Moving House with Kids: Declutter Toys or Not?

Toys, stuff and preparing to move

​‘Mum, where’s my sheep?’
‘What sheep?’
‘The sheep with the green scarf, from Ireland.’
‘Umm…’
Uh-oh. Uh-oh. Uh-oh. Uh-oh.
That little sheep toy with the green scarf that was taking up space, that wasn’t your favourite toy?
Definitely wasn’t a favourite toy, absolutely not.
I am 100% sure of that.
It has now become THE toy you want? 

To declutter or not to declutter? That is the question!

Now moving home is a perfect time to sort stuff out and declutter, isn’t it? You don’t want to be moving all the stuff you never use to a new house. You don’t want to move all the stuff your kids have grown out of, or never play with anymore, to your new house.

This is all good in theory. Until your child asks for something you have ‘decluttered’ (i.e., thrown away, sold or taken to a charity shop) right at a point when you are trying to reduce stress-levels in your family ready for your move!

I seriously suggest you do not declutter or give away your kids' toys without your kids knowing. If you really need to declutter their possessions, get their input into the decisions.

Familiar objects, like toys, when children are experiencing multiple changes (home, people, location, childcare, school etc.) can be really reassuring for them. Definitely keep their favourite toys and objects. Be really, really careful about decluttering anything that you think they don’t really care about anymore.

A lot of us have too much ‘stuff’ but consider decluttering everything except your kids’ possessions in the run-up to moving. If your kids choose to sort out their toys and give some away, that’s great. You can encourage them to. But I suggest making sure they are happy with their ‘give away’ pile a few times!

Learn from my mistake. Learn from the little toy sheep from Ireland!

If you've made the same decluttering mistake as me in the past, do let me know in the comments (it'll make me feel better!). Oh, and if you happened to buy a lovely little sheep toy with a green scarf in a charity shop in Plymouth (UK) a few years ago, do let me know in the comments too ;-)

If you're moving home with your kids soon and want some evidence-based 'top-tips', get them here