[Momof4Boyz]

BY TOYS!!!
I HAVE to do something with this mess we have!!

I WANT this... it's just lovely and perfect in my eyes...



But instead I have this....


Minus the bed, we moved the beds into the same room so we could have 1 room dedicated to toys and even then it's....






Ahhhhh!!!!

And you can't see inside the closet but it's full of toys too and we have 2 big bins full of toys in the garage too. We need toy intervention!!!! And some serious help making our playroom into a nice organized enjoyable - easy to clean - playroom. *sigh*

Anyone else overwhelmed by toys or have any tips for deciding what to keep and what to get rid of?? I really think we need to cut back by like 50%!

[cybele]

When my kids have/had toys that they were too old for, we sat down and talked about children who dont have anything to play with, and how sad they must be, and a put a box in the middle of the loungeroom and got them to pick toys that they think they no longer need to go to those children.

That way, there were no tears, because they were picking the toys to go.

[mommy2Breana+Brandon]

I am the same way. I need to go thru ours though and get rid of the "younger" toys that they don't play with anymore and ones that are missing pieces.

I would love the first picture that is just lovely!!!

I also don't have a 'toy' room per say. It is their bedroom and the living room. I am working on getting the basement cleaned up at least they can play down there with them then.

[MommaLexi]

Our play room looks a lot like the first picture, but I'm super OCD, lol. I have to have a designated toy room, because foster kids have to be kept on line-of-sight supervision, so playing in their rooms isn't an option (except for Avery). The formal dining room is our play room.

My advice for organizing is to get the cube shelves from Target with the fabric drawers, that's mostly what we have. I'm anal and organize different things into the drawers, but when Avery and Solas are helping clean up they just have to put the toys in bins, I organize it later when they're asleep and I feel like it. It doesn't need to be super organized though, just having bins that aren't clear makes the room look so much better. As for bigger toys, I have a couple of the cube shelves with no bins, and the biggest toys are on top of them or on the floor.

For donating/throwing stuff out, I would let your kids decide what goes. If you notice something goes unplayed with for a week, toss it. I have a stash of toys and switch the toys every month. Favorites and staples stay out always.

[Momof4Boyz]

Yesterday I went through and got rid of GOBS of toys!! I've got it down to just 2 baskets - 1 is misc toys (mostly baby stuff) and the other is the cars which we probably have 300 hot wheels cars - some passed down from when my brother was a kid! Then a big box of legos which is overflowing so tonight I am going to dump it and sort the regular legos from the jumbo legos and get them in their own boxes. I have these things that hang in the closet and I was using them for clothes but then went back to the dresser so I put baskets in it and I have a basket for zhuzhu pets, a basket for all the small cars and toys that Carson can't have, a basket for Hunter's special toys - woody, buzz and his umizoomi toys. So it's better now. I do need to get one of those cube things though, but I need ones like that first picture - HUGE! lol I really love that whole set up, especially the desk area, my boys need a work area so they can keep their projects out of my kitchen!