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AIBU?

To feel that we are at "peak toy".

109 replies

specialmagiclady · 21/03/2014 14:36

Boys are 7 and 9. We are drowning, just drowning in toys.

I have been pretty good in that I have boxed up and lofted: duplo, certain special baby toys and wooden train and got rid of a lot of the larger "preschool" toys like play kitchen, pots and pans, playdoh stuff etc.

They still occasionally do dressing up (but I have my eye on that next and I have got rid of the too-small costumes) and like to have Cuddly Olympics with their millions of cuddly toys. They are totally in the prime of love with Lego of which we have millions.

Things I would happily let go: Tracey island, millenium falcon, toy cars, toy animals and dinosaurs, playmobil, anything plastic over about the size of the playmobil helicopter.

They are adamant that they play with them ALL. They don't, but they notice if I sneak it out to the charity shop.

Is it because they are still little enough to want to play with some of the younger stuff, but old enough to play board games etc that we just have so much? Is it going to get better? Will they suddenly say "actually I think we're a bit old for this, mum"? Or am I going to have to be The Bitch (again)?

Either I invest massively in new storage (££££ nobody puts expedit on freecycle) or I chuck chuck chuck....WWYD? WIBU to just get rid of a load of stuff?

OP posts:
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NannyLouise29 · 21/03/2014 21:56

Allow the kids to sell the toys and keep the money (but make sure they find all pieces, clean the toys, prep them for sale so they realise some work is involved). Just decide beforehand who gets what money for which toys...hand me down toys are often all claimed by the eldest!

Money has always been a great motivator for all of the school age kids I've cared for ;)

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specialmagiclady · 23/03/2014 20:55

Gah - 7 year old has spent the day playing deliriously happily with the Duplo. All day.

OP posts:
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NormHonal · 23/03/2014 21:02

My name is NormHonal and I am a bit-of-a-hoarder, I believe as a result of my DMum getting rid of toys behind my back when I was maybe 5-6yo.

I remember how I felt.

I look into my DCs' eyes and find it almost-impossible to throw their toys out (by which I mean, take to a charity shop).

So far I have persuaded them to give things away when it is to a baby cousin, but that is all.

The tactic I would advocate is to box things up, shove them in the loft, and when they are a bit older, involve them in selling them and using the proceeds for something for them. This is what my own DMum learned to do. (Although now I wish she had not let us sell our Sindy stuff as my DCs would have loved it.)

I'm actually planning to hold on to the Duplo/Lego, Brio and Playmobil for the next generation.
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daisychain01 · 23/03/2014 21:13

Great idea to sell toys your DCs have grown out of and let them choose new toys to replace.

My DSS will be 17 in Sep OMG and he would kill DP and me if we so much as hinted he gets rid of 4 massive boxes of Lego. He used to play with Lego City, Lego Indiana Jones, Lego every bloody thing known to man night and day for nearly 7 years, even took him Lego designed cars to bed with him Smile

We reckon he will keep it for his children so long term storage is being planned.

Latest craze is, very surprisingly out of nowhere, Star Trek, so we havent completely ended the collections.

Hope your clear out goes well!

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horsetowater · 24/03/2014 11:09

Anyone know how to sell children's books? I have loads. Probably £00s worth, but so far have been giving them away. Can't help feeling there's a few quid in them though.

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TruffleOil · 24/03/2014 11:12

I get rid of giant fuckoads while kids are at school. They never, ever have missed anything.

I wouldn't make any major toy-specific storage investments at their ages because they are on the cusp of much smaller stuff i.e. devices - but surely storage is always useful?

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Cringechilli · 24/03/2014 11:16

We are also drowning in toys, similar age dc. Both dc adore (worship!) toys and I can't really get rid for this reason. My lounge (got no playroom or dining room) is absolutely bulging and I think I will have to try and cram more ikea storage in there.

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Kaekae · 24/03/2014 11:17

I feel your pain, I have this same problem and it actually gets me down. My children are 6 and 4.5 and there is just a constant trail of "stuff". Moved to a bigger house; built an extension and it just seems to have got worse, more space to fill with toys! I need to declutter their old toys, cuddly toys DVDs, books and arts and crafts but it feels me with dread. I actually managed to bag up some old toys just before Christmas but they both discovered the bag and got all the old toys back out!

