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3 Kid Things You Can Get Rid of In the New Year

Shifrah Combiths
Shifrah Combiths
With five children, Shifrah is learning a thing or two about how to keep a fairly organized and pretty clean house with a grateful heart in a way that leaves plenty of time for the people who matter most. Shifrah grew up in San Francisco, but has come to appreciate smaller town…read more
published Dec 22, 2022
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Credit: Lula Poggi

The holidays are here, and though it might feel like a flurry of getting ready, this is actually just the calm before the storm — otherwise known as the explosion of stuff invading your home that’s right on the horizon. 

This stuff might be neatly wrapped and mercifully contained under the tree right now, but in a matter of days, all those sets of hats and scarves and mittens, all those toys and games with tiny pieces that can’t get lost, and all those wishlist coats and shoes are about to be opened and strewn all over the house. 

The best way to create space for the influx is to get rid of the old things, so you don’t find yourself stuffing things in closets bursting with excess. Here are a few categories of kid things you can get rid of in the new year!

  1. Broken toys or toys with missing parts. Give yourself the gift of freedom from having to deal with these items. I know you feel guilty, just like I do when faced with broken or partially missing toys, but let it go by letting them go. You’ll be releasing stress, too. 
  1. Books you don’t like to read to your children. You know exactly what I’m talking about: the books that make you groan when your child pulls them from the shelf. Though it’s not always a reliable strategy, I like to gauge the quality of children’s books by how much I, as an adult, enjoy them. Besides, reading aloud should be full of joy, for both the parent and the child. Donating books you don’t like means future read-alouds will be pleasant for all involved and also means space on the bookshelves for new books, hooray! Don’t forget to also pass along books that your child has outgrown and to pluck out books that are missing pages or covers. 
  1. Old winter clothes. At this point in the year, we’ve had enough cold weather to discover which winter clothes still fit our kids and which should be passed along. You might have even already taken inventory of what new winter clothes your children need. If those old items aren’t out of the house, get them out now, whether that means dropping them off at your local donation center or taking them to your friend’s house for her younger kids to wear. In addition, if that lost mitten hasn’t shown up yet, feel free to get rid of its match.