Drowning in Toys. HELP!

Put half or three quarters of them in black garbage bags.
In a few months, rotate the stock!
Too many toys are overwhelming for kids and they end up playing with nothing--or the toybox! LOL

I had six kids in the house with toys at one time. If they refused to pick up the toys no problem. I would come behind them with a huge trash bag and out they would go. I would not let them intervene and I would throw them out. (the toys not the kids.)

Amazingly they decided they would clean up and put the toys away.

Setting a timer for cleaning and really helping them clean as they go along were all helpful strategies along the way but the kicker was the first time I put their toys in the trash bag and put them out. Instant solution. Cruel maybe but I have to do what works and that seemed to work very well.

Your children don't pick up their toys?

If you have to pick up the toys, then they get put into a box and the kids don't get to play with them until they 'earn' them back by cleaning up their own mess on a daily basis.

Our son learned very quickly that his beloved Legos will end up in timeout (put on top of the refrigerator) if he doesn't pick them up.

1. Put a number of toys away in storage and "rotate" them from time to time - the ones that have been put away for while will seem like new again.

2. Start weeding through them, decide what is really essential and can stay, and donate the rest to charity.

3. If your kids are old enough to pick up their toys and clean up after themselves (and even 2 year olds can do this, with your help and supervision), make it a rule that they need to be responsible for their own stuff, or the toys will temporarily "disappear".

Some of these responses are great!! Also, make sure that the toys are age appropriate. If your kids have outgrown some of them donate them or sell them and get them out of your space LOL! I have three kids and need to do the same.

make peace with the toys. the sooner you do the happier you will be.

Get rid of some of the toys - less cleanup for you. Keep the ones they play with most often.

I agree with the other comments, that your kids need to be helping to clean up.
Also, it may be time for a toy purge. There are lots of charities that would love to share your childrens toys with kids who don't have any. Try and locate a battered woman's shelter in your area. Some of those moms have to throw their kids in the car and flee with nothing more than what they are wearing.

No-just a reassurance that in a few years they will all be gone. You will look around your living room and miss the days of toys everywhere. My boys don't really play with toys anymore-mostly sports and video games-and I have to say I am now sad those days are over and wish I wouldn't have stressed so much about it. I would gladly have a room full of thomas track and trains now! But I do agree-it does get annoying. I used decorative baskets for ours.

I tell my son that all toys still on the floor when I get back in the room will go in the trash. You would be surprised how fast things get put away!! I even bring a big black trash bag with me for emphasis.

Also, too many toys is overwhelming for them. Go through them and ask yourself if the toys are still played with or if they have been outgrown. The outgrown toys, donate immediately. The toys that they got for Christmas can be kept out because they are likely not tired of them yet. Put at LEAST half, if not two-thirds, of the toys away. Rotate them around every month or two. Less toys = less mess!!

You should see my house right now it's no laughing matter...After today i'll need to rotate them I have already gone through all of them trashed alot put some in the garage sale but still where are they coming from they are now bringing outside toys in which is a huge NO NO so out they go.
I use bins,toy boxes shelves & still they are all over the place i'm gald my money isn't wasted:)

Oh lord, this is my house too.

I really need to get rid of toys, but can never seem to find the opportunity to do it.

Good Luck!

I also rotate toys...and I donate at Christmas and Birthdays when I know new stuff will be coming in.
Not that I think you need more toys but have you considered getting a tent. My daughter's folds up flat so I can stick it behind the couch. Perhaps then your kids won't dump the toy box...they can play in the tent. I think our came from the Disney store.

Hi, J.
How are you going to change?
You are aware there is a problem.
Now you need to prepare how you will make the change.
then you do the action from your preparation stage.

How will you prepare to take care of this problem and
then what are you going to do about it?
I can tell you to donate the toys to a thrift store because you
have too many toys but that is not going to help you change.
What do you want to do about the problem?
Learning to do things with your children teaches them to take care of their things. Are you with them teaching them to pick up their toys or are you telling them to pick them up without your presence with them?

Just a thought.
Good luck.
D.

I have a similar situation. I have 4 children. When my children get toys..either for their birthday or Christmas. Once they are unwrapped...I go ahead and sort them out by what is appropriate for them to open BEFORE they can start "liking" a toy. I choose 4 out of those and have them choose which one..I hide the rest..unopened. Now that my 2 older kids are older, they know the drill..they pick and store the rest. Now for my younger 2 children...anything that has lots of pieces to it...I store in a bin(teach them to put them away or they can't have it anymore). I usually keep 2 bins of toys out. Medium size bins or small. Put the other bins of toys away...either in the shed or garage. They won't miss it. Out of sight ..out of mind. As long as they don't SEE IT..they won't miss it. Good luck!

How old are your kids? If they are old enough to understand you they HAVE to put them back in the toy box, it is not a matter of choice. I am very strict when it comes to that since I am pregnant with my second and my daughter, who just turned 16 months, knows that when mommy asks her to please put something back in the drawer she has to do it. I don't hit her or anything like that, but I keep asking her nicely until she does it and if she refuses I take it away for a while . So the excuse that they won't do it doesn't sound good. I would ask them until they learn to clean up after themselves, and if they refuse I would take the whole box of toys away until they learn that mommy is not their maid. Kids need to learn to be organized and to help out mommy as well, they can't just make a mess and expect you to clean it over and over again.

if you are over loaded, take some and bag/box them up (until you have just enough to keep the kiddo's occupied) put the remaining in the toy box, take the boxed toys and put them in storage...3-6 months later, switch them out. i did this with my daughter and she always forgot about the toys in storage, and always had something "new" to play with :)

i did this while she was at school, or had gma and gpa keep her over night so she wouldn't be there to fuss when i went through them...worked like a charm

Children will do what they are told if there is a consequence that they don't like. We have many toys, all sorted in different covered tubs. Only one tub is allowed to come out at a time. Everything must be put back in the last tub before the new tub can be opened. If 2 are open at the same time, one gets taken away for a week. My DD learned very quickly to follow the rules because she loves her barbies/pollies/baby dolls etc. She even tells her friends the rule when they come over! Be consistent and it will work.