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Pandsbear · 24/03/2014 11:40

My Dad came through my bedroom with a black bin liner when I was about 8? (ish). He threw out loads of toys - including lots of 'made' things (as we didn't have tons of ££ and I used to make things like Barbie/Sindy beds from cardboard).

I am ridiculously sentimental about my DTD's stuff and reading this makes me think that is probably why. However we have just bought some proper storage and more bookshelves and I do try and get rid of the broken/really baby toys. They don't have too much large stuff but there are shoe boxes full of playmobil/lego/polly pocket...

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BornFreeButinChains · 24/03/2014 11:46

Hi Op,

Why not either sell it at a car boot and use some money to buy storage or freecyle it?

I have an enormously high turn over of toys as I freecyle, I get, use and give away again...DC are always entertained as always new stuff coming in...its a win win situation!

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BornFreeButinChains · 24/03/2014 11:49

horse

I would be amazed if you got anything for childrens books, in charity shops they are 20p up to £1, a little more at oxfam, cheaper at other charties, at car boots people have tables laden and boxes full of amazing books again, 20p, £1, same with Baby markets...I have not looked at ebay but amazon is where I buy specific books from, again, with postage often paying £2.81 - the 1p being the price of the book.

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fluffyanimal · 24/03/2014 11:54

Do people actually buy second-hand toys for sale on Ebay or elsewhere? I'd love to sell stuff and give the DC the money, but I fear it would never sell.

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janey223 · 24/03/2014 11:55

I'd get expedits, you can get them on gumtree but not saving much! The 2x2 are a great size and reusable around the house, one holds my tv as well as toys & I have one on the hallway wall that'll get taken for toys soon probably.

I buy books in charity shops or £1 shops mostly as they're not worth anything to sell on

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AnUnearthlyChild · 24/03/2014 11:59

We have a kind of one in one out policy. Dd is still only young, preschool age but before Christmas and birthday we sit down and choose some toys she dosent play with anymore to give to boys and girls whose mummies and daddies can't buy them toys (as in donate to a children's charity, refuge or charity shop) it has the double bonus of getting rid of tat and reinforcing a social conscience type message.

She occasionally asks where a particular item went, ans I remind her we gave it to someone who didn't have any toys, which she is quite happy with. Not sure what I'm going to do when we get to the stage of wanting to get rid of more saleable stuff. Sell and keeps some of profit and rest to charity I guess. depending on how hard up we are at the time!

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AnUnearthlyChild · 24/03/2014 12:02

www.hoggledoggle.org.uk

If you live anywhere near Hull these guys are good to donate to. I keep hoping they roll out nationally.

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Alibabaandthe40nappies · 24/03/2014 12:03

Can you not just rotate toys?

Buy some storage - it is a good investment because you can use it for sports kit/shoes/bike tools/musical instruments etc as they get older.

Give them X amount of space each, and the rest has to go boxed in the loft. Every 2/3 months they can swap some things around. Tell them to consider new purchases carefully, and birthday requests.
Gradually you'll find that some things get left boxed up in the loft and then you can count them as out of circulation.

It is win win. Less stuff lying around, and you don't have to get rid of things.

My boys love their wooden train set - they are nearly 6 and 3. I am stunned that a 4 year old is deemed to have outgrown it!

I do think that there is a tendency to buy things to early for kids these days, so that they are bored and wanting to move onto the next thing before they really get the best out of it.

I think your DCs sound great OP, isn't the reason we spend £££ on things like Lego/Brio etc to get a lot of use out of it? Doesn't mean it all has to be underfoot all the time! Grin

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Ploppy16 · 24/03/2014 12:04

I hear you, out of 3 children we managed to produce 2 of them within 5 weeks of Christmas... We hit peak toy last year when I put my foot down and hid loads of toys in the garage and we smuggled them out to a charity shop 15 miles away near DH's work just to make sure nothing got spotted!
DS is now 13 and is slowly getting rid of most of his stuff but I fear he's his Fathers' child as he keeps saying "I'll keep it just in case I need it" Hmm

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Ilovehamabeads · 24/03/2014 12:10

I really struggle to get rid of my DCs toys. They are 5 and 8 so I have the whole range of stuff kicking around from dressing up, and toy food, to lego and consoles. They also have a shitload of cuddly toys as both are obsessed with teddies :-/ When I try and be hardfaced mum wielding the black bin bag they get distraught, crying and cuddling things I know they haven't even looked at for months but at the end of the day I just can't do it. In a few short years they'll be too old for toys and teddies and I'm hoping they will go without a fight then. For the foreseeable future I have made peace with the mountains of toys, teddies and clutter.

