https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Tue, 14 Apr 2026 17:42:15 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-many-what-kind-of-toys-trying-to-purge#post-2546762 Wed, 11 May 2016 20:52:38 +0000 HappyBaker 2546762@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thanks for the tips everyone! Tonight I decided to ask DD (3.5) if there were any toys she wanted to get rid of. She totally surprised me we went through the entire playroom and made a huge pile of stuff she "didn't need anymore". Now that there is less it will definitely be easier to organize / rotate.</p> <p>@ShootingStar: Great idea to separate and rotate them! </p> <p>@gingerbebe: Love the cube idea and also the coloring book cutting up! I started doing that tonight after reading this and it has helped a ton! I'll just leave a few sheets on their coloring table but the rest can stay in a bin where they can't reach them so they don't get trashed.</p> <p>@Torchwood: Great tips! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-many-what-kind-of-toys-trying-to-purge#post-2546393 Wed, 11 May 2016 13:30:26 +0000 Torchwood 2546393@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@gingerbebe: Ooh, I love that idea! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-many-what-kind-of-toys-trying-to-purge#post-2546390 Wed, 11 May 2016 13:29:35 +0000 Torchwood 2546390@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would start by pulling out anything that gets a lot of play. Those I'd keep for sure. Then first I'd purge the cheap stuff. If it looks like it came out of a happy meal, it's not worth keeping unless it's a favorite.</p> <p>From there I would figure out which toys were the most closed-ended and eliminate those. For example, if I was choosing between a princess dress and a big pretty scarf, I'd keep the scarf. It can be used as a dress, as a blanket, as an accessory, to build a tent, and so on. A dress is a dress and that's about it.</p> <p>I'd also eliminate anything that encouraged passive play. So in this case, if I was choosing between an electronic toy that played music when you hit a button, and a xylophone, I'd keep the xylophone because you have to actively make the music yourself, not just sit and be entertained.</p> <p>Any toys that they were about to grow out of would be eliminated as well.</p> <p>And then when I was done, I'd divide the remaining toys into three sets, and put two in the closet (or somewhere similar) so that they could be rotated. I already rotate LO's toys at 10 months and it's definitely been a good thing. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-many-what-kind-of-toys-trying-to-purge#post-2546248 Wed, 11 May 2016 12:23:57 +0000 gingerbebe 2546248@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We aren't coloring either but if it were me I would get a box cutter and cut out individual pages and just leave 5 different sheets and a few crayons in a box and make it less overwhelming. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-many-what-kind-of-toys-trying-to-purge#post-2546244 Wed, 11 May 2016 12:22:49 +0000 gingerbebe 2546244@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We get 8" plastic cube bins from the dollar store and have one "kind" of toy in those bins. So play food, cars, board books, puzzles, etc. Things like books we rotate every two weeks or so. We keep a larger bin of building/STEM type things like wooden blocks, Magnatiles, Mega Blocks. Another big bin is a more generic toy bin with things like musical toys and soft toys and things like balls. We keep large gross motor things mostly on the patio. We keep a table with a Little People's road set that DS uses to play with cars, so sort of like a train table type thing. </p> <p>That's about it and even that is plenty. DS has literally played with the same bath toys for over a year so I know he can be perfectly happy with fewer toys. We keep toys to rotate in his closet and purge/dump other things all the time. Luckily we have another baby coming so I can save some for him, but if I didn't they'd be gone right away! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-many-what-kind-of-toys-trying-to-purge#post-2546053 Wed, 11 May 2016 09:17:03 +0000 Pumuckl 2546053@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@HappyBaker: We're not really in the coloring stage yet :) We just have paper and pencils. I would just put the books away and keep a handfull out. Once they are full bring the others back out.</p> <p>The other day my 3year old was melting down and it was seriously because the playarea was so overscattered with toys that he was overwhelmed. So we cleaned up and I had a different child! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-many-what-kind-of-toys-trying-to-purge#post-2546022 Wed, 11 May 2016 08:50:49 +0000 ShootingStar 2546022@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don't really have hard and fast rules, but this is what I do. Every so often I go through the playroom and take all the toys that haven't gotten any use in a while. I put them all in a big bin. Every so often when DS gets bored I pull things back out of it (or he finds it and takes stuff, lol). Sometimes it gets played with, sometimes there's no interest. If the toy seems to be too young for him, I put it in a separate bin of baby toys. If the toy just isn't interesting, I get rid of it.</p> <p>I think how many and what type really depends on how your LO uses them and how much space you have. Do you have younger kids you're passing things down to? If not, I'd just go through and clear out all the toys you dislike or have no interest any more. What's there will seem more appealing when there's less clutter. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-many-what-kind-of-toys-trying-to-purge#post-2546012 Wed, 11 May 2016 08:43:31 +0000 HappyBaker 2546012@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Pumuckl: I've noticed that too! When we visit someone / go somewhere with no or very few toys they play so much better and seem to be less distracted.</p> <p>Also - how many coloring books do you have? I feel bad getting rid of half used coloring books but we probably have 20 in our coloring bin right now! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-many-what-kind-of-toys-trying-to-purge#post-2546010 Wed, 11 May 2016 08:41:17 +0000 Pumuckl 2546010@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I keep what is getting the most play, so for us that's Duplos, Brio train set, puzzles and toy cars. Additionally things that I feel that are good to have around like building blocks, stacking rings etc. Everything else get put away. I notice that they tend to play a lot more with their toys when there aren't so many around. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-many-what-kind-of-toys-trying-to-purge#post-2546007 Wed, 11 May 2016 08:37:19 +0000 looch 2546007@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We donate things that we either have duplicates of or are no longer age appropriate. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-many-what-kind-of-toys-trying-to-purge#post-2545991 Wed, 11 May 2016 08:28:40 +0000 Canoli 2545991@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Following because we have the same problem. It feels like there is just toys throwing up all over our house! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-many-what-kind-of-toys-trying-to-purge#post-2545989 Wed, 11 May 2016 08:27:07 +0000 snowjewelz 2545989@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Right now DD's playroom is our living room, so my rule is that she can only have as many toys as I can fit in our storage ottoman (as big as a coffee table), and whatever that can be stashed away in her toy kitchen. I do have bins in her room to keep some spares to rotate. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-many-what-kind-of-toys-trying-to-purge#post-2545966 Wed, 11 May 2016 08:01:56 +0000 HappyBaker 2545966@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Does anyone have any guidelines as to how many / what types of toys you keep? </p> <p>We have a separate playroom that is BURSTING at the seams with toys and I have just had enough! I'm ready to severely purge but I always have trouble deciding what to keep / what to get rid of. </p>