What do you mean, decluttering?
Well, nobody warns you about the stuff. Everyone goes on about kids being expensive, and the sleepless nights, and the caffeine dependency (just us?), but nobody warns you about the stuff.
Kids mean clutter.
It just is one of those things that you have to put up with as a parent. Firstly, there’s all the equipment that you absolutely need, the stuff that is “handy” and the stuff that is just plain fun to have. Then there are the rapidly outgrown clothes and all those toys!
So, how can you get your house back? And get your kids into the idea of decluttering from a young age?
Start with you
It may sound simple, but the first thing you need to do is set a good example.
Start by decluttering your own items; if the kids ask what you are doing, focus on the positives. “I’m clearing out this messy cupboard to make space for new things.” For those of you (like me!) who are half-hearted declutterers this will also help you remain focussed on the positives too!
Once you have dealt with your own clutter, then you are ready to move onto the unused baby equipment.
Decluttering Baby Equipment
If your pre-loved stuff is in good condition, you can advertise items for sale on eBay, Facebook (Marketplace or selling groups), Vinted… there are loads of options. If you are not bothered about recouping any money, you can also put it on a local group such as Freecycle. You could also consider donating it to your local charity shop, who are often crying out for stock. However, if any of the equipment is in poor condition throw it out. It costs charities hundreds of thousands of pounds every year to dispose of unusable or broken donations.
Decluttering Baby Clothes
Now, this is a contentious one.
Baby Clothes tend to get mums (no sexism here, for clarity) a bit more sentimental! My wife has boxes for both of our children full of stuff she “just wants to keep”.
If you catch yourself saying ‘but she looked so sweet in that…’ remember – it doesn’t fit any more and you probably have a photo of your baby looking sweet in it. It seems phone memories were built to house photos of babies.
Save a few of the most sentimental items and bundle up the rest. Speaking from experience, it seems that when you have children you always know someone who is expecting.
Good condition clothes can also be sold on eBay, and many places hold regular baby sales (such as the NCT Nearly New Sales or Little Pickles Markets), where you can sell your items. If you prefer online, again placed like Vinted, Schpock and Depop are fantastic.
Decluttering Toys and Games
Next up is the problem of the kids toys and games. This comes with an additional issue – how to persuade children to part with their outgrown stuff.
You would have to be quite mean to bowl into your child’s toy box and start binning all the toys you felt they’d outgrown. Apart from causing an almighty riot, you’re missing out on a great opportunity to teach them how to declutter for themselves.
You’ll thank me later.
When?
Pick your time wisely; the best time is just before a birthday or Christmas. Simply explain that they have to make space for all of the new stuff they’ll soon be getting as presents! You will need three piles to sort your child’s belongings into, Keep, Bin and Give Away. You can also use this as a time to teach them about donating to charity, and those children who are less fortunate.
How?
Obviously first up – anything unusable, broken or dangerous should go straight in the bin. Then you have to persuade them to part with toys, games and books that are in good condition but they simply don’t use. Now first time round they’re bound to be reluctant, so as long as they choose a few items to get ir of, that’s okay.
Children inherently like to please. If they think their toys are going to someone you know, this should make life easier. Think of friends or siblings with a baby; your own child may be delighted to donate their old toys to them as they know that the baby will have fun using them. If going down the charity decluttering route, it might be an idea to sit with your child and explain the various charity shops in town to see which one they would like to donate to. Maybe they can donate to an animal charity or one that helps children, whatever interests them.
For the toys which the child wants to keep, you should make sure to provide suitable storage if you want your kids room to stay tidy. They can’t tidy away at the end of a day if they’ve got nowhere to put their things!
We hope that this helps to some extent with your decluttering, or spring cleaning! Now, I’d better follow my own advice…
Don’t forget to check out all of our other articles at boomerangplay.co.uk/boomer-blog