To be contemplating a soft toy cull?

[Iwantalonglie]

How many stuffed animals do your DC have?

DS is almost 3. I've tried to be ruthless since he was born (one little one in his Christmas stocking last year, complete ban on family giving stuffed animals). But even so we've managed to accumulate around 20-25 of them and they're starting to irritate me. DH brought a particularly obnoxious octopus back from a work trip (grr !), godparents gave a lovely but large lion for second birthday and a few more just seem to have snuck in from fairgrounds and party bags including a very ugly camel.

AIBU to throw away half of them? DS has 5 that he's very close to (he talks to them and they talk back to him) and which sleep in his bed. The rest I think I could gradually phase out until he didn't notice their absence and then dispose of them quietly.

I'm worried that, if we don't get a handle on the little pests, we're going to end up sharing our house with thousands of the things by the time DS grows out of them. Do we need to take action now?

luckyboysunday.dk/collection/best-friends

Link as I managed to get the name wrong

I have culled. She doesn't really play with them. She has a few sentimental ones that I've kept. I don't buy more. They have limited play value (for her) plus they can get dusty and do need washing every now and then. We have 1 basket. Too much for the basket? Time to cull.

We have far far far too many - I've never counted, but it must be at least 100 - I suspect it's more than that. Collected by 3dc over 12 years - one still actively adding to the collection. They are all loved - it would be very difficult to cull them.

I can see why you'd want to reduce their number but policing them for 'niceness' seems to miss the point that they're not for you... Children don't like things according to adult ideas of taste. I was given a steiff bear as a child and although I can see now that it was very tasteful and attractive at the time I thought it was rubbish - you couldn't cuddle it and it was boring. The teddy bear love of my child life was tacky as hell and clearly very cheaply made (I still have it now but it is literally falling apart, at some point my mum had to perform emergency surgery after all his stuffing started to come out of a hole between his legs). I didn't have any interest in which one cost more, was better made or fit adult aesthetics better and I doubt your DC does or will either.

I'm in my 30s and won't let my mum and dad cull some of my teddies haha i loved them so much and want to keep them for when we (hopefully) have our own! I still have my childhood bear now in our house and although hes very worn and bare i hope my children can enjoy him too!

I got rid of loads recently while my 2 were at school. They didn't even notice.

Our local animal charity loves getting teddy donations for the animals to cuddle - makes me feel less guilty

I have always hated them they're dust collectors.
Teens 1st bear and 1st Xmas bear in his keepsake box.
The 2 youngest have a 1st bear each on the shelf for now and toddler has 1 on the bed as does dsd.
Family know that it's a no go. And will be given away at the quickest opportunity.. I know my hatred for them is UR. but the kids never ask and have plenty of other stuff.

Only two dozen, OP? Sounds like heaven to me; DD's got about seven times as many. Highlight of her week is going down the charity shop with her pocket money on a Saturday and acquiring yet another bloody bear.

We try to cull every December but she can rarely be persuaded to part with any. The hammock in her room is overflowing and her bed barely has room for her in it. She's now taken to filling my bed with bears, ostensibly so I don't get lonely but I'm sure that real reason is she can't find space for any more in her own room.

Put your foot down while you can and don't let any more of the buggers into the house!

YANBU, my daughter is only one and she already has 20+ soft toys, four of which are bigger than her. First grandchild problems!

Following
We have a 5ft squishy bear which I hate
But we also have a substantial number of my old soft toys in storage which I have never been able to get rid of........
And boxes of their cuddly toys

Hmmmm

Can you maybe get one of the cuddly toy hammocks if his room is small for the wall? I would say maybe periodically ask him if there are any he would like to donate to another home (possibly too young to understand that at the moment), and be very clear you don't want anymore as presents for him. It seems a reasonable number at the moment, but not one you want growing.

I recently mentioned to my 3 DC that we were finally going to chuck out the sacks and sacks of BearFactory bears and Pokemon beanies in the loft. They were genuinely horrified and upset that I would even consider that. They are 22, 23 and 27!

