TOYS: What to keep, what not to keep?

[kikilives]

How do you decide? Today I am getting ready for a consignment sale and we have sooooooo many toys in the attic that the kids have outgrown. I was thinking of keeping them for the grandkids one day. My kids are 5,8 and 9 so that day is a looooong ways away. Anyways, there are just so many and besides AG and lego sets what is worth keeping? Fischer Price, Little Tikes, Barbie, Hot Wheels, Stuffed Animals, etc....they are taking over. I know I want to save some stuff but what? Also, I need help telling myself it's okay to get rid of most of it.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,
[img]graemlins/sun.gif[/img] Kristin

[BitsyGirl996]

Originally posted by Brown*Eyed*Girl:
How do you decide? Today I am getting ready for a consignment sale and we have sooooooo many toys in the attic that the kids have outgrown. I was thinking of keeping them for the grandkids one day. My kids are 5,8 and 9 so that day is a looooong ways away. Anyways, there are just so many and besides AG and lego sets what is worth keeping? Fischer Price, Little Tikes, Barbie, Hot Wheels, Stuffed Animals, etc....they are taking over. I know I want to save some stuff but what? Also, I need help telling myself it's okay to get rid of most of it.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,
[img]graemlins/sun.gif[/img] Kristin

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Really,this can be hard.Save what means most to you,and get rid of what you and your kids and DH don't want.

[img]wink.gif[/img]

[smwoodsie2004]

With my daughter, I give her a bag and tell her to fill it up with toys she doesn't want, some of it makes me heartbroken or mad that she wants to get rid of it, but I look at it like it is her stuff and so it is her decision. I do insist that she fill up the bag or no new toys. I do tend to follow the one toy in one toy out rule and we don't keep junk toys, mcd, freebies, etc. If something is indecisive, then it goes in storage, if one month goes by and she hasn't asked for it, it is gone, but then I can't stand clutter, so I regularly purge our home. That is my only suggestion, maybe some others here have more ideas. Good Luck!

[MaryCarly]

I have teens so we have done this many times. [img]smile.gif[/img]
My first attempts had me asking the kids what they wanted to part with. That didn't work. Next, I took everything away and had them clean their rooms. Then I had them choose their favorite things to put back. This did work. I think that they liked having their play area free of clutter and were then more discerning about what to keep. I suggested on their first pass through the toys that they only choose what they loved. On the second pass, they took those things that were played with often. On the third pass, they showed me the things that had great memories or that they had played with a lot when they were younger. These things were boxed up for future grandchildren. We kept all of the Duplos and the general Legos. They also chose some Lego people that they really liked. The more expensive Lego themed sets were not chosen. My kids said that those kits were fun to put together the first time, but not really ever played with again. We also saved my son's collection of Rescue Heroes. They were played with often, they held up well, and they all packed into one small box. For my future grandchildren, I also saved our favorite pictures books and a half dozen stuffed animals that were still in good shape. Of course my kids had already saved their favorite well loved stuffed animals for themselves. [img]smile.gif[/img]
I also saved a fold up Fisher Price dollhouse and some classic games. I aksed myself, if children came to visit, what things would I enjoy playing with them and also what things should I keep so that they could amuse themselves?

[T. Lynn]

I had the same dilema over the weekend when I was reorganizing my daughter's playroom. I even posted about it and asked your same question.

Stuff animals are definately taking over...BIG TIME. I hate to part with some of them as well. Some were given by grandmother, great aunt, great grandmother...how do you pick and choose that?

We also have the fisher price little people house and the loving family bigger house with tons of furniture. I told my husband that I can't part with it. Like I stated in my thread, my mom didn't keep ANY of my toys and I can't bare to do the same thing.

It's so hard! I'm so emotionally attached to her toys and their not even mine.

[cowgirlsue]

Originally posted by Brown*Eyed*Girl:
Fischer Price, Little Tikes, Barbie, Hot Wheels, Stuffed Animals, etc....they are taking over.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Kristin, you must be looking in my house!

Fisher Price...my 2 1/2 year old still loves the Little People. Eventually I will get rid of big items like the garage and zoo stuff, but keep smaller things like the bus and little vehicles that he adores.

Stuffed animals...I don't know how they accumulate! I make DD pruge these periodically. We donate the more durable ones to a local animal shelter, the rest to AmVets.

Hot Wheels...my brother wishes he still had the ones that represented vehicles from his childhood in the 70's. So maybe just save the ones that represent vehicles of today, and some favorites?

Barbie...we'll probably save all of the dolls and clothes, but have already gotten rid of things like the boat and accessory kits. The Fairytopia collection will be saved. Barbies are so ubiquitous that I think it is really only worth saving those that were personal favorites, and of course the collector stuff.

Little Tikes...if it's big, it will not be saved.

Good luck in your purge!

[MaryCarly]

I had also originally saved the play kitchen, play food, and riding toys, but I quickly saw that there are always new versions of these things. They also take up lots of room and sell well, so I let them go too.

We eventually sold or gave away much more than we saved. Besides clearing our house, it also took a weight off of me. You don't relaize how much these things can weigh on your mind, especially when everything you save must be thought about and moved when you clean, organize, get out holiday decorations,etc.

Have fun clearing! [img]biggrin.gif[/img]

[kbrzez]

I have been a pack rat most of my life and it really has taken a toll on organizing my stuff. I have items everywhere and plan to go down to the basis. At anytime life can take a turn and it is so easy to pack up and go with limited amount of stuff. After checking the hostboard today I am going to go through and sell most of what we do not use on ebay. My kids are 3 years 9 months and 8 years old. My mom saved a few items from my childhood and honestly material items are not what I treasure-it is the memories and pictures that I have from my childhood. I decided to sell everything that my kids have outgrown except for a few special items given to them or homemade items. Every year so many updated items come out that my kids long for and no longer play with their other toys. We clean everything out in August, sell in September and that allows our house to be packed free until after Xmas LOL. I will and have saved my AG items forever, but otherwise, we sell everything on ebay or give it to goodwill. It is so easy to do this. Extra money we get is for Christmas, AG dolls and items, and our upcoming vacation. It's worth it. I have never regretted anything I sold.

[jlogemann17]

I tried to save some of their favorites (thinking if they liked them, the grandkids would too), keeping in mind how well it will store. I would get rid of most (if not all) things requiring batteries, or atleast take the batteries out. With things like FP- I keep a set- like the house- (whichever was their favorite) but not every FP little person they ever had. I keep a few stuffed animals that were their favorite for them to have, but none for the next generation to play with. Stuffed animals seem to multiply, and kids always seem to have plenty! I also got rid of any toys that annoyed me (unless they were an ABSOLUTE favorite), because I figure I don't want to be annoyed again. Also, I would be more apt to keep things that are Pooh or Mickey Mouse- something that's been around for 50 years and probably will be another 50- rather than Teletubbies or DragonTales, that would more likely mean nothing to the next generation. Don't keep anything unless it has all the pieces (or enough to still have original play value). There will always be garage sales, and you can pick up stuff for your grandkids in 20 years- so I would only keep what has some sentimental value to you.

GOOD LUCK!
Jo

[Felicity_Fan85]

I have a bunch of stuffed animals and don't know what to get rid of. I still have many beanie babies and I went through those. I know there are certain stuffed animals I can't part with but others I don't want to but have to.