Our baby is starting junior high soon. We want to keep a few toys for when we have company or she is babysitting here.
Is there anything else we should keep besides a dollhouse and stable set, box of Barbies, Tinker Toys, Lincoln Logs, board and card games, a few outside toys, tea set, art supplies, dinosaurs, and a globe?
We are also thinking of selling the Wii and games. We donate to a shelter and they give each family toys when they leave so I know someone will get use out of them.
We just did this at the beginning of the summer! It feels really good to get it out of the house! I think you are keeping too much, honestly. I would stick with anything that will fit in a large Rubbermaid tub. Maybe add markers, crayons, paper to that.
The Rubbermaid tub will keep everything contained and won't let you re-accumulate too much.
OMG, get rid of it all unless it has sentimental value.
Wow - you're keeping more toys than we have, and my kids are at the age to play with all of that. Personally, I'd keep the dollhouse, two Barbies, a small set of Tinker Toys, 2 board games, 4 dinosaurs, and that's it... unless you're planning to host a small horde of 2nd graders anytime soon.
I kept what was important to ME, because honestly, those things hold more sentimental value for me than my kids.
I kept the Legos, Playmobils, Fisher Price Little People (from my childhood) the Brio trains (a small set) and the dollhouse. We also have a few (very few) kiddie books, baby dolls and stuffed animals.
I would have kept some of the Barbie stuff but my girls pretty much destroyed those things they played with them so hard!
It's nice to pull these things out for family and friends, and I know someday my grandkids will play with them too :-)
Keep things that are small enough to be stored away and maybe one or two things that are really sentimentally important. Building toys are very versatile so keep the tinker Toys and Lincoln Logs - they also store well in a tub of some sort. Board and card games can be kept but make sure you have all hte parts. I think the tea set and dollhouse have limited use and the dollhouse may take up a lot of space. Art supplies are great but check for things like paints or markers that have dried out, and toss those. I'm not sure if the globe is worth saving - make sure it's accurate, first of all because with the new countries having new names, it may be obsolete. That info can also be found on a computer. Keep the outside toys if they can be stored on the wall or in the rafters of the garage and out of your house. Maybe keep half the Barbies - they take up a lot of room, and the company or babysitting children don't need a whole set.
Definitely have a yard sale or donate to a shelter. There are also a lot of agencies that help new immigrants, and a lot of games that help teach English or even math skills are great, and also just anything for new families who left their home countries with so little. That's a good place for art supplies which are okay now but which won't hold up over the years. The tea set and dollhouse might get a lot of use, and maybe the other half of the Barbies would be awesome for children whose families cannot afford them.
I'd keep what ever she wants to keep whether it's for her sentimental reasons or for her to still play with when she's babysitting with kiddo's.
I would keep the smaller items that would fit into a container. Doll house and Barbies would go along with dinosaurs tea set, and globe.
My son's toy box is still with me with the metal trucks (Tonka) in side. One day I will take them up to him.
I had a small box with small toys that my friend's children loved to play with. They knew where the box was and they put all the toys back when it was time to go.
You have many good memories of your child playing with these items and that is good. Time to give another child(ren) memories. The shelter would appreciate them and you get a tax write off.
the other S.
It sounds like you have a good variety of classic toys that will entertain both boys and girls, and different age groups. If you plan on saving any of these toys for your daughter to give to her children or for you to save for your future grandkids, I might think about whatever her favorite was.
Honestly, my parents have a small bag full of old Matchbox cars and another with GI Joes. That's it really. My kids LOVE to play with them, even my daughter.
I do wish they had Lincol Logs or something - I remember LOVING to play with those. So I would get rid of a lot more than you are. If she doesn't use it, I'd get rid of it. I would keep the Lincoln Logs and a few board games....maybe some art supplies. That's it really.
Nothing wrong with keeping a few toys around for babysitting purposes or company with small children. ( I still have 1-2 items from my children, who have their own children!) The WII could be used for a family game night or company with kids and sleepovers ,even at your daughters age. My granddaughter is turning 17 today and she still uses the WII and you can get Netflicks thru it too ! Just a thought ! Nice of you to donate to those in need, more people should consider it ! C. S.
My parents saved things that they knew would last almost forever like our Fisher Price Little People. The Little People are different now, but still built to last. For our kids, we've saved the Weebles, Little People, and wooden trains, and a few other very young baby toys. The Barbies are kind of messy; I don't plan to save them except for ones she wants to keep herself (my daughter is 8 so we haven't gotten rid of a lot of stuff yet), but there are other toys from that age range that have more staying power. Nothing with batteries. Although a Wii is nice for friends visiting with teens, if its not used often, I wouldn't be confident about it working when I pulled it out, so I definitely support your decision to sell it, unless you yourself like to play with it, or one of your kids wants to move out with it.
Someone else mentioned a pack n play. We do keep one in our attic for houseguests with babies, and we've kept a portable feeding seat too. It's come in quite handy for friends visiting, but I'd only recommend if you have good attic or basement space.
Do you still have a pack & play or crib? If you have wee ones visiting, that would be nice to have.
I kept some beloved toys which my grandchildren now play with.
Hi M.. I would perhaps also ask your daughter if there is anything she particularly would like to save....In addition, maybe keep one or two barbies instead of the whole box..and either the tinker toys or lincoln logs...Maybe also just 2 or 3 family board games....When I was decluttering I asked myself as well is it worth my time and energy to store and dust? Does that make sense....
Good Luck. It is a good feeling to declutter a bit :)
