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Aug 2019
6:25am, 4 Aug 2019
1,497 posts
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runnyeyes
🤔
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Aug 2019
7:10am, 4 Aug 2019
37,027 posts
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purps
I know it's been mentioned in here many times that it's not just the decluttering but the not buying things also that matters.
Re the children compared to their friends they have far fewer toys, I've seen many things that say less is more, including a study showing how toddlers who were given 4 toys played better and were happier then the ones given 16 toys. And also how boredom is good for children because it makes them use their imagination and work things out for themselves. Mine seem to play better since we gutted the toys. They still have what we (grid and I) feel are too many toys, some definitely don't get played with, some are firm favourites, but it's hard to be as ruthless with their stuff.
I saw this short video about families living in stilt houses surrounded by water, the children had next to nothing, with no area to play outside, they were happy though, they made their own entertainment by open ended objects, boxes became things, drawing and a few objects. E 7.11 spends ages role playing with things she's made from lego and some lego figures, she loves reading and writing and drawing, if I got rid of everything else she'd probably not notice, but I find it really difficult to do that, and if she was around I definitely couldn't because "I love that" would be said frequently! She has one drawer full of not played with stuff that's pretty much always shut, so in that respect I don't need to do it, I just know it's there!
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Aug 2019
7:23am, 4 Aug 2019
42,584 posts
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Velociraptor
I think with children's toys sometimes you don't know what they will or won't play with a lot, or how they'll play with it, until it's already under your roof, and parents shouldn't feel bad about regularly having to clear out bundles of neglected toys that seemed like a good idea at the time. (As I recall, apart from VP and his Lego and K'nex my children mostly ended up playing with one another, their own imaginations, and things they'd pinched from the kitchen.)
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Aug 2019
7:33am, 4 Aug 2019
37,028 posts
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purps
They all love drawing, lego, the doll house in the living room and books, the rest just sits there. I may have to be ruthless again! I once decluttered E 7.11's room and put the stuff in a cupboard, she didn't notice any of it was gone. I think the living room (what's left of their toys in there) may get the same treatment, and after the summer holiday I'll see what was missed!
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Aug 2019
8:07am, 4 Aug 2019
28,613 posts
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Mrs Jigs (Luverlylegs)
Not buying things is correct, yesterday I almost bought a new red skirt in a sale, only £10, I really liked it but in the end I put it back because I don’t need it, I shall put £10 in a pot towards something I am saving up for, if I adopt that method every time I am tempted I win all round.
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Aug 2019
8:17am, 4 Aug 2019
20,956 posts
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Lizzie W
T8 remembers 
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Aug 2019
8:53am, 4 Aug 2019
37,029 posts
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purps
Nice plan mrs J.
lizzie, I honestly thought E would but it was in the cupboard for a year. Maybe because I did it when she was younger, she may remember now, but we shall see.
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Aug 2019
9:29am, 4 Aug 2019
20,957 posts
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Lizzie W
I think I can get away with stuff he's genuinely moved on from, but not things *I* think should go!
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Aug 2019
10:11am, 4 Aug 2019
37,030 posts
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purps
Ah, I think that's kind of what I did, although it was a while ago now, but none of it was kind of current use stuff.
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Aug 2019
2:49pm, 4 Aug 2019
18,306 posts
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Columba
That's a brilliant idea Mrs. Jigs.
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