NAOMI TYRRELL PHD
  • Home
  • Meet Naomi
  • For Parents
  • For Organisations
  • Publications
  • Blog
  • Contact

Moving House with Kids: Declutter Toys or Not?

15/12/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture

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
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Author

    Naomi Tyrrell PhD
    Mentor, Author and Research Consultant.


    Would you like to receive future blog posts by email? Sign up here.

      Stay Updated

    Subscribe

    Categories

    All
    Changing Schools
    Moving Home
    New School
    Place Attachment And Loss

    Archives

    June 2022
    May 2022
    July 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020

    RSS Feed

Home
Meet Naomi
For Parents
For Organisations
Publications
Blog
Contact
Research Consultancy
​Testimonials

    Sign me up!

Subscribe
Dr Naomi Tyrrell, Mentor, Author, Research Consultant
Copyright © 2020-2023 NaomityrrellPhD All rights reserved
Picture
Picture

Email

naomityrrellphd@gmail.com

Call

07967 030229

Follow

Picture
  • Home
  • Meet Naomi
  • For Parents
  • For Organisations
  • Publications
  • Blog
  • Contact