Spring Cleaning - Tips And Hints

Has your home become overrun with jigsaw puzzle pieces, plastic dinosaurs and cars, and more Barbie Accessories than you can count? Do you stumble on balls and teddy bears that have been left haphazardly on the kitchen floor? Do you spend hours looking for a missing piece to a train set?

You’re not alone. Parents often moan about the mess of toys that only multiply as both their child (and even the size of their families) grows every year. A single boy can own his weight in trucks and action figures, many of which have small parts that always manage to get lost. And let’s not even get started on the kitchen sets and My Little Pony accessories that every girl has to have (and manages, in mere days, to misplace).

Here are some tips on toy spring cleaning and how to get that clutter of toys back under control.

Invest in good storage and toy boxes. They should be completely child safe (you want to make sure that they don’t pinch tiny fingers or can topple over a curious toddler). If painted, they should be lead-free, and sanded down so there are no splinters or sharp corners

Divide toys into sets, then rotate. Children often grow bored of toys they see everyday. Instead of breaking your bank account by buying new toys, group them, place them in individual storage and toy boxes, and bring out one set at a time. After a week, hide that set and replace with another. Why does this work? Well, it’s easier to clean up, since less toys are out. They’re also easier to monitor, so there are less chances of things getting lost. And since small children actually get overwhelmed when there are too many options, minimizing the number of toys they have for the day can actually make playtime more enjoyable.

Sort toys every month. Throw out the ones that are broken, and set aside the ones he’s outgrown or grown tired of. Return the good toys to their storage and toy boxes, and then place the rest in a bag to be given away or kept for younger siblings.

For toys that have several parts, label the toy and storage boxes with the name of the toy, and the number of items or pieces it has (for example: “Thomas the Tank Engine train set, 20 pieces” or “wooden blocks, 45 pieces”. When you return the toy to the toy and storage boxes, you can already check if something is missing.

If you are keeping a toy for the use of a younger sibling, and you know it will be several months or even years before you’ll bring them out again, wrap toys in individual plastic bags to keep out dust, and label the toy and storage boxes with the names of the toys and number of pieces. You should also group toys according to the age, not the type. For example, “Baby toys, 0-6 months”. That way it’s easier to bring out the toy and storage boxes when your other child is ready.

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