Decluttering toys: 7 rules to easily get rid of old toys

Our kids usually have their room full of things. Do you want to get rid of it? Here’s how to declutter toys without them

Before your first child was born, you promised yourself that your home would NEVER become like one where clutter and toys reign supreme and everywhere. Right?

But now you realize that the reality is different. The toys have become too many, they are always scattered around and to arrange them every day has become a problem.
So when you pass the bedroom or the playroom or the living room and you don’t have time to tidy up, you are often forced to close the door so as not to see the chaos in front of you.

It’s demoralizing, I know, but having toys scattered here and there is completely normal. Finding stuffed animals between your feet, slipping on legos or stepping on a rattle happens to all mothers (and fathers).
The best thing to do in these cases is to organize the spaces well so that you have baskets and organizers in strategic places where you can store everything quickly and tidily.

How to declutter toys

To make space and order with toys, in addition to getting organized with creative and simple solutions such as baskets, containers and various organizers and to clean the bedroom , it is also good to resort to decluttering from time to time .

Decluttering is an English term that means “making space” by eliminating what is no longer needed.
This practice, if implemented with a certain regularity even with toys, not only allows you to keep the home environments more functional and organized, but also has positive effects on a psychological level. Furthermore, it seems that having well-structured spaces and judiciously organized toys can help children’s linguistic development.

But how to proceed to eliminate toys that are no longer needed? Where to start? How to do it painlessly and without crying? Here are some helpful tips.

1. Identify which toys to get rid of

Toys to get rid of aren’t just old or broken ones . According to the criteria of decluttering, it would be good to remove all those toys from the house that are currently useless.
For example you should get rid of the toys:

• with missing pieces
• not suitable for the child’s age
• that they never liked
• with which he played very little
• that keep him busy for too long

This applies to all children, especially those who need help in developing language and who have difficulty organizing play.

2. Choose games together with the children

A good way to declutter toys without making children cry is to involve them in choosing which toys to discard. In fact, every child likes to feel included and once the rules have been dictated to decide what to eliminate and what not, you could, for example, ask them to separate the toys to throw away from the toys to give away. Try to organize this operation in a simple and fun way.

3. Decluttering toys: set rules and seek compromises

Before starting the toy decluttering operation, give yourself some rules for choosing superfluous games and explain them to your child.
For example, he explains that toys that he no longer plays with should be eliminated, those that are broken and old, those that can no longer be repaired, those that are not suitable for him.
Despite this, there will certainly be hitches and moments of crisis during the operation. In this case, he pulls a compromise out of the hat.
For example, if your child has a toy that he doesn’t play with but doesn’t want to get rid of in any way, offer to keep it in a closet or closet for a while. He will usually forget about it, and when you come back to suggest deleting it, he will probably have realized that he doesn’t need it and that he can get rid of it without too much trouble.

4. Separate the toys to discard from those to give away

During the decluttering phase, you will be faced with two types of toys: toys to throw away and toys that are still good to play with. 
Consider well which toys should really go in the trash (broken, old, worn, dangerous) and which ones can be donated or sold in complete safety. Involve your child in the process and maybe get help making two separate bags.

5. What toys to donate or sell

Toys that are good to be sold or given away are only those in excellent condition.
In other words, only give or sell your toys if they are such that you would buy them yourself. Donate the toy possibly with its original packaging or manufacturer’s instructions.
In any case, it is a good rule NOT to give:

• toys that are at the end of their useful life
• stuffed animals, unless they are new or in like new condition
• toys that have sustained significant damage.

4. Who to donate superfluous toys to

After sorting the toys, those in good condition you can give them to:

• children of friends and relatives
• charities, including online
• family homes
• shelters for women
• parish
• schools, kindergartens, solar fields
• children’s hospitals
• online recycling groups

5. Involve the child in the delivery

A good idea to get rid of the toys is to involve the children in the task of delivering them . Whether you have decided to sell them or give them away, ask your child to accompany you to deliver them to the facility or collection point of your choice.
This way your child will see that they don’t go in the trash and that his “sacrifice” will make other children happy. This will make it more conducive to your next decluttering.

6. Sell your discarded toys

If you can’t find anyone who accepts your toys, or if they’re so new that you can make something out of them, sell them. Spending some cash on discarded toys isn’t a bad idea, especially if you have a lot of them in good shape.
One of the choices you can make is to look for flea markets that collect toys or search online for groups of exchanges or for the sale of used things.

7. Set rules for future toys

Decluttering and getting rid of toys to make room in the house also means laying the foundations so that the accumulation does not happen again.
A good thing to do, therefore, is to limit the space to accommodate other toys. For example, you can establish with your children that toys can only be stored in certain baskets or boxes. If a new toy arrives and the baskets are full, then they need to know that something old needs to be cleared out to make way for the new toy.
This rule will allow you to propose a new decluttering at times when many gifts arrive such as Christmas or birthdays.

Here, these are just some tips on how to move when you want to declutter toys. Did you take note?
Remember that doing it with children will certainly be an interesting and stimulating experience. Apart from some initial resistance, you will discover many things about your child that you may not have known yet: his desires that are more personal than him, the things that no longer interest him, his responsibility and generosity.