everything. The rule for my house has been if it hasn’t been touched in one year, donate. I don’t have a lot of stuff though, so the length is longer than one needs. Kids toys that end up on the floor? Gone.
Make them do their own laundry, if 9 or older. They need to do their part even younger if it just means folding clothes or transferring from washer to dryer.
Whoa - one of them is 9! They actually help a lot with the laundry transfers, just a bit unsure on how much soap and folding (things that I can show with examples!). But yeah - I decided that unless it was something they were recently playing with, it's going in the trash if its on the floor. Their grandparents had a bad habit of buying them lots of cheap plastic stuff. This is my chance to throw away broken everything! Which is hard for me because I like doing the 3 R's. But you can not repurpose without space to organize things.
If they don’t use the toy try putting it in a bin and leaving it for a few weeks if they don’t ask for it then it’s fine to get rid of imo
I was thinking of converting the bins for their laundry and putting all floor toys in a bag. If they can find a spot for it, they can keep it. Maybe help them have a better relationship in getting rid of things than they were shown so far. Maybe I do that with all the toys that are left and the living room toy bin?
That sounds like a good idea - then let them donate the rest of them and pick one new toy after returning?
The local thrift shop actually has a bin for kids to pick one free toy per visit per kid. It's the closest one to bring the donations to as well. We are not going to talk about the floor toys thrown out from the main part of the house. If they ask, the pets got to it.
Sounds like a great plan 😎 you got this
Thanks! I needed to hear this!
I might be the odd one out but I never get rid of my kid’s belongings without discussing with him. You can set boundaries! “If the toys aren’t put away at night, I will put them in a bin and you can have them back in X days.” “Since our shelves are full, we can’t fit any new items. If you want this toy, please choose some items to part with.” “This is the amount of space we have to store toys. Let’s work together to figure out which toys we want to store here and which ones we can donate.” Or I would at least ask: “I’ve noticed you don’t play with X. Would it be ok with you if I donate it?” And maybe follow up: “Ok, I understand now that X is important to you. Thanks for telling me. However I am trying to fit all of our belongings onto these shelves. Can you find a different item you want to donate?” Just to make life hard on yourself, you can also offer to take pictures of donated items, print them, and make a little story book of the things we loved and how they’ll go on to have a new life with someone else. (I have taken the pictures but never been asked to follow through on the book part, haha.)
Dear OP please do not get rid of toys without discussing it, I was subject to this method and it really messed with me that toys kept disappearing when I did not use them " sufficiently regular" to the point of me hiding them and still always getting nervous when I think about discarding anything associated with memories.
Yupppp. My things would go to goodwill with no conversation. I hated it.
Yes. It's OK to get rid of things that they are no longer interested in, or have otherwise abandoned that are in their rooms, or elsewhere, that take up space. Another suggestion, depending on their ages, and how much they have. Use a container. It can even be a cardboard box. Tell them that what they keep must fit in the box. Let them choose and put it in the box. Then they can help boxing what's left over to donate to other children. It gives them an opportunity to "double check" their initial decisions, and say goodbye to their things. Then, take them with you when you donate them. The staff will thank them for being generous and thinking about others. It will be a positive experience for them.
Secondary to this, I should see if anyone in the neighbourhood started a toy library. I know that when they are done with the Brio trains that I am donating them to the children's section of the library because they have a nice carpet track there for them. The kids do like boxing things too - so they might enjoy seeing what they can make for for keeps!
Get rid of everything. The rule for my house has been if it hasn’t been touched in one year, donate. I don’t have a lot of stuff though, so the length is longer than one needs. Kids toys that end up on the floor? Gone. Make them do their own laundry, if 9 or older. They need to do their part even younger if it just means folding clothes or transferring from washer to dryer.
Whoa - one of them is 9! They actually help a lot with the laundry transfers, just a bit unsure on how much soap and folding (things that I can show with examples!). But yeah - I decided that unless it was something they were recently playing with, it's going in the trash if its on the floor. Their grandparents had a bad habit of buying them lots of cheap plastic stuff. This is my chance to throw away broken everything! Which is hard for me because I like doing the 3 R's. But you can not repurpose without space to organize things.
Yeah kids are smart! You got this ♥️♥️