So sick of toys everywhere! What to do?

[Jill]

I have a 2.5-year-old and don't know what to do about the toys and other stuff all over the floor. I'm teaching him to pick up after himself but there's only so much he can do. I put back some of his toys so he only has a certain amount to play with at any time, but it doesn't help. He just loves to throw things on the floor. I turn my back on him in the kitchen and in two seconds all the tea towels are scattered on the floor. I use the bathroom, and he throws all the extra TP rolls all over the floor. He pulls clothes out of drawers and books off the shelves. I make a game out of cleaning it up with him, but the mess is just out of control no matter how much time we spend picking up. I don't really care for the idea of child-proofing every cabinet and drawer in the house and even if I did his toys would still be all over the place. To make matters worse, he is a miracle baby and thus spoiled with tons of STUFF from every relative. Have others had this problem? Is it just something you have to live with till they get a little older?

[decemberlov]

I can say that with my oldest I never had to child proof. She never touched anything she shouldn't have after being told once. I then found out with DD #2 that that definitely is not the norm lol. We did a fair amount of child proofing with her as far as baby gates (which we eventually took down because she climbed them before she could walk) and the little plugs for outlets etc. She was very much a handful!

We only ever kept enough toys for the toy box. If they didn't all fit then there were too many! I use to put the toys in time out if they didn't go back in the toy box when they were suppose to. If the toy was not picked up it would go on top of a high book case or the refrigerator when it had to sit in time out for a day or 2.

As they got older I started putting a wicker hamper in the living room (where most of their stuff accumulates) and I would throw anything in there that I didn't want sitting on tables or left on the floor and at the end of the night they would each be responsible for putting everything in the basket away in their rooms before bed.

Since we moved I haven't put the hamper back in the living room but they're pretty good about keeping their stuff in their room.

[Mrs-M]

Decemberlov. LOVE the wicker-hamper idea!!! Totally awesome!

In our house... Rubbermaid Totes!

Jill. To a large extent/degree, you need to learn how to adopt chaos and disruption into your life. I know (at the time) it can seem like hell, but babyhood lasts for such little time, so I say embrace it, because once it's gone, it's gone forever. (Hugs).

[Jill]

you need to learn how to adopt chaos and disruption into your life. I

Believe me, I'm trying! Funny thing is I was never a neat freak. I guess it doesn't bother me so much when it's *my* junk lying around. I get so fed up with twisted ankles and bottom-of-the-foot gouges from those big legos though!

[Mrs-M]

LOL, Jill! I know! When our first was born (1992), I was such a diligent mom, so dedicated towards ensuring everything was picked-up, cleaned-up, and organized, then one by one, as each additional child came along, I slowly subsided into a world of comfort... a world where toys, and blankets, and bottles, didn't phase me. If I felt like cleaning-up, I did, otherwise, toys could be found strewn from one end of the house to the other.

Occasionally, the Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde side of me would come out, and I'd smack my hands together... in our house that meant a spanking, although I never spanked for messiness, the act and sound of mommy smacking her hands together while laying the law down, always got results! LOL!

I've done some serious damage to my toes and feet over the years courtesy of sharp (hard) toys! The basement stairs being the worst damage offender! Toys and stairs are a BAD combination!

[Zoebird]

This is really part of the age, and it will pass. So just treasure it for now. :)

Next to this, I recommend two things:

1. putting away (up and away) anything that truly bugs you when he gets into them such as the tea towels and TP;

2. creating tidy times when you know the house will be tidy.

For this second one, part of it is understanding his rhythms. There will be time in his day when he is not playing -- napping, quiet times (all kids have them), and of course eating.

Tidy just before these times, and you could actually have a couple of hours of a tidy home.

I always tidied before meals, before nap time, and before we left the house. It usually only took about 10 minutes -- I did most of it and DS could help as he could manage -- and then when we returned the house would be tidy. When we finished a meal, house is tidy. During the meal, house is tidy. Before DS went to bed -- house was tidied (this gives you a whole 2-3 hours of adult time in a tidy house!).

