Organizing toys post-Christmas
Late Monday night, my family and I returned home after spending a week out of town. As I started the unpacking process, which is never fun, I quickly began to realize that there would be no possible way to fit all of my girls’ new toys into their already jammed-packed rooms.
As I sat in the middle of my 5-year-old’s floor, looking at all the toys that I somehow had to fit in her closet, under her bed or on her toy shelf, I knew something had to give. So I called in my save-everything daughter, who can’t even bear the thought of parting with just about anything (hence her “special ribbon collection”), and sat her down for a heart-to-heart talk.
I told her to look around her room. I explained to her that there was simply no way for me to unpack all of her wonderful new toys unless she could make some room by showing me which toys she felt she was ready to either get rid of or put in storage for her little sister.
And then, a miracle happened. It was almost like a little light bulb turned on over my daughter’s head. Aubrey started getting rid of TONS! She said she no longer played with her vanity. She was too big for her kitchen. She tossed out stuffed animals, sorted through her puzzles and picked through her toys.
Once I was able to pick my jaw up off the floor, I told Aubrey we should make donate, sell and save piles. Again, she went through all her things like a champ.
I don’t know if it was the overwhelming amount of gifts she got for Christmas, or if she finally realized that her room was bursting at the seams, but together, Aubrey and I were able to neatly organize her room and make her toys even more accessible then they had been pre-Christmas.
Did you help your child downsize his or her toy collection to prepare for the holidays? Do you ever feel like you simply can’t fit one more toy in your house? How do you help your child to part with toys?
Tags donate, sort, toys | Category Uncategorized
I can relate. Before the holidays, I do a big sweep and put some toys in storage and others in a box to be donated. Toys in the donation pile are ones my son never became attached to. Storage is good b/c you can get the toys out if your child starts asking about them. We also *try* to stick to small toys that are easy to store. Congrats on your daughter’s epiphany. Hope my son comes to the same conclusion one day!
by Robert
We did! We cleaned out her clothes closet and got her toys where we could actually close the toy box!
by Mary Beth
We have been collecting toys to bring to South America. The children who received these gifts are amazingly grateful for the opportunity to play with what will become a strong memory.
by Dream Day Cakes®
We frequently do this… i find it easier without the kids 5 and under but my oldest (who is
understands now what we mean by new comes in that means the old must go somewhere else. I am proud of Aubrey that she was able to do that at such a young age. Now can you blog how you all handle going through clothing… its like the one chore as a mom i hate… you know when you clean out what is too small except i have to do it 3 times over and it wears me very thin and with as fast as Lyli is growing i am going through her clothes every 3 months (thank goodness my boys have slowed down but even then their stuff gets overwhelming). I am a desperate mom who want to know other secrets LOL
by Danielle Coleman
Danielle – I agree that going through the closets is no fun at all. But in our new home, the girls have REALLY SMALL closets, so I am forced to go through their clothes and downsize pretty often. I just look at each item one by one and ask myself, “Am I ever really going to put this on her again? Has she even worn it in the past six months?”
by Stacy Fournier