r/minimalist • u/Coffee__2__Code • 14d ago

Trying Minimalism with Two Kids and Toy Chaos

Hey everyone,

I’ve been working on being a minimalist, but with two young kids, the toy clutter is real! It feels impossible to keep things simple when toys are everywhere.

Here’s what I tried:

  • Toy Rotation: I store some toys away and switch them out weekly to keep things less overwhelming.
  • Donating Regularly: We go through toys every month and donate the ones they’ve outgrown or don’t play with.
  • Better Storage: I use baskets and boxes to organize what’s left, though it's not perfect.
  • Mindful Purchases: I try to buy fewer, higher-quality toys that they can actually use long-term.

How do you make minimalism work with kids and their toys?

Any tips for keeping things simple without feeling guilty?

Thanks!

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u/Major-Structure-3665 13d ago

not sure if you’ve ever watched the Minimal Mom on Youtube but she has a ton of great videos on going minimal with toys!

1

u/Fantastic_Title_7038 10d ago

I buy multifunctional toys. Recently got the MODU curiosity set which can be modified into a scooter board, a scooter, a balance board a toddler wobbler - just with three big parts and 9 smaller parts

1

u/Fast_Bison7993 7d ago

The weird paradox about toys is that kids will play longer with fewer toys or in some cases, no toys where they have to use their imagination.

So my hubby and I didn’t buy toys and used what was given us by grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends. We gave books, trips and experiences as gifts rather than toys. The only time we bought toys is if it was being used as a reward for something big, like report cards and such and the kid picked it out.

When my kids were still playing with toys, we had a 2’x 4’ trunk in each room and all their toys had to fit in it at the end of the day when bedtime clean up came around. Whatever wouldn’t fit had to be donated. Books btw were not a part of the toy trunk; they also had a small bookcase in each room. The blanket, stuffed animal or baby doll they slept with were also ok.

At first, hubs and I chose the toys to be donated when they were really little, but as they got older, the kids got to choose what was donated. So if they got a bunch of birthday or Christmas gifts they wanted to put in it, well, it meant that other toys had to go. One of my kids was notorious for donating a few of his brand new but lesser liked birthday and Christmas gifts so we always made sure to do the choosing out of sight of our guests.

We had the occasional friend or family member who thought we were horrible parents to limit our kids to a 2x4’ toy box each, but these were also the ones who commented on how clean the rooms stayed, how our kids could settle into a task for a long period of time and that they understood boundaries. I won’t say it’s all related to minimalism but I know that where it started.