Advice to Mothers

After Christmas, there can be so many toys in the house. Putting the storage issue aside, there can simply not be enough time for the children to play with them all. If you have very young children, all the toys can even be overwhelming. So what is the solution?

If the issue is simply that your child has too many toys, there is an easy solution. You get rid of some of the toys. Now, if you think there might be another child in the future who would like the toys, this can simply mean putting them away into storage. I have a bin of them we save for when we have the next child. I clean the toys, then put them into plastic bags and seal them, and then place them in the plastic storage container and seal that. It works very well, keeps them all nice, and puts them out of the way. And will save me money so I am not buying them again in a few years.

Alternatively, you can donate toys to the Salvation Army, Good Will, Deseret Industries and other charities. If you need a good place to donate, simply google “toy donations in xxxxx city/town” and see what comes up. There are always places looking for toys. Or you can go to Once Upon A Child. There you can donate toys and get store credit to use to buy other things. Check their requirments for donation before you go.

If the issue is that there are too many toys and it is overwhelming, you can “rotate” toys. This is a simple process. Put some of the toys in your closet, or an out of the way place. Every friday (or whatever day you pick) you rotate the toys in the closet with the toys out. This makes the children think they have new toys, when instead, they are simply rotating them. This also allows for a little less clutter, and fewer choices for those who have infants. Young children can be easily overwhlemed with too many choices, and like the toy rotation. It works wonderfully in our house.

I hope these ideas help you out!

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