Every year.
Every single year
My boys get at least one stuffed animal each for each holiday.
Think birthdays, Christmas, Easter, Valentine's Day and assorted others. This makes upwards of 10+ stuffed animals coming into our home each year.
Added to the other stuffed animals we already have.
Added to the already full beds they boys have.
It had to stop last year, so I came up with a plan.
1) I would take the animals they never touched and would quietly place them in the corner of their closet.
2) Wait a few months.
3)Quietly place them in a {black} garbage bag to head to the Goodwill.
4) Sneakily place the bag in the trunk of the car. (Naturally, as it is me, the bag would not be tied shut.)
5) Intend to drop it off immediately, but forget all the time for a few weeks days. Listen to my husband to ask me when I was going to drop it off everytime we go grocery shopping and couldn't fit anything into the trunk, so I would have to ride home with a bag of bread sitting on my lap-
6) Finally drop it off at the Goodwill. Because the bag is not shut, a stuffed animal will fall out and the boys will see it. They will scream that we can't get rid of the 3 foot tall Winnie the Pooh and start crying.
7) It comes home with us and we start back at #1.
Please? No stuffed animals this year.
40 comments:
I have had a stuffed animal ban in place for years. We are overrun with the darned things and do they ever even get played with? No.
Right now, though, Brennan is literally crawling up onto the keyboard to get to your Mickey Mouse in the picture so I may have to relent and get the kid a stuffed toy.
You're not very helpful, are you?
;-)
Oh gosh, I so hear you on this one. I banned stuffed animals too but my mom sees one she falls in love with and buys it anyways. I've given up for now. Eventually they'll outgrow the stuffed animals, right? 'Cause even though my 20 year old AND my 18 year old still have them doesn't mean that eventually they won't go away, right?
Oh, and by the way...the socks are a GREAT motivator for good behavior. Just one day of not being able to open a sock will enforce good behavior for weeks on end!
I've tried to impose a stuffed animal ban in my house. I think at one point, I actually said that I would behead the next stuffed animal that someone brought into the house.
It's helped...but only just a little.
I feel the same way about stuffed animals. They were cute in the beginning, but after a while, they just were getting too much. Now if I see that Niko doesn't play with it within a month, I give them away. That way another kid can enjoy it!
Ah, so you DO feel my pain. :)
I have one that plays with them. She wants to be a vet. They are still not played with that often. We now have a you have to get rid of one or even two for every one that comes into the house.
We have SO many too!!! And I just have to tell you that the whole ordeal sounds like my life...down to the forgetting and the husband fussing...oh...it is like you are spying on me!
I'm all for covertly sneaking toys out of the house. In fact, that's my mission these weeks leading up to Christmas. Wish me luck.
My MIL LOVES to give my kids stuffed animals from garage sales! Now that is the worst! I make the stuffes animals live in the unfinished basement where the kids don't play -but these used ones don't even get a chance to be passed on since I don't know where they came from & am VERY grossed out by them :) . Their fate too is the black garbage bag :) I just don't really get the stuffed animal thing :) never have. never will. Glad to here I am not the oly one sneaking the kids toys out :)
Ummmmm, yeah. I STILL have all my stuffed animals from childhood and my Mom continues to get me one every Christmas and now we have the dude. Our attic is DOMINATED by stuffies. Ah ha ha
I am with you on this one! Stuffed animals never get played with, just sit around taking up space and collecting dust. Seriously, those things are magnets for dust and allergens! My SIL and I made an agreement that we don't buy stuffed animals or toy guns for each other's children!
Wait til the boys discover Webkins.
You could do like I do. Stick 'em in the attic. Lots and lots of extra insulation. :-)
I think it's a curse. Stuffed animals that is.I let my daughter have a few special ones to sleep and play with but that's it. Any extra ones we donate to children who don't have any toys. Like Toy's for Tots. I get my daughter all excited to do it and she throws in all of her stuffed animals and I'm usually the one telling her which ones we simply can not part with, LoL.
