The toy taming technique

The toy taming technique

The moment you have your baby you’ll be inundated with soft toys and rattles, and as she grows her toy collection will expand to include play gyms and mats and any number of activity tables. Throw in the meaningless brightly colored plastic and it’s a recipe for chaos. If you’ve gotten to the point where you can’ remember what color the carpet is in your child’s bedroom, try Supernannys toy taming tips…

Step 1: Bin it

We don’t necessarily mean the trashcan, though you may be tempted! We mean those clear plastic tubs you can get at most large stores. Sort through and group your child’s toys by category and label them with pictures (or draw on them) of what they contain instead of writing on them, so your child can tell what’s in them – so for example, a picture of a toy car on the box of cars, Lego on the box of Lego... If at all possible, store the boxes on the floor so your child can get to them.

Step 2: Pass it on

Babies and toddlers race through developmental stages in no time and you can use this to your advantage when it comes to that mountain of toys. Regularly go through them and sort out the items he has outgrown, wipe them down with a disinfectant wipe and set them to one side to pass on. Local preschools may be only too pleased to get secondhand developmental toys (supply the instructions too, if possible), or your pediatrician’s office might welcome them. Alternately, give them away via Freecycle. As your child grows, it’ll set a great example when it comes to teaching him about kindness and generosity towards kids who may not be as fortunate as he is.

Step 3: Set some aside

Young children really can have too many toys and you may well notice that even though your child is surrounded he only plays with three or four things. Clear away the others into rainy day and phonecall boxes – produce them as if by magic when you most need a break and it’ll be as if they’re brand new!

Step 4: Store it sneaky!

A blanket box with a lid or a large wicker trunk or laundry basket is a great place to store toys in the family room – it’ll only take you and your child a couple of minutes to race around gathering up the things he’s been playing with and dump them in there at bedtime.

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