AIBU to feel as though our house is over run with toys?

[itwasallyellow]

And I've only got one. I've just give ds room a clean and I just don't know where to put everything. And a lot of it ends up not being played with then and forgotten as it's behind other things.

Underneath is bed is being used as storage there are toy boxes full of jigsaws, books, cars, building stuff, a trainset, bigger stuff like buzz and woody and box of dinos. Then there's stuff that's too big for toyboxes like a fireman sam house, a farmhouse a scooby doo house, garage and big trucks etc. There's stuff inside the wardrobe folded in bags like swimming play things, picnic blanket. There's boxes of lego, then I've got those ikea baskets with odds and sods like macdonalds toys, a basket full of intstruments. There's bits on top of the wardrobe. There isn't really any floor space left for a bookcase or anything and all he's got in his room is bed, drawers and wardrobe and desk. Floor space is being taken up by bigger toys like a rocking horse.

Downstairs I have two ikea cube tables with lids for storage and they are full of toys. I reguarly clear out I'm not a hoarder and get rid of anything we don't use.

I guess it's just the way it is, or do you all have playrooms or super dooper storage tips?

Snap. I don't know what I'll do at DD's first Christmas because half the spare bedroom is taken up with just the toys I've bought so far. I've got tubs and a floor-to-ceiling set of large drawers, but they're all full. Will watch this thread with interest.

be ruthless and cut it right down.

yanbu, i've felt really oppressed by it lately. i'm having a massive pre christmas clear out and cutting right back. youngest is 3 now, lots of it is surplus. mine have a bedroom each AND a playroom and it's still infringing on my peace of mind. and books! hundreds of books! i'm going to go into a frenzy this week and binbag up the whole house.

my 16yr old ds will not part with stuff, we still have cupboards and loft crammed with lego, plastic figures, soft toys, trains etc that he will never play with, some he never played with when he was young enough to. Arghhh I have told him when he moves out they will move out with him.

Be ruthless, clear out when the children are at school/ out the house.
Make kids give one toy to charity for every new toy bought.

Set up a savings account and tell family who buy your kids toys to either not buy anything or put into the bank account. I appreciate that one can be a bit contentious so not for everyone. My parents are ok with that but DH's family would hate it so they still buy gifts.

You could sort a load of it out and do a carboot or a 'nearly new' sale? I am going to do that this year. DD has grown out of lots of her toys so I am going to be ruthless and sell or pass on anything that isnt either still played with or sentimental. My dd was only 5 months at Christmas last year and my hubby's family got the right hump with me when I asked people to buy her clothes and not toys. I was told she 'needed' toys and I was being 'unfair to people who wanted to buy her a load of plastic crap a toy'. The thing was, she already had so much. Not to mention the fact that we bought her a jumperoo and a few little toys ourselves, she really didnt need anything else. Her first birthday was in July and we asked for age appropriate 'outside' toys and this year we have asked for some toys age 1-2 years. It has worked out well because I have managed to keep the clutter down (to an extent) and every 6 months dd has been spoiled treated to new, age appropriate stuff. My SIL made the mistake of buying, and asking others to buy, every toy under the sun for her 8 month old last Christmas and then struggled to buy her anything for her first birthday. This Christmas she is wrapping things that she bought last year up because her dd hasnt even played with them! She bought toys that were aimed at older children so were largely ignored by her DD because she was too young for them. Be ruthless, do a carboot and treat yourself to something pretty!

Having had twins in a tiny house up to the age of 3 I had to be so careful as we ended up with toys in every room, spilling out of every cupboard, it looked like an explosion in a toy factory at times.

My main tip is to start bagging things up into bin liners or boxes, well labelled and put them into the loft. If things are currently stored on a wardrobe then they aren't being played with so put them out of sight. If they ask for them you can retrieve them, and if not after, say, 6 months, they can be permanently disposed of.

I realised that after a clear out they played with more things because they rediscovered things that had been buried. Otherwise they couldn't see the wood for the trees and seemed to stick with the same one or two bits that were at the top of the pile.

WRT to birthday and Christmas I would suggest that once the presents have been opened you take 2/3 away and then bring them out gradually over the next few weeks and months. They can't play with it all at once so tehre is no point having it all lying around.

This has finally inspired me to put all of DS's toys in the loft except his train track, his other train track , his kitchen and his ark. He hardly ever plays with anything else, just makes a big mess when he's been kept inside for too long.

Thank you :o

Off to get some storage boxes...

We use IKEA trofast units, which are pretty good - if you buy the tall ones and make sure they are attached to the wall at the top, you can put away toys for a while where they can't get them (or noisy toys that drive you insane). Then they can access the lower boxes for themselves.

We still have far too many toys and I have done several car boot sales. The DCs sort out what they are ready to give away and the money I make goes towards a treat on holiday or a weekend away, so we all benefit from it.

My dining room is rammed full of toys that have built up over the year, I have storage boxes, toy shelves, toy boxes full of toys!
At the beginning of December, I'm going to have a sort out, chuck stuff and give loads to charity that DS doesn't really play with anymore.

this is my idea of hell!

If I have children I do not want the place looking like a toyshop.

Get rid.

On another thread I suggested sending unwanted gifts/toys to seriously ill children at www.postpals.co.uk to make them smile

that sounds like a nice idea picture.

This would be a really good time to get rid of stuff on eBay, plenty of canny organised people will be starting to buy things to put away for Christmas.

It does get better though - i think age 3 is worst - still have very young stuff and

It does get better though - i think age 3 is worst - still have very young stuff and Older stuff! My dd (10) has hardly anything!