Sooo many toys! Feeling guilty - where can I take them?

[snowleopard]

DS has just had his first birthday and he has so much stuff I feel quite embarrassed by it. I swore I wouldn't let it get like this - that I would tell people presents weren't necessary etc - but it's so hard to do. Of course he wants new toys as he gets older and many of them are lovely - but many (especially from my bonkers family!) are not - we have tons of too-big, unused stuffed toys as well as quite a few unsuitable ones. I need to do a sort-out.

Who/where needs toys? - is there a charity for them? I could take them to a charity shop but does anyone know of a charity who will take them directly and give them straight to people who want them? Not doing ebay, don't have time.

Charity shops will atke them and sell them, so a way of donating to charity

If not local hospitals children's ward may want them or a women's refuge, children's home(contact social services) or playgroup in a disadvantaged area?

Also think about rotating the toys at home, so put some away for a bit and bring them out in a few weeks. I was in the same situation last year and at Xmas, so for DS birthday this year, kept a list of things we wanted, including lots of books and art stuff so taht i cfoud gibe am amswer when put on the spot of "What does Ds want for his birthday"! Also avoided buying clothes for a couple of months so that I could ask for those

i tend to not even unwrap some of them and give them straight away, unused. (we have 3 children close in age and really the 3rd needs more no toys at all). doctors surgeries want toys. so do playgroups and toddler groups. women's refuges, charities for the homeless etc often want things. And towards christmas there are appeals for unused toys.

I took all my dd's surplus toys to the local childrens charity for kids with cancer, they were very happy to take them, and anything they didn't use in the hospice ( teddies) they sold in fundraising raffles etc they do.

Or another idea is the local hospital? For the children's ward, i know how much joy my dd got from the toy room when in hospital so this would have been my other choice.

Thank you, these are great ideas

another idea. have a party for ds and use the unwanted toys as party prizes, pass the parcel etc (might work better when he's a bit older than one but we use this for getting rid of excess toys for slightly older children).

Hospitals and doctoers surgeries usually need them, or you could give social services a call, they can tell you your nearest childrens home, or womans refuge etc, they may even offer to collect them.

doctors............even

Refugee Action type organisations are always really grateful for things like this.

put an add on your local freecycle.

that way they will go to either low income mummies who want some lovely toys for their chidlren or someone who works within an organisation can take them.

alternativly if you have a toy library im sure they would be gratefull.