WDYT of taking ALL of your kids' toys away?

HBirdie · April 2014

I still only have a baby so this isn't a huge concern for me yet, but I was reading this blog post and I thought it was interesting.

https://www.livingwellspendingless.com/2012/09/14/why-i-took-all-my-kids-toys-away-why-they-wont-get-them-back/

If you're allergic to clicking on links, here's a picture of her daughters' room:

HBirdie · April 2014

I love the idea of having less toys, but I don't think I'd ever take all my kids' toys away. She does say they still have tons of books, and they can "check out" their toys as long as they pick them up afterwards, but they can only check out one thing at a time. I kind of feel like this could be limiting, creatively. I remember as a kid having huge pretend games with my brothers that included lots of things at once- legos, train tracks, PEZ dispensers, little people, action figures, etc.

I'm all for being a minimalist, but she goes too far, in my opinion.

AimeeL85 · April 2014

I saw this the other day. I like that it's doing good things for their family but it did seem what prompted some of it was just kids being kids. Like she mentioned telling them to clean their rooms and they made a bigger mess...well that's annoying, but kids do that sometimes. One child fixated on a toy she wanted when they went out to dinner and moped about it all night...kids have a one-track mind sometimes. And they had to earn their bed comforters back....come on.

I'm trying to give her the benefit of the doubt, though, that I don't see the whole picture and that it's working well for her family, but I do find it excessive.

dizzycooks · April 2014

It sounds like I'd be punishing myself.

HBirdie · April 2014

dizzykates said:

It sounds like I'd be punishing myself.

I had that thought! haha! How are they going to go distract themselves in their rooms if they have nothing to play with??

magentawarped · April 2014

Didn't read it, but that seems excessive and stifling. That kid I'd going to grow up to be on Hoarders.

AKB090609 · April 2014

DD is 19 months, she would not care at all off I took every toy out of our house. Now if I touch her Tupperware container or blanket there would be hell to pay. I like the idea of limiting toys, but books are my real issue we have TONS of books.

nonoemily · April 2014

I'm all for limiting the number of toys DS has at one time, but she makes it sound rather controlling.

IDK, my house is not a showroom. I don't care if the toy room is messy. That's his space, his stuff and he can get crazy in there if he wants to.

I do ask him to pick up his toys before bath time each night. It takes less than five minutes.

LoriLee14 · April 2014

One woman that I worked for had the one thing out at a time rule, She didn't like clutter. So there were some days that I would let the kids just trash their rooms with toys. Pillows on the floor, every stuffed animal out. Tea parties with Barbies and Trolls... They loved it and they always helped clean I up by the time the mom got there. I wonder if they will remember those days when they get older

nonoemily · April 2014

Why would you have children if you hate clutter? Get a dog.

Icjt · April 2014

I didn't read the article, but it's nuts to take away kids toys. I'm not fond of the messes it brings either, but they can pick up after themselves. And eventually they grow up and stop playing with them anyway. They are only kids for such a short time why begrudge them toys?

peaceinnature · April 2014

I think it's a good idea to limit the amount of non-creative toys that are always out and available (i.e., anything with batteries), but this is extreme and a bit controlling. Like PP have said DS can find the most interesting ways to combine his toys that I would never think of. Today his hammer tool bench was birthday seating for zoo animals, a ring toy was the cake and a wooden giraffe was the lighter to light the candles, it was awesome.

Also the title of the post is misleading, she pretty much just reduced and reorganized, which is less interesting (and less click-baity). And she talks about how she knew they were "cured" of their addiction to things when they went on vacation and neither of them asked for anything. Maybe that's because they knew she had just taken all of their things away because one of them asked for something on the previous vacation?

vlagrl29 · April 2014

nonoemily said:

Why would you have children if you hate clutter? Get a dog.

I ask myself this question every day. I really,really,really hate clutter and have been purging the house the last month getting ready for a garage sale. I have however realized toys are a part of our life now and am ok with it.

bumpuser8448316 · April 2014

nonoemily said:

Why would you have children if you hate clutter? Get a dog.

I hate clutter. When everything else is orderly and put away when not in use the toys being strewn about are so much easier to handle. I sometimes have DS help me pick up throughout the day but generally as long as he's happy and occupied the toys can stay out.

To me toys on the floor that get cleaned up every day is not clutter. Clutter is when ever surface in your house is covered with stuff. Dishes, too many appliances, papers, mail, books, tchotchkes, etc.

bumpuser8448316 · April 2014

Wait, her kids share a bed?

LatteLady5 · April 2014

QueSyrah said:

Wait, her kids share a bed?

I know a handful of kids who bedshare and I slept with my sister a lot growing up. We always had our own beds but we just chose to sleep together. If my kids want to share a bed when they get older I'll totally let them.

I think I read this article like a year ago. I'm too lazy to go read it again now but I agree it's too extreme. My house always has toys lying around and hiding in places. DD "helps" me clean up but she's still learning. As PP pointed out, she mixes her toys too. I have cars in one container, Disney figures in another and veggie tales in another (etc.) and they all play together. Time to time I make sure they're back in their proper place but mostly IDC. I don't like tons of clutter and junk or excessive amounts of toys but despite the fact that I've only purchased a handful of toys we somehow have ended up with gobs. If they play with it and I have room for it, it can stay.

Mama-Bear · April 2014

I could never do it, but I love the idea of not having to clean the same toys up again and again (DS1 is great at cleaning up after himself with my asking nicely just once, my twins I can yell and scream until I'm blue and it doesn't phase them). All of our toys are pretty open ended and I can't stand the thought of them not having them. We have ton of hot wheels, trains (and wooden tracks), LP barn, LP car garage (they like to push all of their hot wheels down the ramp and each level of the garage is a different "house" for the cars). We have some Lincoln Logs and Lego's they haven't really got into yet, but while our playroom closet is FULL, it's all big stuff that I can't sand to part with. We plan to just put things in the attic when our kids are too big for it for their kids at our house.

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