Again, from A Cup of Jo today, a topic I've been pondering - how to best deal with TOYS.
Motherhood Mondays: The Great Toy Experiment
I've read some similar ideas here and there over the last few weeks, then really started considering what to do with the overflowing toys because we are having 20-ish small children to our house this weekend. EEKS! I need to do a lot of cleaning, and removing of choking hazards, and then have a discussion with Ellen about what is fair-game and what she wants to put away. I was considering putting quite a bit of it away and not getting it back out?
We are fortunate in our new house to have a lot of storage space, so I feel much less that I am being swallowed by her things, mostly because I don't have to look at them all the time. Still, though, she has far too many toys, some of which rarely get played with. My approach generally is to have everything put away every night before bed. I've noticed if things are left on the floor or in piles, she'll just walk right past them the next day to get to something else. When Ellen plays with Erik, I'll often come home to a room full of things strewn all over the place. I know she has had an excellent time, but I also know that she won't pick up any of those items again to play with - she'll go and get something new.
Her favorite things to do these days are color, make piles of hoarded items, and occasionally play in kitchen or vet. That's about it. That also leaves about 89 toys in her play room and big girl room that languish on the shelves.
How do you deal with this?
2 comments:
We've just started rotating toys. So far we've rotated twice. At least one box goes to the basement and what's left get's switched up in it's arrangement. Just yesterday brought some of the basement stuff back up (and put new stuff into storage) and he's having a blast like he's been given all new toys.
And I try to immediately pitch all the McDonald's style junk that clutters us up. It hits the trash before it ever makes it to the toy box. Singular exception of one jumping monkey that makes Miles giggle for extended periods of time. :)
I need to do something- I have started a "donate" box, but it should have about 354 more things in it. I'm thinking birthday time is a good time for 'out with the old'?
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