Hopefully your Christmas was a time of joy and giving. With that, I’m sure there also came an overwhelming flood of new toys. This is great for our kids, but scary for our homes.
I know our home looked like aisle 7 of Toys R Us with a tent, work bench, little tikes car, and puzzles and books everywhere. I immediately started going through all Kyler’s old toys to see what I could put away that he doesn’t play with.
It got me thinking of a few options for “out with the old, in with the new”:
Donate!
There are always children in need of toys and an abundance of places to give. Think thrift stores, children’s homes, asking your local church if they have a program, walking down the street to a family you know might like some new toys, children’s hospitals, day cares, and more. You could even post something on your social network of choice to see if there is a certain need of someone you don’t know about. This is a great opportunity to teach your kids about giving to others in need.
Sell!
If your family could benefit from a little extra cash, think about having a garage sale. The spring months (March and April) are some of the best times to have a garage sale. Kids stuff sells pretty well and is a great way to make a little money for any new stuff you might need.
Store!
If you are in the baby making business (like Casey and I happen to be in right now) your best option might be to store the toys for the next child. Separate the toys out by age appropriateness (newborn rattles, board books, soft blocks) and store in marked bins. When you’re ready to pull the toys out for the next kid, just soak in a bleach bath to disinfect and play away!
Re-purpose!
You may not be ready to get rid of toys and maybe your child still plays with most of them. Think about organizing and presenting the toys in new and different ways. Create a play table with a basket of puzzles underneath for a special surface to make puzzles with. Make a cozy corner with pillows, blankets and stuffed animals with a basket of books for an instant reading corner. Try making some garages out of shoe boxes to store cars and trucks in a place near some hard floor for driving. Hopefully this will make old toys more exciting and easier to clean up quickly.
So what do you do with the overwhelming amount of toys you seem to acquire at Christmas?
Hi Lauren,
A toy overload is actually my dilemma right now. My three kids just received a downpour of toys last Christmas and I no longer know what to do with them. The house is just so cluttered with toys and everywhere I look, I happen to find one. I think donating them is the best idea and I will let my kids do this.
Thanks and happy new year!
Grace