As an introvert who loves calm, neutral everything, the endless mess that comes with motherhood has challenged my patience from time to time… Let’s get real, toys kill me on a daily basis. But instead of losing my mind altogether, I decided to find ways to cope with these singing pieces of plastic:
everything needs a place
I keep most of the girls’ toys in their rooms. There’s a huge basket in the living room where I toss all the toys that make their way out to other parts of the house throughout the day. Right before they go to bed, I carry the basket to their rooms and drop off the delinquent toys (meaning they get tossed in yet another basket, keep it simple). Then the process starts all over again the next morning. ✨
on rotation
I keep a stash of toys (usually the most annoying, loud ones) in a basket in one of their closets. This makes older toys more fun to discover again. ✨
minimize the clutter
I don’t really buy toys ‘just because’. My kids get a ton of fun stuff from their grandparents, on birthdays, holidays, etc. If I contributed regularly, we’d need a bigger boat.
take inventory
I purge often, keeping only the things we really love and use. I find that my kids play more when they have less options to choose from. I’ve also recently started including my older daughter in the sorting process. She’s 4.5 yrs old and seems to have a good sense of what she’s ready to let go of.
Hopefully this helps or inspires you to feel better about managing your kids’ toy collections. If you’d like a hand in finding peace at home amongst all the noisy things, please don’t hesitate to reach out or grab a copy of my Kidspace eBook.