This is so funny.. I can't find my little one in her bed because she wants them all in there. Too funny...
I can't stand stuffed animals! They constantly multiply, and take up too much space! To make it worse, my kids found my bag of stuffed animals from my childhood and wanted them!
My younger sister had an insane collection of stuffed 'friends'. Pretty much everyone who ever met her eventually bought her something stuffed. When Katrina hit, and she was away at college, my mother and I raided her closet and basement (where many had been stored cuz she couldnt part with them but needed to know they were safe ,,,sigh)... and sent approximately 10 bags of animals (only in good condition though we did have to purge a few that were over-loved:().
When she came home and we told her what we did she was okay with it. Maybe it was growing up or maybe it was knowing that someone who really needed some of her stuffed love got it, but it went okay. Someday maybe your kids will be ready to part with them, but they might need to understand the receiving parties too to help!
Abby is only 7 months old and already has an insane amount of stuffed animals and Christmas isn't even here yet! I may have to start a similar sneak out plan!
I have an issue getting rid of stuffed animals too . . . We create emotional bonds with them. If you're as dysfunctional as me . . . You give them names . . . LoL! :)
Allison is starting a collection of stuffed animals.
Why do people insist on getting stuffed animals every year???? Don't they get that people have enough of them.
If I could offer an idea, one that I knew went over better with my friends daughter because her animals were "helping", local hospitals and fire stations and ambulances accept donated stuffed animals to calm down little kids. And I have been there with my son, and it really does help. Just call your local fire station. Maybe they will even let the brave one's that donated their toys check out the fire engine!
I have had a "no stuffed animals" policy for years at my house. It doesn't stop my MIL.
ugh. i wish i could reblog this! so true! it's amazing the mounds of stuffed animals we end up with. the bad part, though, is the first time ben and i left samantha for a few days, we went to orlando and went to sea world. we decided to buy her a souvenier--a HUGE stuffed dolphin. the thing is probably 3 foot long. the stupid things we do as young parents.... and it's from US so we can't get rid of it!!
good luck this year!
Amen!!!
Oh, I know. We have a whole Ikea toy chest in the play room just for stuffed animals. And none of them may ever be given away, even though no one ever plays with them.
Amen to that! I usually tell people that stuffed animals cause Nev's allergies to flare up....that keeps it down to a minimal.
I finally talked my boys into no more stuffed animals and then here comes the Diva .... sigh.
OMG I could have wrote this myself! I swear my child has at least 60 (so serious) stuff animals. IT IS REDIC!!! Good luck with the next Good Will trip.
OMG! I need a stuffed animal ban at my house, too!!!
I hate those stupid things! Actually, I don't. That's the problem.
I tagged you on my blog! :)
I agree.
My kids have so many stuffed animals. I always bring a bunch to Goodwill too. And then more always show up to take their place...
That's like t-shirts in my closet!
The lengths we moms have to go to just to clean up a little, huh?
Ha ha ha, I feel your pain. Sounds like something I would do.
I totally hear you!!! What is it with people always giving stuffed animals as gifts?? We have so many but unfortunately my kids have taken inventory so if even the tiniest stuffed animal is missing, they know immediately that I had something to do with it.
LOL. I hope the plan works!
I loved stuffed animals growing up. I had shelves build along the top wall of room and had them all put up there...it really helped clear the bed off and some of the clutter too....just an idea for ya!
Can't relate to the whole stuffed animal problem now..... I can relate of the nagging husband though! :) My husband always nags about things to do with my car. Drives me bananas!! Yesterday, he actually said "I'm proud of you. Since you got this car, you haven't....." I about FELL OUT!! One compliment amongst tons of nags...makes a girl feel proud.
You just need to be sneakier.
I soooo understand where you are coming from. Stuffed animals are so dust collectors. My kids never use them but if they find out I'm getting rid of them. sighs
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