My 2 1/2 year-old son has so many toys. I have run out of storage space. I am feeling so guilty about getting rid of so many toys. These were presents from his birthdays and holidays. He just has so many at such a young age! Any ideas on how I can store them in his room, that can still be available for him to play with?
Thank you so much for all your advice! I bought 2 huge storage bins from Target and I am going to start loading them up with some toys this weekend. I think rotating his toys is such a wonderful idea! I also like the idea about not taking all the toys out of the package and storing them, so he can open them up later on. Thank you!
put some toys away in the attic and then bring them out again in about 6 months...rotate the toys...this always works for my kiddos! It's like the toys are "new" again to them!
hope that helps!
I would start by getting rid of the clutter and bless someone else with your excess. rotating is a good idea but then you teach them to wait until the next "thing" comes along and to throw something else out and to never be happy with what they have. or you don't have to take care of it because you will get another one or move onto something better. and a 2 yr old doesn't need that many anyway. it also teaches them to not focus on the ones they really like. rotating is a good idea, but are you going to be able to keep up with it all?
we definately have a less is more attitude at my house. we also don't have to many birthday parties ( we have family only parties usually). we have a couple but offer our kids alternatives. they can invite two friends to the water park for a fun filled day, or they can pick a family trip. we all will go and play laser tag and go out to eat. then we don't have as much to begin with. because the reality is they will play with something for a week or two and then they are done or it is broken. i will buy things for the on-going things they seem to have stayed with over time. one of those is LEGO's, bikes, skate boards, scooters etc.. they use these or play with these on a daily basis. most everything is forgotten and is a waste of money. not to mention the batteries in all of the "educational" toys there are. and bedsides no amount of toys educational or otherwise can replace a parent or an empty box with some crayons.
i hope you learn to manage all those toys now or you will be crazy later! LOL
you could also ask for family passes to local zoos or childrens museums. we love those. then you can kill two birds with one stone. spend time with your child and nothing to trow away.
good luck,
L.
Hi A.,
I store all my son's toys in collapsable cloth storage bins I purchased at Target for $5 each. They fit great on his bookshelf and they are easy for him to pull out. I was pleasantly surprised at how much they hold! You can find them in the organizational section.
Also, 2 would be a great age to start teaching about the rewards of donating....before he gets any new ones he gets to choose one he would like to give to another little one like himself! Then take him to do it so he sees where it goes!
HI A.,
As a Mom of two (now they are older), but a great suggestion I heard once was when celebrating a birthday and getting lots of presents at once was to put some of them up in the attic or a safe storage place. Then rotate them once every 3 months. Then it's like getting a new toy/s more oftan and you might want to keep the ones he loved the most and sell or give the others away to less fortunate children (I am sure your family/friends wouldn't mind especially knowing he got to enjoy them. Another idea that I thought was pretty cool was (when he was a little older, the mother put on the invitation to his b-day party: No personal gifts please, if you would like to donate any baby items, we are taking all items to the "womans shelter" or anyplace that may need somethings and she just gave suggestions like for diapers, wipes, items like this or a food drive and it was such a neat idea for the community and to teach her child and the other children about giving. I think this was a nice idea and a vauluble lesson to share with other parents and children. You always end up having gifts from family and parents anyway but it might cut down on the number of toys in the home. I hope this makes sense, but I had to sell or give away too many presents and felt bad, but all the Grandparents and friends understand.
I put a toy cubby bin in my daughters closet. It organizes the toys, makes them accesable and they're out of the way.
I rotate toys using bins stored in the attic. Its amazing how a toy that has been put away for a few months can be played with as if its new and never seen before! Plus, it keeps less clutter in their rooms (and everywhere else!).
I agree. Kids get bored with toys so easily. Rotate them out, and see if any friends with kids the same age want to rotate, too. Maybe some of them could use a few (which acts as storage for you) and could rotate with you in a few months. Just be sure to engrave your initials on them or something to prevent any mix-ups. :)
You might try rotating some of the lesser played with ones. I did that when my son was about that age. We got a big storage tote and I took some of the toys he didn't play with regularly in it in the garage. In a month or two I got those out and put some more up. It was like Christmas all over again.
He never missed the ones we took out and loved it when he got "new" toys!
think also about where he is developmentally. what was his fave toy at 6 months isn't appropriate now at 2 years old. i have a rule about parts missing pieces, such as puzzles. i give them a certain time period to show up, then toss the whole thing. no kid wants to play with half of a puzzle or block set.
