We are drowning in toys, and I think all the choices are actually starting to overwhelm my boys and now they're not playing with anything.
How many bins/buckets/whatever storage devices you use would you say you have full of toys? We have so many that some are in our storage room because we don't have room. I do cycle hidden toys into the mix to get them excited for "new" stuff, but even that barely seems to be working now.
I want to get rid of almost everything, and just leave like 2 buckets full of stuff I know they like, but my DH (who has hoarding tendancies, LOL) is nervous we won't have enough. With Christmas just around the corner, I think we'd be fine.
We have 15 buckets, a 3 drawer cart of art supplies, an ottoman full of stuffed animals, and a play kitchen full of supplies.
So quite a lot. However, I have 2 kids and some of that is baby stuff that will disappear in awhile. It's also some bigger stuff that sucks space so more buckets (dress up stuff, dolls, games I want separate for ease of pickup)We also don't drag all of that out every day.
It also takes a lot to stay occupied in the dead of winter in the Midwest. Some of it hasn't been out all summer so it'll be fun again when it snows.
I know how many buckets because H bought me some nice ones for our shelves last Christmas. Otherwise I wouldn't have a tally.
OMG, a ridiculous amount. We have one of those Ikea Expedit shelves full of toys, plus a bin each in the living room and DD's room, plus a few larger toys that don't fit on the shelves or in bins (wheelie bug, activity cube, activity table, etc.). Most were gifts or hand-me-downs, but it's a bit out of hand.
We aren't done having kids yet, but I am planning to box up the toys we want to keep and put them in the attic, then purge the rest before the holidays and her birthday (late December).
I can't even find stuff to put on their birthday and christmas lisys and we gave family that won't do memberships to places 'bc that's not fun to open'
I think we do a good job of not having too many but it still feels overwhelming. We have one shelf unit in our family room - 3 rows with bins and one basket of books. Then in our study, we have puzzles, more books (mostly hand me downs so we'll cycle them in) and coloring stuff.
I need to remember to purge toys when he's not around, because I pull out things I haven't seen him touch in a while and he is immediately drawn to them.
Too many. I have a basket in the living room, ODS has a train table, toy rack, and 2 boxes full of toys in his room. YDS has a toy chest and 2 rows full of toys on a shelf. There are also assorted toys in the basement. I am going to get rid of some in November.
Well I have 7 rooms full or partly containing toys and 2 large closets full of them. One of the rooms is an extra full kitchen that is full of just art supplies....plus outside. I've purged a lot too. Had I to do over, I'd done things a lot differently. A lot were gifts and they have their own room at MILs full of toys too. It's all too much & I'm dying to change things.
This is the playroom & art area 5+years ago when our house was 1/2 as big as it is now & we had half as many kids....
I cycle between thinking it's too much and just right. Books are more our issue (we have bookcases full!) but I keep buying more.
Second floor (her room, since it's the only place there are toys upstairs)- not many toys. 3-4 stuffed animals, some instruments, an abacus and bead moving thing. But lots and lots of books.
First floor- some baby dolls (these migrate up and down), books, stomp rocket. It all fits into a small basket.
Basement- this is her playroom. She's got a 6 cube bookcase that is 1/2 full with books and mega bloks, a drawing desk with 6 drawers (have crayons, paper, markers in them) and then her play kitchen with "pantry" that is full of food. Plus a tool bench and art easel.
I am thinking of selling the tool bench and art easel since she doesn't use them and purging some toy food before Christmas to make room. But we're making a conscious effort not to buy "stuff" this year.
Too many, I am trying to whittle it down, but as much as I hate keeping them organized, I like toys. One of the ways I try to manage it is by keeping toys in certain rooms, and they can only be used in that room (dolls, costumes, and stuffed animals do wander). Both kids play with most toys.
Bedrooms- Playmobil, stuffed animals, barbies, cars, blocks, trains, puzzles (one bin of each), dress up clothes
Dining room- Duplos, play kitchen, babies, art supplies, play dough
Living room- Plastic animals (2 bins), Balls, Pirates, V-tech cars and track, scarves, instruments
Post by hilwithonelary on Oct 1, 2014 9:27:02 GMT -5
Um, we have a lot. One of the features of our new house that helped sell us on it was the formal sitting room that can be completely closed off. We immediately envisioned it as a playroom. I'm loving it so far. The kids have been good about understanding our new no toys in the living room rule.
For storage, we have a cabinet, a toy box, and a set of bins. A few of the bigger things get left out.
Here are some pics of the room right at this moment.
This is part of our basement. I've purged some of the stuff (food missing its other half) and put away other stuff (puzzles she's outgrown) but I try and keep it pared down to about this much. Which seems like a lot, lol.
I feel like we have so many toys, and they are all tiny pieces of things. We have a giant tub of Duplos, and now he is moving on to regular size Legos. A million Hot Wheels (my mom got a suitcase with about 50 at a garage sale for $2), and DH keeps adding to the collection. Monster trucks and train tracks and...too much stuff.
On the plus side, most of his stuff is smaller now. I am about to get rid of the plastic tool bench in his bedroom, and that will be the last of the bulk toys besides the train tracks. On the minus side, none of my storage is cute anymore. I'm using plastic bins with lids to store everything. It is neat and keeps things together and contained, but not attractive.
Post by DarcyLongfellow on Oct 1, 2014 11:17:37 GMT -5
Approximately a million and a half.
Seriously, there is no way I could count.
The family room has three good sized baskets (like, laundry basket sized), plus I have a huge square coffee table that holds toys inside -- a huge Rubbermaid bin of Duplos, Brio train track, a Thomas train track, the Magna tiles, and some other blocks.
DD2's room has 2 toy baskets, both about laundry basket sized.
DD1's room is a toy extravaganza. A six bin storage thing from Ikea that is full, plus it has crap all over the top of it. A dollhouse. A toy tool bench. A huge basket of dolls. A huge basket of stuffed animals. Two huge dress up bins under her bed. More blocks and stuffed animals in her closet.
Oh, and the toy kitchen.
To say nothing of outside toys.
My kids do play with all of them, though. I mean, not all at once (or even all in the same month), but they naturally cycle through. Both my girls are pretty awesome at amusing themselves when we're home.
Hard to quantify. One bin in the Expedit of small toys (bag of wood blocks, some cars, and the like), another bin holds musical instruments (not at all full), a medium basket of wood trains/tracks, one cube in the Expedit holds two toy buses and a Green Toys fire engine, one cube holds a bin of Duplos, one cube holds a bead maze and hammering toy, a medium floor basket of stuffed animals, a play kitchen stocked with food and tools. Then there's a Wheely Bug and some outdoor toys (Kettler tricycle, climber, slide, basketball hoop). I basically try to keep toys confined to the (2x4 bin) Expedit.
We have 2 book shelves filled with toys and books + a toy kitchen and large doll house. We also have some toys in a closet which I use mostly on sick or rain/snow days. We could probably toss about half the toys and the kids would not really care. We're moving at the end of the year and I plan on doing a big toy purge.
in reality? not very much. i could list every toy she has, but i won't. it's very little. she has essentially 1/2 of a 2x4 expedit with some toys, and a very small basket in our living room + one huge red ball.
she plays with everything! i would rather have very few loved toys than tons of toys she never plays with.