GENTLE TOY DECLUTTERING METHOD 🧸

[@Siures]

My daughter is the same age as your son (4 since February) and for us the „boxing away“ only works if she (and her big brother, almost 6yo) make the decision. For the last year she learned to really think about what she wants to keep and what we can pass on. If I just pack it up I am sure they will ask for it a year later. If I can say: You decided to let it go - it’s OK, but if I just decided it’s a horror. I made the experience with some clothes that really were too small. Since then we decide together. Even with damaged clothes. I say: „look, this hole is getting bigger and bigger. Do you want to toss the dress now or the next time after you’ve worn it?“ They somehow say goodbye in between and toss it the next time without hesitation. Often I will show them a basket with suggestions. Things I don’t see them play with or books they never ask for anymore. Often they will take 1-2 things out of the basket but are okay with passing on the rest. Of course,it’s slow but my father one day gave away all my stuffed animals without asking (yeah, they often were all over the floor, but this day they actually were in their cupboards!). I still mourn some of them. I like how a hoarder’s heart declutters with her kids since after the first big clean out. For her as a hoarder it’s important to make the decision herself and so she wants that the kids also learn to do it. I think about boxing stuff away they want to keep but never use - because it’s just in the way. Maybe they will notice themselves that they don’t miss them.

[@Livingthefreelife]

This would never work for dexter unfortunately, not just yet anyways. I’ve tried asking him if there are things he would be ok to part with but he wants to keep everything. I’ve noticed when I box up the things he never bothers with he doesn’t notice they’re gone and if he does he asks for them and I get them back out. It’s just the way the currently works for him. I’m hoping one day as he continues to see me letting go of my things that I can involve him more as it’s definitely important to me for him to be able to do it one day. I struggle to let go of my own things let alone declutter his things too, so I definitely do hope that one day he will have the understanding and ability to do it himself. He’s just not there yet. He’s quite good with things that get broken though and tells me this needs to go in the bin now, I think because we’ve always binned broken things and now it’s just a normal things to do for him. ☺️ hopefully it will rub off on things he’s not overly fussed about too. I’ve also got him to sell things at the door to people and he gets to keep the money and buy something else he actually wants with it. I’ve found that quite helpful too. He also chose to give away a book he no longer wanted to his friend for his birthday. So he can do it just struggles with the majority of things still. Which I can’t really blame him because I’m the same 🙈😂

[@kathrynreay3344]

Have you tried labels? Worked well for us and means people who help you can easily put things away in the right spot 💜

[@Livingthefreelife]

@@kathrynreay3344 I recently bought a label maker to do just this 🥰 I started labelling his craft stuff in all little drawers so I will do the same for the Toys in the unit. Certain people will probably still put them back in the wrong place though 🙈😂 but one can only try haha