How can I kondo/minimise kids stuff?

PenniesMake£s

I am desperate to sort this out once and for all. I spend hours and hours every week organising and tidying the playthings of my 3kids (8,6and 3) books, paper, colouring books, glue, pens, dolls, duplo, lego etc explode over the house every single day. The kids do help tidy up sometimes and I try to encourage them to put things away etc. My hubby won't help at all with this because he says it is my fault I have allowed so much stuff to enter the house and if he was in charge of the toys they'd have a box of Lego, one doll/soft toy, pens and paper and a couple of books and a ball. One toy box, easy. However how could I really get rid of all the playmobil, barbies, massive imaginext toys, and tons of other toys they've collected over the years and actually do use? I am exhausted clearing this stuff up everyday and I would love a minimalist house. Every other area of the home is very minimalist actually (kitchen, bathroom, clothes...) but the kids stuff really stresses me out.

Any advice????

SmlSave

Have you tried filling up one box with toys and hiding it? Just one to start with and to see if they'll actually miss it!

A third of the kids toys went 'missing' after Christmas and I haven't heard a peep!

Another tactic I heard with older kids was to give them a container and have them fill it up with their toys - anything that doesn't fit can't stay. So it's fine having an arts n crafts box, but only enough to fill said box

SmlSave

Plus, I'd would not be impressed with DH saying the like it's your fault, you deal with it :mad:

I would suggest therefore that I don't wash his clothes as its his fault their dirty etc.

Or that I was leaving for a weeks holiday so he could have the space to organise everything as I obviously do it wrong.:mad:

I am angry on your behalf Penny

pigpen

box it up and they have to ASK for it down.. each time they do they have to put it away before they are allowed ANYTHING else. Write down when they have had each thing down and if they've not asked for it in 6 months, sell it!!


And do they really need so much???

stuffed toys.. fling.
dolls.. they dont need them all.. fling.. 2 or 3 is plenty


In a few years it will ALL be gone, you could just embrace it and all tidy it away together as part of your getting ready for bed routine!


(I'm just getting rid!)

VfM4meplse

PenniesMake£s wrote: »

My hubby won't help at all with this because he says it is my fault I have allowed so much stuff to enter the house and if he was in charge of the toys they'd have a box of Lego, one doll/soft toy, pens and paper and a couple of books and a ball.

Sounds like a nice guy. Divorce him.

PenniesMake£s

Lol vfm4 He is a nice guy but a lazy one when it comes to housework :mad: however he's a great dad and plays with the kids loads more than I do and works hard ( at work). So no divorce for now;) it is Valentine's day after all.

Some great suggestions coming though, thanks. Welcome any more thoughts x

maman

I'd suggest bringing toys out in rotation so the majority gets put away somewhere inaccessible like the loft and they get to play with a different set of toys, say, each month. I'd have paper and pens always on hand though.


Then I'd get them involved in tidying up more. One trick that can work is 'tidying up music' so you put something on they'll enjoy and get as much tidied as possible before it finishes.


Big boxes with lids so that everything can be scooped into them are helpful but I expect you've got something like that.


Since your DH is convinced there's too much perhaps he'd like to help weed some out and donate to CS. They could do it while he's playing with them.

VfM4meplse

maman wrote: »

Then I'd get them involved in tidying up more. One trick that can work is 'tidying up music' so you put something on they'll enjoy and get as much tidied as possible before it finishes.

A brilliant game that works for all ages.

(She says, having cleaned the house top to bottom in 2 hours to Luther Vandross this morning).

tooties

Thin out the toys, they cant play with them all.

regards

Shortypie

I feel your pain - I have 3kids too - 9 year old twin boys and a 5 year old girl - and they all share a room in our tiny bungalow! :eek: Hubby was off for a week last week and managed to find the floor in their room one day (he does it quicker than me as he's a "piler" I'm a "sorter-outer"). However it was back to being a carpet of !!!! today as we've been in a lot of the weekend. I wouldn't mind but DD had her Lego out then asked daddy to get her princesses out (he didn't get her to tidy the lego) then she wanted the Sylvannian car for her princesses so he got the whole sylvannian box down, which she started playing with instead (by playing I mean she part furnished one house then strew the rest of the furniture across the floor) and I made her tidy her princesses up at least.

But actually she spent more time making a hammock out of a length of net curtain and a chair, for her "blanky" that she takes to bed and decorating the surrounding area with stickers :rotfl:

I don't have the answer I'm afraid. I have just got rid of one major thing, a toy wooden cot with babies and clothes (sold) and 2 dressing up outfits but that hasn't dented it (and we were using the toy cot as a clothes-dump, particularly uniform for the next day, so it's kind of inconvenient!)

Could you ban the toys to their room/s only? With crafting/colouring in the front room? Then just ignore their rooms and do one big tidy up a week?

misfire

I feel your pain. My daughters birthday is not long after Christmas, I had barely put away her christmas stuff before the birthday stuff arrived. Although I cry at the price, i invested in some Really useful boxes as they stack and there is no wasted space inside them, our last stack boxes they way they stacked you lost loads of space. I clear out load into lidl big bags (the 39p bag for life ones) hide them in my room for a few weeks before charity shopping/passing them on...amazing what they don't miss and if they do, I can pop it back into her room without to much hassle!. She also has a cupboard that if "free access" and a wardrobe she had to ask for things out of that - that was all the painting and many part things go in there so don't end up all over her room.

I also don't keep toys downstairs, I used to have a toy box down here but stuff was always everywhere. She can bring what she likes down but it goes back up after.

I have never found the definitive answer to your question - and my eldest is nearly 17 so have been looking for many year :-) oh only other tip I have learnt - NEVER give the stuff to a charity shop you may go into .... I don't do local ones after DS went past a Chazza many years ago and looked in the window and said "oh I have one of those at home, i must get mine out....." erm no you won't as its in that window!