Do you ever think back about the days before kids, when you didn’t have so much stuff?
Every parent wishes the house, car, backpack, playroom, whatever, were less cluttered. Unfortunately all the stuff isn’t always ours to put away, throw away or get rid of. So what should we do when it’s our kids’ things crowding out our spaces and making us feel overwhelmed? Try these five tips for decluttering the kids stuff:
- Get The Kids Involved
It’s their toys, shoes, books, etc. covering the floors so why not make them put in a little work to get it decluttered? For little ones, make separate piles of all their things that need to go back in their room, bookshelf or toybox and have them put the items away themselves. Older kids should be able to help you determine what can be thrown away, donated or put away with more ease. You might be surprised what they’re okay with throwing away or donating when they have to do the task of putting all the things back.
- Stay Inspired
Whether you have one kid or multiple, all the things that come with them can become very overwhelming when you feel like you’re drowning in it. So remember why you started–maybe you want to be able to use the garage as a garage again or earn a little extra cash by selling unused items. If you need even more motivation, check out these empowering decluttering quotes.
- Start Small
You don’t need to declutter the whole house in a day (if you could/can/or did more power to you!). Instead, start with a manageable goal like decluttering the single kids desk or going through the backpacks and all the lunch box accessories. You’ll be more likely to finish and feel like you’ve accomplished something.
- Throw It Away
I made the mistake of getting my toddler a new toy that came with a million pieces. Can you guess what happened pretty quickly? He lost about half of them and YET we still held onto the toy in hopes of one day finding a thousand missing pieces. Newsflash, you won’t find them so throw it away! It’s the same for broken toys. If they are not complete or functioning properly your kids probably are not playing with them anyway.
Related Post: Real Tips to Declutter Faster
- Secret Donations
Disclaimer: when I said involve your kids, I didn’t mean with the donation portion of decluttering. Young kids can have a hard time letting stuff go so make sure any items that you are planning on giving away are not seen by your toddler. If they do see their precious items being given to someone else, it typically ends with you in a battle for getting the stuff out of the house.
The older they get, the more you should be able to talk with them about passing their beloved toys onto some other boy or girl who really needs it and can start to involve them in the decision making.
Kids will always have more stuff than you expected but the more you can manage the stuff the better you and everyone in the house will feel. You might also notice your kids playing with certain items more when they are not overwhelmed by the packed playroom or chaotic bedroom. So try these five tips to declutter the kids’ things and see how it can change your family.