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Toys! How do I keep them functional when there are so many?

8 replies

Midnites · 06/07/2023 09:21

I have 2 kallax units full of boxes that are piled high with toys. Everything gets mixed together. My son has so many toys. He'll play with something once or twice and it gets lost in the masses. He has a few staples he plays with all the time but I'm so bad at staying organised it's just a constant mess. If something runs out of batteries it's never played with again, even some favourites like his Duplo train set and remote control car. I just don't get how to stay on top of it all!

Am I missing a trick somewhere? I think he just has too much maybe?!

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pinguins · 06/07/2023 09:26

Are you currently doing a toy rotation where you only get out a couple of boxes for the day/week, let him play with those then put them away?
We've also found it's easier to group the toys together e.g. Brio goes in one box, Duplo goes in another box three boxes books go in another three boxes (yes we have far too many toys too but I love buying them something new when I see it)
Also for when a toy runs out of batteries, I have designated a Kallax box/drawer as "toy hospital" and put the out of batteries/broken toys in there, then once a week go to toy hospital and fix whatever I can and make a decision on the stuff I can't fix. That way I can keep track of it all.
I'm not super organised by any means but this is the way I've found that helps me vaguely keep on top of the tide of toys!

Midnites · 06/07/2023 09:29

I don't do a toy rotation no it seems too much faff lugging things up and down from the loft all the time and my son is nearly 4 so wouldn't humour me if I said you can only play with this box today, I don't think.. I don't know. We do have a Duplo box, a wooden things box etc but when he goes to play with them he just tips the entire box upside down and my lounge floor becomes an absolute bomb site within an hour. I feel their must be a better way!!!

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Midnites · 06/07/2023 09:29

Toy hospital made me laugh, I don't have an empty box for that!! Though I did just order a mega back of batteries on Amazon which is a start!

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BertieBotts · 06/07/2023 09:45

Yeah sounds like he has too much and they are not well organised.

I went through and organised by type, but related things could go together so I put all the toy food, shopping baskets and till, money, kitchen utensils all in one. While doing this discard any which are broken, don't fit with the rest, don't work properly, etc.

Put a picture on the front. That way even a pre reader knows what goes where. Can be clip art, a photo of something from the box, a bad drawing.

Do this for all boxes so that each has a set play theme. While doing this, weed out the outgrown toys. At 4 there will be plenty.

For things like duplo where you need to be able to see what you have, I'd recommend moving it from kallax which is dark and hard to see into, into a clear plastic tub. You can get them to fit inside the kallax.

Explain to son that you're having a sort out and now it will be easy to see his toys. Explain that because of this, you're not going to tip them out any more. Be prepared to spend the following 2-3 weeks reinforcing this new habit. When he gets a box out, if he doesn't tip it, praise him for keeping the toys in the box. If he does go to tip it, try to catch him in time to physically stop him and remind him "remember, we aren't going to tip the boxes out any more." Then praise if he stops. If you're too late, say "oh dear, we decided not to tip the boxes out, remember?"

If he claims he needs to tip to find things, consider the clear box, or perhaps you have too many things in that box and the mix isn't quite right. Get him on board to problem solve. If he just likes the feeling of tipping out toys (who doesn't?!) Maybe find him some toys that emulate that like ker-plunk, marble run, tub of rice to play with in a tray with little pots etc.

Stuff like battery operated toys pare down to a few favourites and/or buy a load of cheap batteries or rechargable batteries. If you're not going to replace the batteries, then donate or sell the toy otherwise it's just clutter. If you are willing to replace them then do it ASAP.

Establish tidy up time at the end of the day, but also try to keep an eye on what's happening and clean up unused boxes as you go through the day. It is easier to do this once everything has a place.

Oh and a lost parts box is also helpful. When you find a stray marble, Lego piece, board game part, put it in here instead of just sticking in any old random box. When you need a missing part, check the lost things box.

BertieBotts · 06/07/2023 09:48

Btw the rice and other messy toys are kept out of reach 😁 don't make life worse for yourself!

I could never get on with rotations. I think if you don't rotate though you do need to be fairly brutal in the number of toys you keep.

Midnites · 06/07/2023 09:50

Thank you that's all really helpful! It's hard because I feel I can't get rid of much as his brother is 4 months old and will eventually grow into all the ones 4 year old has outgrown! I need to get some baby toys back out and there's no room which is partly what's prompted me to post this. I shall go through and have a big sort out today and be a bit ruthless...

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TeenDivided · 06/07/2023 09:50

Lots of good advice from @BertieBotts there.

Miriam101 · 06/07/2023 09:50

I feel your pain OP. I always marvel at friends whose cupboards are perfectly stacked and all their jigsaws put away in zip-lock freezer bags :-) I don't know what the answer is- our situation is exactly like yours. Every once in a while I decide I can't deal with it anymore and tidy it all manically, then within another few weeks it's as bad as ever.

Surely at some point they start to have less stuff? When will that sweet day come???

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