Toy overload - (how) do you get rid of them?

[ladymuck]

The ds's are well catered for this Christmas. Not over the top - one present from us, one from Father Christmas, one from each set of Grandparents, and another half dozen from godparents, aunts, uncles etc. No one item over £40, but still about 20 new toys descending on the house.

Ds has a birthday at the end of March where he will have a party - most friends will bring a present - another 20 toys. Likewise ds2 wil have a birthday 6 weeks later - say at least a dozen more presents.

I've been through the toy cupboard and have found about 4 toys which they have "outgrown" (they are 4.5 and 2.5 respectively). Largish sets such as wooden train track, castle, kitchen, workbench are all in regular use. Also have Duplo/lego/knex stuff that gets played with. We have boxes of cars/fireengines, and several remote controls things as well.

Should I be "rotating" more (though where I'm going to get room to store the stuff not in use I don't know!). What will I be buying in future years - we're obviously not onto console games or anything yet - does that take over or will I suffocate under a mountain of power-rangers and Hot Wheels?

I don't want to see them "spoilt", but without cancelling birthday parties, I'm not sure what to do? How often do you clear out "old" toys? Again having 2 of the same sex means that ds2 is generally happy to play with ds1's castoffs (if ds1 owns to having any!)

I ebay stuff that is in excellent condition or collectible. Anything else gets taken to the charity shop.

I clear out toys as DD grows out of them. I either sell them, pass them onto friends/family or give them to DD's nursery.

Someone I know who goes to the same toddler group as me recently brought in her dd's and ds's outgrown toys to the toddler group and sold them there. She made £40 and gave the toddler group funds about a fiver.

It was very little hassle for her to organise. I'll do the same when I chuck out toys (not done this yet since I plan to have a 3rd baby before I stop)

We are in a similar situation to you but about 9 months behind (ds's just turned 4 and 2). Really need to get things cleared out before christmas - still have quite a lot of 'baby' toys that ds2 has outgrown now. Bit nervous about how to cope now they are moving in earnest to the fiddly bits of lego and other similar big sets phase....
Options for getting rid of - school christmas fair (just missed ours this year but next year I will be on the ball!); second hand toy shop; NCT sales; charity shop; friends with babies (lots and lots of our stuff is handed down from friends with older kids).
I've never got the hang of 'rotating' toys either - like you, nowhere to put the excess, but also, life's too short and I think you can 'over-organise' your children's play....

I have had lots of clear outs leaving just toys...no junk. We now have a zillion little sorted baskets under the bed that have one sort of toy in each. I buy crafty stuff for Birthday/xmas..in other words stuff that will throw out once its done
Ebay till you have 1 or 2 of each things.
It is very annoying that you know the younger one will grow into the toys but OMG you are sick of tripping over them

We rotate toys into the loft and out again.

I also try and send a large bin bag of toys to charity shop (or rubbish bin) after each birthday/christmas influx.

also, the last 2 birthdays for my dds (age 5, 4, 1), i've actually not given them anything much myself apart from a big party. that way they get lots of little toys from their friends but not an excessive overall amount. which has cut down the clutter somewhat.

Sell them at your local toddler group - so easy (I know I am repeating myself but I think it's a fabulous idea; and much simpler than Ebay)

But how do you decide is something is "outgrown"? Or do you simply cull until you are left with just one toy fire engine (We had 6 different and 3 of the same the last time I counted?). I've manged to get rid of most of our McDonalds toys (on a day when the ds's were both out with dh)! Should I be more ruthless? Which Power Ranger should get the axe?

I would be ruthless, if they don't play with it, then regardless of whether they have outgrown it or not, I would give it to charity.

I'd also put a few toys away, then when they get bored you can get these old toys out and they will be like new for them!

Putting old toys away also means that you can pass them down in years to come. Dh's mum kept some of the children's favourite toys over the years, so now when my children visit, they are playing with the same toys their dad played with! I think that's sweet!

hmmm, yes that is tricky. For example we still have the baby trolley and bricks because ds1 quite often uses the bricks for building projects...and we have lots of quite babyish toy vehicles.
I guess I will just remove stuff I know they haven't played with much and won't miss. tbh, we don't have all that much surplus - even after ds1's birthday - his haul from friends was mostly books, which aren't much of a problem. If I had 9 toy fire engines then yes, I'd probably cut it down to 2 or 3!

Thanks - I tried to surreptiously peek through ds1's birthday presents last year, but he beat me to it - 3 identical emergency vehicle sets! We will too close to Tesco!

Every now and then I go through a phase of removing one item every day for a week or so. You can always put them aside and see what gets asked for. Duplicates go first, anything broken unless it's a real favourite that still gets used.
I also confess that after DD's birthday party (22 kids = 22 presents) I removed a box full of pink plastic stuff and just left her with the 6 or so things that i thought she had really registered. I still have the box full, but she hasn't asked for any of them. We'll 'find' some of them next year when Christmas has died down a bit.
I also confess that I hate one of her presents so much I won't give it to her unless she specifically remembers it (it's a Bratz baby btw)

hmm, too much confessing, should've previewed

I have got myself into a dreadful mess on the toy front. My entire home is knee-deep in meccano, Lego, inanely grinning soft toys, wooden ride-ons, train sets that snake under the furniture and across the whole living/dining room, great hunks of plastic that honk and squeak and beep and chirrup...it's a jarring horrible nightmare of cacophonous noise and revolting primary colours...every time I move I tread on a plastic soldier or a Lego brick (they say the most painful household object to step on is a three-pin plug. It isn't. It's a plastic soldier with a fixed bayonet. Right in the soft bit under your big toe) or set off another plastic banjo or singing animal. The current fave is a giant felt mouse which grins as if it's on Lithium and sings "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" sounding for all the world like Edith Piaf after a session on the cooking sherry. Coming in from a day out is like a full-frontal assault on all five senses. And the books...oh, the books! I swear I didn't buy them all, the damn things are breeding. I daren't open any of the cupboards for fear of what will come cascading out. If I try to sneak anything out to the bin while they are asleep they miss it immediately - their radar is terrifyingly accurate and they know every item, right down to the last stickle brick. I advise each and every one of you to take a bin-liner to your childrens' toys at least once a month. It's too late for me, but you can still save yourselves!!

ROTFL

We have too many toys here too (1 ds, aged 6). Last year I cleared out before Christmas most of the baby stuff, as we still had playmats and rattles!

Now I chuck out any toy when it becomes broken, or too messy to use any more.

Last week I sat down with ds and we decided on toys that he could 'pass on to less fortunate boys', seeing as he would probably get some more from Father Christmas. He wasn't hugely generous, but his big truck full of megablocks, a talking Sulley, and a couple of 30-piece jigsaws have gone to the charity shop, with his blessing.
It is difficult, esp as dh and I are born clutterers, and find it hard to part with stuff.

my sisters puts 'no presents please' on her boys party invites. She hasn't had any probs doing that, they are 8 and 11.

I did a bit of a cull with DD1 recently...

Whatever you do this year, save the boxes. I have sold loads this way. If you have the box and you know that the toy works, save it!!!!

With anything else, providing it's in good nick, I give to charity shop, making sure I wash the plastic free of biccies/chocolate first.

I've jsut boxed up a load and am taking them in to the hospital my DS attends for their playroom