When they were that little I’d put a bag of them in the lift with a date on. If they hadn’t asked for them by that date, our they went.

Originally 3 months, extended it to 6 when the rate of acquisition dropped.

my DS who is 12 has loads and hes keeping them, hes not much of a 'toy' kid, for years its been all about the xbox and it feels like he grew up really and when his baby brother was born he basically went through all his toys and said the baby could have them except the teddies, those are all his (and he sleeps with the, I'm suprised theres room in the bed for him)

I also know several fully grown adult men who moved out of home and have families but STILL have their childhood teddie(s), my DH isnt even sentimental but even he fondly reminises on the specific ones he had as a kid

at the end of the day they are the childs, I gave many of my childhood ones to my DS (so they are part of his collection) but I remember the ones my parents got rid of behind my back. Im not even a big soft toy collector but I definately remember and it hurt and caused issues that they would get rid of MY things against my wishes especially when some had been gifts I loved

also 25 is really not a lot unless they are all giant ones, my DS probably has more than that in his bed lol

I agree with starting a cull (or perhaps better said to reduce the number). If possible donate to a charity if they are in a good enough condition.

I do a ‘phase out’ approach. Hide them and then remove completely if not asked for. They collect dust and most are just shite.

And the poster asking if I would have liked it if my parents had done it to me? I grew up with hoarders. I’d have bloody loved it!

YWBU to throw them away. Give them to a charity shop or, even better, find a local charity who gift good quality toys to children at christmas time. We have a few who provide gifts for those who cant afford them. Much better than chucking them in the bin.

We probably need to do a cull here, I can't get the lid properly shut on the box now! My tactic will be to cull a few out that I don't think they'll miss, stash them in the loft for a month just to check, then donate to people / charity.

I think that this just shows how our society & culture is really wasteful. Most cuddly toys are not really loved, just those special few! They all end up in landfill, rotting away for all eternity. We somehow have to get out of this mindset of buying and giving 'things' for the sake of it. I think we could easily skip a Christmas's worth of gifts, as in the kids have enough stuff, I have enough stuff...

@KitKatastrophe

YWBU to throw them away. Give them to a charity shop or, even better, find a local charity who gift good quality toys to children at christmas time. We have a few who provide gifts for those who cant afford them. Much better than chucking them in the bin.

Charity shops don’t want cuddly toys , all the ones round here don’t want anything full stop to the point of being rude and rolling their eyes when you try and drop something off

We have reached the one item in one item donated point, the local refuge takes donations as a lot of charity shops here are full to bursting and not taking donations at the moment.

My DS is nearly 2. She has about 10 soft toys, nearly all of which are in a box in her room that she doesnt even look at. She pays no attention to any of them bar a small Pepe Nana doll which she holds while watching Moon and Me in the evenings, and a Hey Duggee that talks when you squeeze his belly. I NEVER buy her soft toys. I am thinking if more arrive into the house when DC2 arrives in 3 weeks time, all bar maybe one or two will go. I just dont see the point in them.

I presume the people saying you are unreasonable live in large houses (or just enough bedrooms for people). We don’t sadly and have had a few large culls of soft toys (and other toys and books). They have grown out of them generally apart from characters they like. Christmas and birthdays are a nightmare.

DD is 12 and has many, many soft toys, I occasionally liberate 2 or 3 and hide them so I have a sort of grace period if she notices they're missing and I can "find" them again. For the last 3 years or so we've had a strict one in one out policy so if she sees something she really wants I can say "ok but who is going to make room?" Usually she decides to stick with what she's got. She currently wants the M&S Percy Pig in all its huge lurid pink horribleness and I've upped the ante to 5 go all to make room.

Feeling guilty again...

DS slept the whole of last night with his teddy cuddled against his chest. This morning, he had a tea-party with his cuddlies and told the Minion and the ugly camel that they had to share a cup and a plate.

Am looking into stuffed animal storage bean bags. I could get one that coordinates with DS's room. Has anyone had one of these? How many of the buggers can you fit in them?