This was a great post over at the Simplicity Parenting blog regarding the effects of de-cluttering a child’s room and eliminating the “too much stuff” syndrome: http://www.simplicityparenting.com/what-happened-when-i-simplified-our-lives/
In the United States, particularly here in the Deep South, children are already back in school or getting ready to go back to school. Many parents are knee-deep in organizing school supplies, garnering a new rhythm for this time of the year, and organizing the home to make things run smoothly.
Typically the “things” in a child’s room can be reduced by at least one-third. What a wonderful gift to give a child – the gift of sleeping in a peaceful room. The gift of a room a child can pick up all by themselves. The gift of more time to spend with those you love instead of picking up items and using all your cleaning time just putting items back where they belong or searching for a place to put items!
Here is to reducing “stuff” —
Blessings,
Carrie
The Parenting Passageway 
Lovely post. 🙂 It is so easy to accumulate things. People like to give kids stuff and they love to keep it. Decluttering is so important!
My in laws love to give gifts and we’ve had to ask that they restrain themselves a bit b/c we just don’t have room for that much stuff. Even with limiting our stuff intake, we still do a toy rotation with my 3 year old. I have 3 “sets” of toys. One set out at a time and the other sets live in storage boxes in the basement. We do have a few items that stay out all the time. We switch out toys every 1-2 weeks. I’ve found this lessens the potential for large toy messes and makes clean up much easier. It also allows me to see what is played with (or not) on a regular basis.
Love this theme Carrie!! We are actually moving to CA in a few months and as a family we decided to start completely over. Each person will take 2-3 boxes of personal items and the rest will be sold. I have never seen my children so excited at the prospect of purging! It is so freeing!
Melisa,
That is so exciting! I wish you the very best of luck, my friend!
Hugs,
Carrie
I am struggling with this right now! We as a family have too much stuff I know. I am trying, but I keep holding on to stuff because “I might need it”. But, the problem is really bad in my 9 year old daughter’s room. She has inherited my mother-in-law’s love of knick knacks. We have made bad choices in the past (like 5 build a bear bears!!) She doesn’t want me to get rid of anything! Also, she has expensive dolls given to her by my mother in law that I feel we have to keep. Her room is constantly messy. When I help her clean it, I always say, now doesn’t that feel so much better? Won’t you like sleeping in this clean room? And, she says she likes it messy! It never stays clean long and its almost as if she really is more comfortable in mess. She has also started sleeping with 4 or 5 stuffed animals, all crammed in her twin bed. And, she has posted her art work (drawn on office paper) all over her room… all over! I should say that she is also a messy eater, not using her fork or napkin, and loves to get messy like in the mud at the lake or sandbox. Should I just do what needs to be done and deal with the tears???
I don’t know what to do. I try to focus on needs more than wants. My ex (mother of my daughter) is all about the wants and has no intention of changing. I think it’s just as much about her as it is the child. Regardless, it’s a bad situation for my daughter. I feel this mentality can be very harmful to her in the long run. What are your thoughts.? By the way my daughter is now 12 and most of the “crap” winds up at my house.
Dear Shannon,
Thank you for writing to me. Yes, I have several ideas. One is to work out with your ex that anything bought by/at your ex’s house stays there unless it is something necessary such as clothes. If this would be difficult, the other thought is to sit down with a mediator with you and your ex and see if the two of you can get more on the same page regarding buying things. Either way I think this is something the co-parenting adults might need to work out. If that middle ground is impossible, the third thing I thought of is simply modeling being happy to release things to Goodwill, Salvation Army, those in need, giving acts of service as gifts, doing acts of service as a gift, working in a soup kitchen or other place to give back – modeling often speak much, much louder than words.
Many blessings,
Carrie