Everyone knows kids need a lot of space to explore, and a lot of toys to join them in their journey, but this can lead to cluttered rooms. While your child sees an epic land comprised of Teddy Bear Island, Bed Mountain, and the magical portal of Wardobia, you might see little more than a monumental mess. If you’ve decided it’s time to declutter, then here are some top tips for going about it!
How to Declutter Your Child’s Toys
1. Discuss It With Your Child
No one wants to enter their room and find that a fraction of their things have disappeared, so don’t force your child to experience the same! Explain to your child why you need to declutter, and how it’s important for you both that they keep things neat and tidy, and aren’t hoarding more than they need. It’s a great way to introduce little ones to the concept of recycling, as well.
We’ve found that kiddies lose interest in toys is as little as five weeks*, so you may find your child isn’t as averse to letting go of some of their playthings as you think. Plus, everyone knows kids (and maybe some adults, too!) only want what they can’t have, so it might be better to work in tandem with your little ones rather than lay siege to their toy box while they’re at nursery or school.
2. Evaluate Each Toy
And we don’t mean guess what they’re worth on eBay! Kids like their toys for different reasons, so maybe you think they’ve outgrown their Mega Bloks and are ready for big-kid Lego, but they actually just love creating with the colours. This is also why it’s important to get little ones involved, so you can gauge which toys have the most value for them — you might be surprised!
You should also consider things like educational and creative value. A cuddly friend is nice, but an educational toy or one that lets them express their individuality might have more longevity and continued relevance to their development.
3. Set a Rule
You could try setting a rule for your child to help minimise clutter and ensure they make the most of the toys they do have. Try setting a limit like a ’15 toys rule’ so if your little one wants a new toy, they need to recycle or donate one they already have. This may seem like a harsh limit to impose on a child, but really, it’s teaching them great life values and they’ll learn to treasure what they do have. After all, we all have memories of building hideaways out of bed sheets on the line because we couldn’t have a swanky tent like the kids next door. By encouraging little ones to make the most of what they have, you might just spark some real creativity.
4. Remember, They’re Toys
With the rise of the decluttering trend on social media, it’s far too easy to decide that your whole home needs to be a picture-perfect Instagram-able masterpiece with not a thing out of place. Unfortunately (or, we think, fortunately!) a spotless home where everything is always in place is not normal, and it’s not much fun for little ones, either. Don’t impose your new minimalism rules on your child’s room because, simply put, it’s not going to work, and even if it does, it’s not going to last.
The main lesson here is to not go to the other extreme and declutter toys that your child genuinely enjoys or needs. Remember, these things are toys, they have value to your child and they are key to their development. You may think that they don’t need three dolls, but maybe they each play a very important role in your child’s playtime games. Going in too strongly when it comes to organizing toys to the point that you only see them as a mess that needs sorting can seem less like decluttering and more like actively depriving your child of opportunities to play, learn, and create.
5. Try Whirli
Maybe you’re wishing there was a helping hand to all this, an innovative service that could just let your little ones enjoy toys for that magical five week window of interest and then replace them with brand new toys when needed. Luckily for you, there is! Whirli is a clever new way to keep kiddies entertained and parents safe from cluttering and costly piles of neglected toys. Our subscription service lets you pay a fixed fee per month which gives you a set number of Whirli tokens to spend on toys.
Choose which toys you want from an ever-changing selection of over 1,000 products, including books, cuddly toys, and educational toys. We send them to you and your little one can play until their heart’s content, with no deadline on when to return them. If your child decides they aren’t interested in their toy anymore, no problem, post them back to us, and receive tokens in your account which you can use to rent your next toy. And if your little one has decided they simply can’t be parted from their new play thing, that’s fine too — you can purchase the toy from us for less-than-retail price. Plus, because we love it when a toy has found its forever home, any toy you keep for 8 months is yours!
Whirli has saved almost 240,000 toys from the landfill, for a more sustainable way to play. Plus, it could mean big savings for your wallet, as well — for every £10 Whirli customers spend with us, their little ones play with £40 worth of toys.
Share the Clutter
So, if you’re finding yourself overwhelmed by play things, try cutting down on toys, without cutting down on the fun. Whirli lets little ones enjoy a toy for as long as they like, while parents can enjoy knowing there’s an easy, cost-effective, and sustainable way to swap them out for something new when they start being clutter. Get started with your Whirli subscription today!