Clutter From Kids: Learning To Live With Stuffed Animals

How come everyone buys little kids knick knacks and stuffed animals? What can you do with a knick knack? They are usually made of glass and kept out of reach so they do not get broken. Their main purpose seems to be to clutter every available inch on the shelves, dressers and bookcases in the kids? rooms.

At least a child can hold or sleep with a stuffed animal. Stuffed animals are the one gift you can buy that will delight both boys and girls, young and old alike. So what do I have against stuffed animals? Nothing traumatic ever happened to me involving one of these cute, cuddly creatures. I did not experience feelings of paranoia from all those beady eyes staring at me and I was never locked in a closet with hundreds of them piled on top of me snuffing out my air supply!

My dislike for stuffed animals and knick knacks started when my nieces were little. They had a whole menagerie of teddy bears, monkeys, Tiggers and Eeyores taking over their house, yet you could not go into a store without hearing their high-pitched squeals whenever they saw a stuffed animal. ?Look how cute it is! Mommy, can I have it?? There must be a way to channel that enthusiasm in a different direction. I can picture it now, ?Mommy, Spot went poo-poo! Can I clean it up??

I have always preferred a clutter-free environment and strive to have a place for everything. