Toddler's room: Seven things you can declutter now

by Lucy Moore | 27 February 2020

Once your little one grows from being a baby into a toddler, there are several things you can let go of following this transition. Here are a few items you may want to look at and assess whether they are still useful to you and your baby.

Minimalism on Female First

Nappies: If your toddler is now potty trained and you have some nappies left over, ask around and see if your friends need them for their babies. Offer them for free on your social media pages for people who are local to you. Even if you are planning on having another baby, nappies do have a sell-by date so better give them to someone who can use them while they are at their best.

Bottles: Chances are- your toddler has grown out of bedtime bottles, in which case you can recycle these if they are past their best or give them to someone who can use them now or very soon. It’s positive for your child’s mental and physical development to encourage them to use sippy cups and get them out of the habit of drinking from bottles, so this is the perfect excuse to pare down the bottles in your cupboards.

Pram: If your little one is a confident walker, it’s likely that you don’t use the pram anymore and opt for a buggy instead as they are easier to transport. If this is the case, you might want to sell your pram on to someone on eBay or Facebook Marketplace. They take up a lot of room, so if you don’t plan on anymore family, letting go of this can save a lot of space in your home.

Formula: If you have weaned your little one off formula, and have any boxes left that are unopened- there will be people out there how will take this off your hands. Formula is expensive, so someone will be grateful for this at a discounted price and you can make a little money too.

Sterisliser: If your little one is no longer taking bottles, you won’t have the need for a steriliser, so you could sell this along with any bottles that are still in good condition to someone who needs one or give it away to a friend or family member who has a baby on the way.

Toys they no longer play with: It’s been found that children generally only play with 12 of their favourite toys from an average total number of 238. Children are overwhelmed by choice and if you watch your little one, it becomes evident which toys they gravitate towards the most. Remove anything that they don’t reach for and leave only the ones they like. Carry on this cycle- and adopt the one in and one out rule so this total number stays the same. Furthermore, this will help their development too. If they are stuck playing with age inappropriate toys, there is little opportunity for them to stretch themselves with new challenges or use their imaginations as they play.

Bath seat: If you invested in one of these for your baby- now they can toddle, it’s highly unlikely that they will sit still in one of these in the bath anymore! If this sounds familiar and it’s still in good condition with no mould on the underside, this can be passed on too. However, if it is riddled with mould- best to responsibly dispose of this item in favour of a heat sensitive bath mat.

There are many other things that can go the distance once your child reaches toddling age such as dummies, teething rings, flasks for milk and rattles- to name a few so it’s important to observe each stage and celebrate it with a declutter!