When to get rid of kids toys

[Ihatemyjob22]

My son just turned 8. He has a room full of toys and lego that he hasn't touched in months. He got lego sets for Xmas that he hasn't even opened which makes me sad as he LOVED lego and he mostly plays computer games and football or watches TV.

I feel sad about getting rid of toys and when I look at his room all I see is money wasted! However they are gathering serious dust and I'm not sure there is any point keeping them when they don't get played with? He doesn't want to part with them though. Truth is I'm desperate to clear his room so it is easier to keep tidy and clean.

So when did you say goodbye to your kids toys?

Sell the unopened Lego on FB or Vinted and keep the money for a treat in the future. We moved house when my dc were around that age and I noticed they never missed anything that was boxed up and never "reappeared".

My DD is 10 and still plays with her toys. I understand the urge to declutter but 8 seems very young to get rid of them all. I think my DS was playing with toys til about 11.

sell or donate some of it. We have kept some of the expensive items such as a large collection of Duplo and over the years they’ve been played with a lot by young visitors and one day, hopefully, grandchildren.

If he’s still attached to it all maybe just plant the seed for now and try again in a few months. You certainly can’t keep everything forever. Also if he thinks his Lego etc might be leaving it might actually encourage him to get off his computer and play with it. Does he have any restrictions on the screen stuff?

I have 2 boys aged almost 10 and almost 7, I think their toys bar the lego will be going in the next year. Lego is still very much used though and I can imagine them doing that until teenage years (maybe even beyond). Once they hit the gaming and football stage, there's no going back really I think.

Get rid of anything that is for younger children or that he actually has declared babyish.

Thanks all. I think lego is something he may get back into but at the moment he still wants someone to do it with him or he loses interest which is hard when DH and I work full time.

I'll keep the lego that we have already started and sell the unopened. Everything else I will just have to go through and see what he wants to keep. I know 8 is young but he seems to be in line with all his friends the same age. They generally don't play with toys by now.

They might get played with over the summer break, presuming you set screen limits and given the guarantee of rainy days if you’re in the UK! I’d keep them for now, chuck/donate/sell anything that remains untouched when it’s back to school in September. My nephews still like lego in their teens though, so even if the toys are definitely outgrown, hopefully he’ll come back to that

Well the way I did it was to say that there were some younger children that were sad that they didn't have any toys and that it would be nice if we could help them. Then I asked if there was anything they thought were a bit babyish for them these days that we could give to a younger child.

That worked like a dream and I was able to get rid of lots of things - and I did give them away to families that were not as fortunate.

My kids will be at holiday club every day except for when we are on our family holiday so by the time they get in they're knackered and don't want to play. I know it sounds awful but we do keep weekends for family time/days out! We do see them and spend time with them.

@Blueash I love that idea. My son would really like that too. I'll give that a go