I’m sure that EVERYONE has this same problem, which is why I am turning to you all for advice!!
Each afternoon, during nap time, I clean up the house. Put all the toys away, vacuum, and any other cleaning that needs to be done.
Then, every night I have to start all over again!
Take a look at what my living room looks like as of right now
(Notice the yellow arrows; BOTH the pink and purple vacuum are out because William plays with them!)
So here’s my plea to you.
William is only 16 months old, so I have a hard time getting him to understand the “put it away before getting out another toy” theory! Is he too young to grasp it? Should I be enforcing it? Do you have a fabulous way that you found helped your kids learn to pick up/not get out every toy we own!?
Please, leave a comment on this post, or email me with your suggestions. I am so desperate and sick of cleaning the whole house 2 times a day! Any ideas will help.
~Get your thrift on!
Its hard to get your kids to do that. We still struggle. Some kids are great at it and are very neat and clean but thats rare. I went through a phase where I was very frustrated with it and I put the toys up where the kids could not get them and they had to ask to get them out. I would leave a few toys out mostly big stuff. I think that works best until they are old enough to know put all the stuff away before you get another one out.
From what I have seen most kids have too many toys. Make sure only a few are accessible at any one time. I have seen that having too many toys makes kids spoiled and cranky. Sixteen months is probably a little young. However, when they get older, you can make putting the toys away a fun “game” for them to play. Put on a timer for fifteen minutes, and if the kids put all their toys away before the timer goes off you’ll have something special planned for them (not food). Make it fun (and make it easy for the toys to be put away).
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I ran a home daycare for 12 years ,what i did was make up a little song and we sang it together as we picked up.I think setting the example of always cleaning up with them is key.If you do it after they go to sleep then its something thats not in their mind.You have to make it a habit.
We have all of our toys separated in tubs. Like cars in one, balls in one, little people in another. Then we only let the boys take one out at a time. They know that they have to clean that one up before getting another one out. And we sing the “clean up” song too, while cleaning up so it makes it more fun.
Playroom…BEST THING EVER! I just close the door and forget it’s a zoo in there. We do clean up weekly, but the girls know (1 and 3) that toys stay in the playroom.
Honestly after 3 kids I have gotten used to the phrase. “Everything in it’s own time” There will be a time in the future that he will be a teenager & no toys out. Then you will look back & remember things now. I just have come to the conclusion that this is the time my house will have toy clutter. We pick up but I don’t worry if the house is perfect. When my kids are gone then it will be. Now I just enjoy my kids as much as possible & my house comes second to enjoying them.