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RiverTam · 24/03/2014 12:10

you can't get rid of the Millennium Falcon!! That's just so wrong. They'll never forgive you, you know. Ever.

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Mutley77 · 24/03/2014 12:12

I definitely think you must be at peak by now. My DD (age 9) has v limited toys - and many she only still has because I have a baby DD who may use them one day (Barbies, baby dolls). Lego is the only toy she really plays with - otherwise it's loads and loads and loads of pens, paper, arty things and a few jigsaws / board games. She spends a lot of spare time outside - ball games, bike, trampoline or doing e-c activities or with friends - as well as reading her Kindle and some (limited strictly by me!) screen time.

DS (age 5) is also on the way down IMO. Lego is a PITA - especially the sets and there is loads of that for him as as well as DD - the only other toys he has are a garage with some cars, a knight's castle with loads of playmobil, some jigsaws and games, the plastic animals, some trash pack figures, Scaeletrix (in the box mostly), marble run (in the box mostly) and some of those magnetic building things. We still have his massive train set (brio) in the box and I am keeping that for baby DD.

I think I have the worst deal really as I have all that for those kids and a baby with the bloody big toys all over the floor! Once those move on I think older DD will be over toys (she'll probably be 11 or 12 by then) and DS will be past the worst of it too so it won't be too bad really as baby DD will have her toys and a whole playroom to put them in....

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ErrolTheDragon · 24/03/2014 12:13

My method is binliner in garage - if the things aren't missed after a month or so, its out (charity collection for decent stuff).

I let DD keep an awful lot of stuff for ages though as there was space in her playroom - it was only last year (aged 14) when she moved into it as a bedroom that she finally binned the bloody drawerful of barbies which she'd always despised but wouldn't part with. Hmm I think I'm going to have to live with her huge pile of soft toys forever (or at least until she has a home of her own).

She triaged her books into keep, bin and archive - we've got a couple of storage boxes of the lovely ones which if she has kids of her own will be passed down - I never quite forgave my mother for getting rid of my childhood books (esp the Beatrix potters) when I went to university.

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Dancergirl · 24/03/2014 12:15

My youngest dd is 7 and she still plays with Play-doh! It's not a 'pre-school' toy as you put it.

I'd be wary about throwing out toys too soon. I look at this this way - I love the fact they're still little enough to play with toys and enjoy them. It won't be that long until they've REALLY outgrown toys.

Dc grow up and move out eventually, childhood goes by in a flash. THEN you'll be left with a lovely tidy house Wink

Don't people remember the pleasure of finding a toy at home that hasn't been played with for ages and then play with it for hours? I do.

I'm also sentimental about my dc's toys. They're not just objects, it's the memories they represent and your dc's pleasure in playing with them.

pandsbear that so, so sad Sad

So in answer to your question OP, YABU to chuck toys out. Spend some time organising them with proper storage, rotate them or whatever, but toys and general clutter come with the territory of having dc.

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TruffleOil · 24/03/2014 12:20

My 11 year old loves Play Doh Dentist. We don't speak of it in public :-)

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MarriedDadOneSonOneDaughter · 24/03/2014 12:26

I agree that toys are both important and sentimental. However, our generation had far fewer toys so their importance and sentimental value was and is much higher. Our children's generation seems to want for nothing (which is a bad thing in my view) and that devalues toys to them.

When we go away on holiday, we don't take toys and they are able to play with anything they find. In fact, those bits of stick, pebble or bottle top become precious to them because they have nothing else. Once it gets home and thrown into the chaos, it's forgotten.

That said, I still don't get rid of their stuff (much) and use the rotation idea. They at least get some feeling of value and rediscovery from it.

Teaching kids to value stuff and think less about what they want is hard.

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Dancergirl · 24/03/2014 12:29

However, our generation had far fewer toys

Not always true. My room was drowning in all my Sindy stuff in the 80s and I loved it all. I would have been heartbroken had my mum decided to chuck it out.

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