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Original poster

Tips for clearing out toys

20 replies

Ricepops · 03/01/2022 18:30

I needed to do a clear out before Christmas and now I'm at the point where I REALLY need to do a clear out.

Kids are 7 and 4, and I've got past the point where there are old baby toys or other obvious things to throw out that they won't miss. And they are too old to do it behind their back. I need to get rid of things they have played with and loved (but no longer play with), and I know they won't be happy about it.

We have quite a bit of storage in a big shed in our garden, where we have a lot of overflow toys in big plastic Tupperware boxes. Planning to keep the tubs but make some space in them so I can move out some of the stuff from the house.

Any tips on how to approach this with the kids. Usually what happens is I start sorting through, they are reminded of the toys and get excited and start playing with them again, and sometimes things even migrate back into the house .

OP posts:

HalfShrunkMoreToGo · 03/01/2022 18:39

I go with a very factual direct tone and don't make it optional.

"Today we are going to fill 3 bags with your old toys and take them to the charity shop"

Then I go with speed, no debating or discussing a toy just yes or no to whether it's going. Once they are in the bags they leave the house, no going back to have a look at anything just get them gone

FuzzyPenguin · 03/01/2022 18:44

If it’s old stuff which hasn’t been played with for a while I bag it up and when it hasn’t been asked for 6 months i charity shop it and DS never notices.
Otherwise I tell him if he sells the old stuff he can use the money towards something new.

LemonDrizzles · 03/01/2022 18:54

Marie kondo suggest they put the toys in order of what they like most to least.

I now try to get rid when presents are opened before they are played with and still in original packaging. My little one is still crying over a missing toy I got rid of discreetly. I'll be following this thread for tips...

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DooDahDah · 03/01/2022 19:00

What's worked previously for us is telling them the toys will be going to families who didn't get as much.

That it was a kind thing to do to share with other children.... I might have overplayed it and had to stop Dd when she went to give away her bedtime bear who she can't sleep without! She was saying "I love you very much, but there are others who need you too!"

Equimum · 03/01/2022 19:16

I think this is a tricky age, as many of the toys they like last for a few years. Mine are slightly older now, but what I tend to do is initially suggest they sell some of the toys that I know are likely to sell and that no longer get played with. This is increasingly popular as they get older and see the benefits of making money. Secondly, we think about things to donate to charity. Then, if I still feel there are toys that need to go, I box them up and put them out of sight when they are not around. If they don't mention them for a couple of months, they go to charity.

Pegasussnail · 03/01/2022 19:18

Mine are 7 and I just sneak a few into my car boot every few days. I got rid of a good few bags of bears. All jigsaws. Absolutely loads without them realising.

Original poster

Ricepops · 03/01/2022 19:31

I can get rid of things without them noticing for a while, but then at some point they will notice (particularly the older one), and he has become a bit suspicious of me. He even asks for craft things he has made sometimes! Having said that doing it right in front of them while they protest might not be much easier for them...

OP posts:

Original poster

Ricepops · 03/01/2022 19:31

Mine are 7 and I just sneak a few into my car boot every few days. This really made me laugh!

OP posts:

FreeFrenchHens · 03/01/2022 19:34

Anything they're not sure about we put away in the garage or the top of a wardrobe for a few months. I know it's less efficient, and it virtually always ends up going after that, but it's less pressuring.

I do declutter parts of things without them, eg the bits of train track or kitchen toys that just live at the bottom of the box and never get used.

Hellocatshome · 03/01/2022 19:35

We just always did it when the kids weren't there.

TooMuchSugar22 · 03/01/2022 19:36

Bag it for charity at that ages they can easily understand that it's going to children who aren't as lucky.
I've told dd that since she turned 3. Sometimes she says she doesn't want it to. And may ask a few days later but by then it's gone.
I clear out 3x a year on average. It's easy tk guage what they do and don't play with enough. I'm not going to sit and hoard stuff in the off chance they may play with it.
We have a very large And extended family who love to buy so much. This year in Nov I went in the games cupboard and there was stuff sealed from last Xmas. That went to toy appeals.

LanaDelBoy · 03/01/2022 19:36

I have a "halfway" box hidden in the wardrobe, that will get donated/sold in a few months if not asked about. They are also quite good at picking out a couple of things they don't play with any more (mine are similar ages).

Them getting excited when they see something they haven't played with for ages makes me feel guilty i never did proper "toy rotation". Definitely seems like a good idea to divide toys up and have half/a quarter etc out at one time then swap them for the next box.

TooMuchSugar22 · 03/01/2022 19:37

As for craft stuff they've made. Oh that's in the loft in your keepsake box so it doesn't get ruined. Yes some stuff is but majority gone

Eileen101 · 03/01/2022 19:39

Mine are under 5, so I just put stuff that's not being used in a charity shop bag.
Other stuff that's not toys I say "we're going to pass this onto someone who really needs some shoes/a coat/vests. Now that it doesn't fit you, it's time to pass it onto someone else" etc when I gather stuff up (not toys) as a bit of a "practice" for when they're a bit older and I can involve them in things like that.

Original poster

Ricepops · 03/01/2022 19:40

Them getting excited when they see something they haven't played with for ages makes me feel guilty

I wouldn't feel guilty about it, they get excited for a while then stop playing with it.

In my case I wasn't as ruthless when I just had one, as there was more space for stuff. Now with two and then getting older it's getting out of control.

OP posts:

happytoday73 · 03/01/2022 19:41

Do school need supplies for wet play? My youngest would keep everything.. Taking into school .allowed him to feel good and still play with some items ..

BerthaBlythe · 03/01/2022 21:25

I have a quarantine system and I’m pathetic enough to make a list of every item that goes in (there’s more than one box) so when I’m asked for a particular item I can search the notes app and say “I think I know where that is, I’ll get it for you in a bit”.

I really don’t mind them getting things back that they remember and want. But if they see things they get excited and want them…play with them for an hour, and ignore them afterwards while declaring undying love.

This way there’s a period of grace before I move things on permanently.

Pegasussnail · 03/01/2022 21:45

Glad I made you laugh op
I have cowboy 🤠 hat to sneak out tomorrow...

MiloAndEddie · 03/01/2022 22:16

Selling stuff worked on my 6 year old. I said they could have whatever I sold it for. There was a few bits that sold so they were happy with their few quid and I could then get rid of other shit at the same time and they didn’t notice because they were preoccupied with their profits!
Also, sometimes you can have too much storage. We haven’t got a big shed/garage etc so if it doesn’t fit in the boxes in the living room or the handful of boxes upstairs it goes. I haven’t got ‘halfway house’ space so it makes me more ruthless

Stompythedinosaur · 03/01/2022 22:46

Mine are a bit older (10 and 8) and what works for us is she being clear about what storage is available and them choosing what they want to keep that fits into that storage. If we are having a clear out we take everything out into the middle of the room and choose stuff to keep rather than choosing stuff to pass on. Whike doing this I talk about how pleased whoever gets their toys from the charity shop will be.

That said, when they were your dc's age I was definitely still sorting toys without them. I used to box things in the loft for a few months as a sort of trial separation, if they asked for them I would get them out, but they nearly never did.

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