Good luck!

[BayouGirl]

Kids have so many toys these days and depending on the age, you have to deal with it differently. I taught pre-k, Kindergarten, 1st grade and also raised a son with a multitude of toys so I have found the following things helpful:

For younger ones, we would sing the "clean up song" (clean up, clean up, everybody cleans up,) while cleaning up.

We would also make a game of it and see who could pick up the most toys or use a sand timer (hourglass) and do a speed clean to see if we could beat the timer. Or if your child is watching TV and playing, use the commercial breaks to do a mini speed clean each tie a commercial comes on.

Limit your child to 3 toys out at a time and remind them when they have too many toys out.

Explain that any toys left out after you have given a fair warning is picked up by you, out away and must be earned back ( in s simple age appropriate way).

My son, age 4, once complained that he had so many toys that ti was too hard to clean them up. So i sweetly told him that Mama would clean them all up and put them in a place where he would never have to worry about cleaning them up again, Then I put them all in a box, sealed it for a few days and let him see how it was to be without them.

Ask your child to pick a certain number of favorite toys, the ones they play with often and then allow him to choose the excess toys that are out grown or not played with to a needy child, a younger cousin, the good will, or even sell at a garage sale.

Also make sure there is a proper place for each toys so that cleaning up is easier, as your child will know where each toy goes.

[Wildflower]

I have a 2.5-year-old and don't know what to do about the toys and other stuff all over the floor. I'm teaching him to pick up after himself but there's only so much he can do. I put back some of his toys so he only has a certain amount to play with at any time, but it doesn't help. He just loves to throw things on the floor. I turn my back on him in the kitchen and in two seconds all the tea towels are scattered on the floor. I use the bathroom, and he throws all the extra TP rolls all over the floor. He pulls clothes out of drawers and books off the shelves. I make a game out of cleaning it up with him, but the mess is just out of control no matter how much time we spend picking up. I don't really care for the idea of child-proofing every cabinet and drawer in the house and even if I did his toys would still be all over the place. To make matters worse, he is a miracle baby and thus spoiled with tons of STUFF from every relative. Have others had this problem? Is it just something you have to live with till they get a little older?


I wish I could go back in time and have a messy toy filled house again, if only for a day....

Enjoy this time in your little one's life. Someday he'll be away at college and you will remember these days fondly. I promise. :)

[Fawn]

I would put up, or baby proof the cabinets where there are the things you do not want him to get into like tea towels and TP.

For the "too many toys" problem, I created a system of large totes filled with toys, labeled "Toys 1, Toys 2, Toys 3," etc. (Very creative, I know) Then I would store all but one of the totes. I rotated them about every month or so. This minimized the amount of toys that had to be picked up and kept the kids from being overwhelmed with too many toys. Plus, when I did the rotation, it had been long enough since they had seen the toys that it felt to them like they had just gotten All New Toys!

Any toy that was so well loved that it was missed immediately got to stay out of the rotation.

[decemberlov]

For the "too many toys" problem, I created a system of large totes filled with toys, labeled "Toys 1, Toys 2, Toys 3," etc. (Very creative, I know) Then I would store all but one of the totes. I rotated them about every month or so. This minimized the amount of toys that had to be picked up and kept the kids from being overwhelmed with too many toys. Plus, when I did the rotation, it had been long enough since they had seen the toys that it felt to them like they had just gotten All New Toys!


Great Idea!

[razz]

What about making containers of toys? One container a day of toys to play with and that way every toy is new again at that age. No child needs a whole lot of toys to simply throw around.

[Jill]

These are all great ideas! I like the rotation of totes idea. I have put back a lot of toys for him (2 totes full!) so it would be easy to just switch them out. The upside of so much stuff is that I never have to buy him toys. He has plenty, and the influx from relatives on holidays adds enough fresh stuff.