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SusanJ
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| Posted: March 12 2008 at 9:22am | IP Logged
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I've got the declutter bug, too, and I'm about to start on the toys. It's not really, really bad, here, but it's reached a tipping point and I sort of want to keep all our standards low when it comes to an acceptable number of toys in our home.
Couple questions before I start tossing . .
1. Have you ever regretted a toy purge because your kids were left with not enough to play with?
2. Have you ever tossed a toy that wasn't getting used by young children and ended up buying it again later for older kids?
Dh is concerned because we only have a 3yo boy and a 1yo girl. Our son is in a wheelchair so he can't do stuff like train tracks or blocks that don't stick together because the toys get knocked over by his wheels or his dragging legs. So dh wants to hang onto stuff in case future kids want it. But we're not talking about heirloom stuff, here. A couple Melissa and Doug-type wooden toys and such. Thoughts?
Susan
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: March 12 2008 at 10:23am | IP Logged
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If you have good storage space.. i don't see why not.. I've done that.. when the littles "outgrow" a toy, rather than leaving it out to be destroyed.. i'll pack it up and into the garage rafters it goes.. and then i can get it down again another time.
But then I do that with quite a few toys.. we have very little space inside.. so I rotate inside toys.. and even put all but a very very few away in the summer when they can play outside mainly.
That let's us invest in some of the more expensive toys and keep the children's interest up.. and doesn't overwhelm with the sheer amount.
Right now we have duplo and hotwheels out in the boys room.. and dress up and a tea set in the girls room. A few baby toys have a box in the living room.
They get to keep a FEW stuffed animals/dolls out as well.
I have puppets and doll/playing house stuff and wooden blocks and some baby stuff put away in the garage.. probably other stuff I'm not thinking of at the moment.
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folklaur
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| Posted: March 12 2008 at 10:33am | IP Logged
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Well, I would probably keep well made wooden toys...plastic toys would be easier for me to purge.
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SusanJ
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| Posted: March 12 2008 at 10:39am | IP Logged
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Jodie that's encouraging to hear how few toys you have out. We have a very tiny apartment with almost no storage but that might change in six months or so. If I can find a spot, perhaps I'll keep a box of stuff that isn't working right now. I guess an emergency box for rainy/sick days is nice to have. A "new" toy is better than videos.
Susan
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amyable
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| Posted: March 12 2008 at 10:40am | IP Logged
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To answer your questions, no, and no. 
I have found that as more kids were added to the mix, we needed even FEWER toys. They play with each other more than playing with toys. Maybe that's because I have four girls in a row, I don't know - maybe boys are different? We don't have enough storage to "put stuff away for later" so I'm not big on that, but that's just me. 
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amyable
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| Posted: March 12 2008 at 10:45am | IP Logged
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Oh and I've found that if "future kids need it" there is always an opportunity to buy them a toy, either from us or a relative who needs an idea - birthdays, Christmas, etc. It's worth my peace of mind to get rid of it now and pick up something at a yard sale later for $2!
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SuzanneG
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| Posted: March 12 2008 at 11:03am | IP Logged
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amyable wrote:
I have found that as more kids were added to the mix, we needed even FEWER toys. They play with each other more than playing with toys. Maybe that's because I have four girls in a row, I don't know - maybe boys are different? |
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I've found the same thing.
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Suzanne in ID
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chicken lady
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| Posted: March 12 2008 at 12:48pm | IP Logged
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I have never regretted any purging! I keep the nice well made wooden toys, and I pack them away when we have outgrown them.
I find my dc only play with a couple of toys , mostly they are dressing up, or outside, or playing with my kitchen supplies  So I rarely hestitate to throw or give away. But, you have different circumstances, I would go with my dh if I were you.
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Mackfam
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| Posted: March 12 2008 at 1:33pm | IP Logged
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No, I've never regretted purging - we purge toys twice a year - Advent and Lent. I'm brutal. I've found like others that the fewer the toys, the better. I keep the better quality toys to hand down. Your kids are still little Susan, but the 3yo should be starting to clean up his messes. It is much easier for them to clean up fewer toys as well. I keep the toys out to a minimum, store even fewer, and give away a lot!! So, if your dh wants to keep a few, no problem, just get a clear storage bin that maybe slides under a bed and store only what fits in the bin.
No, I've never re-purchased a toy. What seems to be happening here is that I might consider replacing a toy I got rid of a long time ago with something of better quality and fewer parts. For example, my (now 11 yo) dd had a plastic kitchen thingy with a gazillion plastic food parts that went with it. I gave it away years ago, and I definitely don't regret it. But, my now 3yo really loves playing kitchen. I purchased a small, wooden kitchen and a few wooden play foods made by Haba and all the kids love it. Smaller scale, better quality, open ended play potential.
Have fun purging!!!
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: March 12 2008 at 1:45pm | IP Logged
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There are some things that I've found with more kids we need more of.. not more different toys but more of the same toy.. like the duplo blocks.. even my older kids like those still (since I don't want the legos while I have babies around this works nicely) so I could have 4+ kids playing with duplos at once.. the amount that worked for 2 kids doesn't work for 4.. we just added 2 buckets worth to the collection at Christmas.
also hotwheels, dress up clothes, when you have more children playing together.. I find that there are some things you need MORE of.. though fewer actual categories of toys work well.
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4Real Forums : Mothering and Family Life
Topic: Decluttering toys
