Okay Really What clothes do my kids need?? ...What about toys?

[me&thegals]

Don't keep any dumb toys. You know the ones I mean. They need batteries, they have one, brainless function, they don't require any brain power or creativity and your kids rarely play with them.

My kids have Lincoln Logs, lots of big and small legos and a set of Magnetix (tubes and balls that are magnetic). Then, they have a huge bookshelf of books (now mostly from the library now that they're older) and a great art center with lots of paper, paint, pencils, markers and crayons. Then, of course, are the outside balls, jump ropes, bikes, sleds and kites. There are lots of other little toys mixed in, but these are the toys that get tossed by me when they've forgotten about them.

When they get junky toys from family on b-days, they either break immediately (yay!), get lost (by me) or forgotten, at which point I throw them out or give them away.

 

[FarmerChick]

OH MY----TOYS!!

as I run screaming thru the room and tripping over TOYS!!

LOL-LOL


yea my kid has tons also. I get them from yard sales etc. and alot are given from others cause their kids outgrew them.

I just watch what she plays with....and if it isn't touched much, then I donate to goodwill....whether I bought it or if it was given to her.

I like her to have toys...just not the sharp ones I walk on and hurt my feet!!! HA HA

Overkill...I know....time to let the kids put together a "gift" for other little kids....make them donate about 3 toys each to needy kids...........they get their learning of how to give and help others and you get to clean up some....win/win

 

[patandchickens]

how do I know which ones to keep and which ones should stay??

Er, well, keep the ones you want to keep, and get rid of the others.

It is really not rocket science, it is just a matter of going in there and making decisions and *doing it*. I would not worry for a moment about depriving them of anything -- cardboard boxes and some crayons and paper and the great outdoors are probably about the best toys there *are*, anyhow. The kids will be FINE, no matter what you keep or pitch. So do what seems sensible to you

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[Urban Farms]

don't get rid of anything that is still good if they don't like some of their clothes box them up you may need them or someone you know may need them in the future

 

[big brown horse]

don't get rid of anything that is still good if they don't like some of their clothes box them up you may need them or someone you know may need them in the future

Good idea!

 

[Beekissed]

My sis recycles toys. Twice a year she cleans out the toys---massive amounts!----and bags up some of them and places them in storage. In about 6 months she bags up the remainder of the toys and exchanges them with the toys in storage. Her kids are delighted with the "new" toys and love getting re-acquainted with them. During this process, she throws out broken or nasty looking toys and takes toys that are outgrown to the Salvation Army.

 

[Big Daddy]

For an 18 mo old and a 4 year old. You'll probably need 2 changes a day for the 18 month old and some sleepers. With the 4 year old determine what he or she likes to wear than get 5-7 sets in different looks and a couple items for dress up. I'm sure you've noticed the 4 year old likes to wear clothes that fit or look a certain way. If you have stuff they don't like it will never get worn. I hate buying clothes that don't get worn. Of course you could be a drill sergeant and just lay out clothes everyday and that's what they wear like it or not. Makes it easier to get out the door on time when they start going to school and prevents clothes all over their room.

 

[Big Daddy]

My sis recycles toys. Twice a year she cleans out the toys---massive amounts!----and bags up some of them and places them in storage. In about 6 months she bags up the remainder of the toys and exchanges them with the toys in storage. Her kids are delighted with the "new" toys and love getting re-acquainted with them. During this process, she throws out broken or nasty looking toys and takes toys that are outgrown to the Salvation Army.

We tried that with our 1st two kids. They rejected them and wanted to know what we were trying to pull. It sounded like a great idea though. I'm definitely for going through and getting rid of all the broken and missing parts toys though. My younger sister used to help her kids put all the toys in to bins so everything stayed together. That's a lot of work.

 

[lorihadams]

Toys are the bane of my existence! My granny just said to me, and I quote, "your house is plenty big if you all would just go through it and get rid of some of the stuff". Well stop giving it to me!!!!

They love to go shopping, especially for my 2 yr old DD, who also gets hand me downs from my BF's DD. I periodically go through them and either donate them to other friends, goodwill or take them to church and let anyone who wants them have them.

I try to keep at least 5 or 6 "play outfits" for each of my kids. Stuff that I don't mind getting dirty. They then have about 10 nicer outfits that they consistently wear if we go out somewhere. Most days we wear pajamas all day, to be honest because we don't go anywhere. So they both have tons of pajamas.

I go through the toys about once every 2-3 months and fill a box for goodwill or thrift shop stuff. I just sold our large stroller, glider and ottoman, and some various books that I don't like at a thrift store and got $52. I can see the bottom of my coat closet and my DD actually has room to play in her room now. I constantly go through my clothes too. My BF is smaller than I am and I just cleaned out my drawers and gave her a whole bag full of clothes that I wore pre-pregnancy. I don't know why I still have them....my hips will never be that size again!

This year for xmas we are requesting money for gymnastics lessons and dance classes. I know I will end up getting more stuff, though. We just constantly have to stay on top of it and get it out of the house.

 

[Grumpy Pumpkin]

Okay, a few things that have failed to be mentioned that I have encountered as snags....

#1 - the Salvation Army (in my area of Virginia) has stopped accepting used toys. I hope this is because the Toys for Tots program is really doing that well. So I drove around for half the day trying to unload 2-30 gallon trash bags of toys that were not missing any pieces. I ended up giving up and going to the county dump with them. I found a bin called "too good to trash" and someone walked up to the car, asked what I had and took them off my hands straight to their car. Now whether they are destined to go to the local swap meets or to their house, I do not know. But I felt good just the same to not put them in the dumpster. I don't want money for them but I do not want to see them go to waste either.

#2 - I don't know about where you live but I live in a very $richly$ populated area outside a big city. My son noticed at 5 what he was wearing and brands were brought to his attention by classmates at a very young age. I combat this two ways. I ask ONLY for gift cards and clothes from family and friends for Christmas and I also spend the money I would have to spend on "cool clothes" to send him to a private school where uniforms are the only option. And Walmart and Target now sell uniforms, the pants and shirts are between 8 - 11 dollars. Even Old Navy runs online sales on uniforms. He has 5 of each for a whole week. I try to buy good shoes ALWAYS because I have had nothing but luck and longevety from them. By good I mean Buster Brown or Stride Rites for good foot support. I do not really care if DC's are cool right now, foot support is key to me. But buying last year's "model" saves around 50%. So $25 on shoes that will last 4 - 6 months as school shoes and after that as play shoes seems well worth it to me. Now I know what you are going to say here....I am supporting peer pressure. I know the kids are checking eachother out, my neice in middle school told me they check the brand of jeans on a daily basis. So school is really a fashion show I guess. I keep the christmas gift cool clothes away for outings, uniforms for school and play clothes are usually old clothes from the two categories. I also try goodwill, especially for jeans that are worn through quickly.

Maybe I give in to peer pressure and am teaching the kids nothing but I think I am trying to at least show to put your best foot forward when you are in public. Appearance does matter when you are going out for a job, so why not in pubic in general. If you toy purge, ask for only clothes and/or money and gift cards (mom and dad can handle the toy buying) and keep catergories in the closet so clothes will last longer and you will get much more use out of them, I maybe spend $50 to $75 a month on clothes and shoes (socks and underpants being the largest bought category) for a family of 4. That also includes saving for the uniform splurge in the end of summer for the upcoming school year. It is the rotation for everyone that saves us money, it just takes alittle more time putting clothes away on laundry day.