With four children in our home, there are lots of opportunities for our house to fill up with toys. Don’t let the children’s birthdays swamp you with stuff. Here are some tips to avoid mountains of toys at birthday time and anti-clutter gift inspiration!
- Plan ahead. Plan a decluttering session with your child in the weeks before their birthday. Depending on their age ask them when a good time would be to do it. Anything that isn’t played with, donate or sell. If there are some items that are occasionally used, talk about how often they play with it and question if it’s really worth keeping. Reminding them that they may need the space for a new toy, might be all the incentive they need.
- Communicate with family and friends before the birthday. If you have a family that asks what your child would like, brain storm a month or so before hand what the child needs. I keep a list in notes on my phone, whenever a thought pops up or a child mentions they would like something, I can quickly jot it down. This may be particularly important if you are worried about receiving a mountain of toys from grandparents!
- Give experiences rather than toys. A friend gave our eldest daughter a voucher for her favourite ice cream parlour. She was thrilled! She chose three scoops and there was enough credit left over for her sisters to get their own scoop too. She still talks about it with delight almost a year later.
- Give a useable gift. My son received a slime making set from a friend. He LOVED it. He made it, played with it and once the slime was grey and covered in dust and hair, it was thrown away. Consider the environment here too and buy a usable, but also a biodegradable gift.
These are just a few tips to help with simple, stuff free living. Get in touch at kate@declutteringdr.com.
