Anxiety about how to fit new toys given at Christmas

[Rebelwithallthecause]

I have two young children
They share a bedroom
We live in a small 2 bed Victorian terrace

I’ve had a clear out today of anything they had grown out of as we were overflowing

There still is no room for any more

I’ve got anxiety now about how we will manage Christmas

The magic of the toys on Christmas morning is so important but how do we keep the magic without bringing in too many toys?

They have big families too who all want to buy for them

How old are your kids?

Mine are 2 and 4, I just did a big clear out but at this age there'll be at least one, maybe 2 more clear outs by Christmas. They change so quickly. Key is to be brutal about getting rid of stuff.

Do you have a loft? Sentimental stuff they don't play with could go up there if so?

Could you ask for a family present instead like national trust or a day out to the theatre or theme park?

Relative could come too? Kids remember experiences rather than stuff

They are 3 and 7 months so hard to clear out the 3 year olds outgrown bits as baby will have them eventually

The 6 month old won’t really be needing anything at all this Christmas but will still need to do stockings so the older one believes

Can you pick maybe two categories of toys and get everyone to buy for that collection so it's only finding a home for a few things rather than 10+ different toys

Some examples:

• Schleich animals
• brio trains and track
• Sylvanian families
• playmobil
• duplo / Lego
• happyland

Then anybody who didn't want to contribute to that collection could get things that are quickly used up (craft kits) or useful objects (character bedding sets, pajamas, hot water bottle etc)

Or another option, outdoor toys if you have a garden

Experiences or memberships are a good idea

Playmobil is a good plan. It lasts for years and you can keep lots of sets in a box.
Look at Kallax storage from Ikea. It has a small floor space but you can store masses in it.

LOL.

A terraced house is not necessarily "Victorian"

Ask for money after the clear out, then buy what will fit in. Your Victorian Terrace.

Do you have loft space?

I feel exactly the same. It does give me anxiety.
We have a clear out every so often and have just had one today and have filled 4 massive bin liners full to the brim of plastic tat. The worst thing is in this house we try our best to be environmentally conscious. We use refill products, cloth nappies etc to reduce plastic waste so it really drives me crazy how many plastic toys we end up throwing away as even charity don't want this amount.

I ask family every birthday and Christmas to please give money if they want to give a gift. Even £5 is plenty. We then use this for days out, their activities or savings accounts. But lo and behold every event brings hundreds of toys.
It would feel slightly less irritating if my kids played with them but they don't. I often wonder if they have too much choice it's overwhelming.

We can't just throw them out straight away because family expect to see them playing with the gift when they come round or will ask about the gift months down the line and my kids are too honest.

It comes from a good place and I'm not ungrateful even if I sound it but it's too much. Each person gives at least 3 toys for each child.

I'd rather they give their time but thats a whole other thread.

Will leave this here!

I would do another clear out in November and then give family members who as for ideas specific lists of small gifts.

@saltycat I don’t understand

It is a terrace house and it is Victorian (1905)

@metronome1 that’s how I feel

The plastic is crazy and we aren’t buying it to add to it, it just seems to happen.

I would rather if they wanted to give to put something in the kids savings but I’d feel embarrassed suggesting it to family who seem to love buying ‘stuff’

I also had two with a two year age gap in a two bedroom terrace. We also have big families. My living room was brimming with toys at one point.

Be ruthless with the culling. Have a regular cull every six months. Ask for things that can add to existing stuff. Toot Toot animals and tracks, train tracks and trains, duplo sets etc can all go into an existing storage box. Be honest about what doesn't get played with anymore. Don't feel like you have to keep things for the youngest. Get all the big noisy Vtech plastic stuff outside for them to play with. Get organised with your storage. Buy the kids a bunk bed or a loft bed for the oldest to store stuff underneath. Insist on one toy from each family member and then spend the rest of the money on clothes or other essentials. Like a bunk bed or storage!

I'm so glad mine are older and like smaller toys now that take up a lot less space. I'm still ruthless with chucking stuff out. I try to rotate toys and encourage them to play with different things, but if they don't show any interest, I get rid. We moved last year and I'm due a cull soon.

Or add to things you already have like a smoothie maker for the toy kitchen kind of thing

Sticker books for the 3 year old

Saltycat very odd reply. I think the OP knows the age of her own house

We used a lot of the Ikea Trofast for good storage, for lots of things like Playmobil and Lego (initially Duplo), art stuff, etc. Just try to go with small rather than huge toys and really try not to have too many similar things.

We used a lot of the Ikea Trofast for good storage, for lots of things like Playmobil and Lego (initially Duplo), art stuff, etc. Just try to go with small rather than huge toys and really try not to have too many similar things.

Now is the time to either decide families do not DO crap pressies at Christmas and ask for Premium bonds or cash instead.

Our family decided years ago not to buy for siblings/outlaws etc. For the kids it was money in an envelope and the parents could buy what they wanted for them.

Always had a great Christmas Day.

Save the planet from crap is my view, most of this gift stuff is rubbish anyway. Need to re educate everyone now as to what is really important, and it is not tat in a gift bag either.

I think if you have kids, you’ve got to expect lots of toys. For it to give you anxiety seems a very strong reaction. Invest in some good storage, I agree kallax furniture is great for toy storage, floor to ceiling, you can fit loads of toys in very little floor space.

Ask them to club together to buy one big thing, a bike or something? Or a token present each, so a small book, stickers, that sort of thing. Or tell them that you are not doing family presents anymore, even betyer

This usually gets poo pooed on mn but I like the slightly twee:
Something you want
Sometjing you need
Something to wear
Something to read.

And yy to tickets to panto or season paases for whatever.

The idea of collecting something like brio is a good one. Then you get extra bits for birthday and bonus you can sell them on when your dc have finished with them.

This is going to sound awful, and I obviously don't do it with very close family members, but when someone gives my children toys that I don't want because it's just going to take up space and barely ever get used, I just say thank you and smile then donate it somewhere still in it's packaging. This only worked the past two Christmases as my son was only 18 months at the last, I'm not sure what my plan is now he's getting older. Screen all presents by opening and only re-wrapping and giving the approved ones? Haha.

With close family, I just explicitly tell them not to buy crap, please.

A property built in 1905 is Edwardian.

We have a 4 year old and a nearly 1 year old and I know the feeling. It has been made worse by buying to many toys for the older child’s birthday as I felt sorry for her lockdown. Add in panicking about having to home educate long term and trying to figure out how to keep the tiny toys away the younger one means there are toys everywhere. In between age toys are in the loft - if you do this keep a clear list of what is where.

Have a regular declutter. Assuming you are planning another child then the baby will soon start outgrowing stuff. We always do another declutter a couple of weeks before birthdays and Christmas time. Have a think about smaller toys which the kids may enjoy or things which will be used up. Memberships may not be a great idea at the moment but maybe a magazine subscription.

Obsessed with the PP who LOLed at ‘Victorian terrace’ - why??