Do You Have Toy-Free Rooms in Your House?
Categories: Toys & Games
Tired of stepping on Legos every time you walk across the room? Frustrated by the gigantic piles of plastic stuff on every surface? Would you ever declare a toy-free zone in your house?If you've got kids, then you are probably familiar with the scientific theory regarding the properties of toys. The theory states that, much like a gas, toys have a tendency to expand to fill the space available. The question is: How much space do you make available?
Do you try to confine the toy clutter to just one room in your house or do you let it spill out into all of your home's living spaces? If you've got Legos in the bathroom and Barbies on the coffee table, you are not alone. Based on the response to an article on this subject at Cafe Mom, most of us have given in and allowed the toys to roam free.
When I was pregnant my hubby said there would be a lot of rooms off limits to my daughter and her toys. She is now 2 and has taken over the entire house! I have even given in and put toy baskets in a corner of our living room, sun room and computer room. Makes an easier clean up for me!
What about you? Are the toys in your house the free-range variety or do you manage to keep them contained? Are there any rooms that are strictly off-limits to the kids and their playthings?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
SKL 4-16-2009 @ 2:21PM
I allow toys to enter most areas, but I don't allow them to remain lying around in most rooms. There are two rooms where toys are kept. At least once a day, we clean up and all toys go to the "right places." The rest of the house remains mostly toy-free most of the time.
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sunshine 4-17-2009 @ 9:05AM
I think the question is, "do you provide for easy access and put-away-organized bins so that the toys can easily be put used and put away by young children?"
When my grandson starting playing with his train set on the floor we were always tripping on everything and found train cars all over the house. So I designed http://www.toy-train-table-plans-store.com toy train plans that can be built in 3 hours. We purchased plastic bins that easily slide out on a carpet or floor where he stored the other "floating" toys.
Then my son purchased a colorful plastic drawer chest where he stored his extra trains and tracks. It made quite a difference and he was able to "help" with the clean up.
CLM 4-16-2009 @ 2:40PM
Ditto SKL. We have two rooms where toys are kept. Toys are allowed to free-range during the day, with the exception of the master bedroom. No kids or toys allowed. I do a quick pick-up of the house during the boys' nap. At night everyone pitches in and tidies up before bedtime stories.
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isisaquaria 4-16-2009 @ 6:04PM
No toys outside the playroom, save our sleeping baby or bear. My oldest has no real toys anymore--her toys are computers, cameras, and guitars--all of which are in her sitting room. My six yr has quit really playing with 75 percent of her toys--and the twins--both now walking are the main playroom occupants.
The rule in our house is simple--no toys leave the playroom. Bring it out and it has one chance to return via child--or it is trashed. And you will throw it away, not me.
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Sabrina 4-17-2009 @ 11:32AM
Toys are in the kids' bedrooms and the play room. They are allowed to migrate into the living room because it is attached (archway) to the play room. And they sometimes get puzzles and books out in the office area, and that's allowed too. NO toys in my bedroom, the kitchen, the laundry room, or the bathroom except tub toys. They are expected to pick up every toy at clean up time after dinner, both in their rooms and the downstairs. They do a great job at it too.
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Joy 4-17-2009 @ 12:11PM
I pretty much let my boys play where they wanted to play. I figured they lived there too. We did what SKL mentioned and picked up several times a day. Other than that, they could play where they chose to.
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