Parenting Hack: Decluttering Toys Before the Holidays
By Lindsey Mahanna | Clutter to Clarity Home Organizing
The holidays are just around the corner and it’s a great time to declutter toys and games before you host company and new gifts arrive. Here are some tips that I use in my own home each year. (Shh, don’t tell my kids!)
1. Declutter right before new toys come into the house for a birthday or holiday.
Decluttering now will create space for the new toys and it will also be harder for your children to notice what has disappeared with the excitement of new toys.
2. Declutter without involving your children.
This can be a controversial viewpoint as many parents believe that children should be involved in the process. From my own experience, I think decluttering without your children is the best plan, especially when they are too young to understand what decluttering means. Plus, once you read below, you’ll see that my delayed donation strategy creates a “gentle” approach to decluttering.
3. Do not donate the decluttered toys right away.
Instead, tuck them away in the house where your children cannot find them. This allows you to “find” any toys that your children start to miss after they have been removed.
4. Rearrange the toy area.
Moving the toys around has two benefits. One, it makes it harder for the children to notice what is missing and two, it helps them “see” great toys that may have previously gotten lost in the mix.
5. After a few months, donate the hidden and now forgotten toys.
Unopened toys are a great donation for charities such as Toys for Tots. Local Buy Nothing groups on Facebook are a great way to share used toys with others.
By doing this right before new and exciting toys come into the house, you are setting yourselves up for success. You get to remove the unwanted toys and your children will never notice what’s missing. Plus, going through all of the toys is an excellent reminder to Santa of the current toy and game inventory. (wink)
If you are feeling overwhelmed by the process of going through the toys and games on your own, you can always reach out to a professional organizer for help.
Here are some ways a professional organizer can help:
1. Guiding you through the decluttering process
2. Helping to create better storage solutions
3. Setting up a toy rotation system
4. Giving you permission to let go of unwanted gifts
5. Taking donations out of the house for you
Moms, I hope you follow my tips and give yourselves the gift of a decluttered toy area this holiday season!
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Lindsey Mahanna is the owner of Clutter to Clarity Home Organizing LLC based in Morris Country NJ and serving the Northern NJ area. You can find out more about Lindsey here: www.cluttertoclaritynj.com
