My son and daughter have 2 toy boxes full of toys, I went through the boxes the other day to see what I can get rid of because not all fit in the boxes. Every toy I found they play with, including some broken ones. Should I get rid of them, and how do I do it without them really noticing they are gone?
Ask them for help in splitting the piles in half, and put one set of piles in a closet or attic for a month. You can explain that this will let them have more room and that they aren't getting rid of the toys at all.
You could have them help you go through them and tell them that they can donate X amount per child (2-3, maybe?). Let them know they would go to children who don't have toys.
Another idea is put some in storage and then get rid of them later, if they don't notice they're missing.
I wait until my 2 yr old is really busy, sleeping, or visiting a family member. I go to her room, pick out all the toys she no longer plays with or are broken. All the broken toys go to the trash, the rest to donations.
I give them a bin and tell them they can only keep as many that will fit in it. We did it with stuffed animals last month and they got rid of 4 bags full of them and I've not heard a single complaint about them missing anything.
It's going to backfire on you if you try to be sneaky. You need to get them involved with the decision process or they will have major trust issues if mom is pitching their stuff when they aren't looking.
I would tell them with Christmas coming that they need to learn how to give back to others and go through their toys and decide what they need to get rid of make they help you out.
As far as the broken ones I would tell them they have seen better days and it's time for them to go into the trash.
I throw the broken ones away. We go thru toys every now and then and get rid of some. We just moved so i got rid of everything they didn't really play with then.
I agree with Bmat. Placing the items in a box for a month that they
help you decide is a good solution. This way, whatever toys left in the
box at the end of the month can be donated or recycled. If they haven't
played with it in a month then it wasn't really missed. I would just
make sure that if they ask for a toy you go and get it and avoid letting
them look in the box or they may find a bunch of toys they "need". Only
retrieve a toy if they ask for it specifically. :) Great solution bmat!
Have a great day!
Denise
The mother of the duo @ Minimalism Is Simple
Quoting heavenlybliss19:I wait until my 2 yr old is really busy, sleeping, or visiting a family member. I go to her room, pick out all the toys she no longer plays with or are broken. All the broken toys go to the trash, the rest to donations.
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- StayHomeMom0610
on Oct. 25, 2012 at 10:38 PM