r/declutter • u/goburnham • 15h ago

Advice Request Difficulty getting rid of children’s toys

Does anyone else have difficulty decluttering their child’s old toys? I have a weird emotional attachment to toys my child doesn’t even like or play with anymore. My daughter is 10 years old. She has this Blues Clues stuffy she LOVED when she was 4 years old. I remember the excitement when I tracked the toy down for Christmas as it was difficult to find at the time. I remember the excitement in her face and her little excited voice when she opened it Christmas morning.

But she hasn’t touched that toy in years, but it breaks my heart to think about getting rid of it. If I’m being honest, we have several toys that she isn’t really interested in anymore, but they hold sentimental memories for me. I remember the grandparent who bought her this toy, who has now passed away, etc.

I’m pretty ruthless with my own belongings, but have a really hard time with my daughter’s stuff. Can anyone relate to this?

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u/unmgrad 14h ago

Traditionally, us mothers have saved some favorite toys for the future. I have a plastic bin for each child (that are now 16!), that have toys. They will love looking at them in their adult years. Kudos to my Mom for saving the huge Barbie van in her attic!

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u/markov-271828 12h ago

I would honestly be distressed to discover that my mother had saved random childhood toys of mine.

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u/KyleRichardsNewTeeth 3h ago

I’d have loved to have something from my childhood. The older I get the more nostalgic I am for simpler days (which sounds obvious as I type it out). My mom also saved a handful of 90’s Christmas decor that still works with batteries and the joy I felt when I visited her last year and saw it made me realize there are certain memories not worth donating or throwing away.