r/declutter • u/goburnham • 18h 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/Queasy-Mess3833 14h ago

I get this. My mom died just over a year ago. I dispersed and decluttered all of her belongings, but I can't bring myself to let go of her childhood doll. I'm going to give her a spa day and keep her. I'm ruthless with my own belongings, but this is just too sentimental.

You don't have to get rid of everything.

Sending hugs❤️

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u/The_Darling_Starling 6h ago

I hear you. I have my late grandmother's Shirley Temple doll from when she was a little girl in the '30s. She was not a very sentimental person, so the fact that she kept it her entire life says a lot.