Turns out, you really can have too much of a good thing. Especially when that thing is toys. "It is definitely overstimulating for kids to have too many toys out," Trimmer said. Bowen-Poole has noticed the same thing in the homes she has worked on, adding, "Parents have way too much stuff, leaving kids overwhelmed in their playrooms."
Luckily, our experts have come up with a couple of creative ways to tackle this problem. When decluttering a new space, Davies and Bowen-Poole look to keep items that are age-appropriate and can be used in a number of different ways. "We prefer to go back to the basics with things like magnet tiles, wooden blocks, toy people and animals, anything that can really engage a child because they can use it however they want."
At CASA Design, Trimmer is a big fan of toy rotation. This can be really helpful if you are constantly overwhelmed by the number of toys strewn about your house but aren't quite ready to part with certain things (though she did note that you can probably toss or donate anything that is broken or hasn't been played with in over six months). "We help customers set up bins in their home or storage room, and parents can rotate those out seasonally, biweekly, or even if the child is just showing signs of boredom with the current toys. It really depends on the child."
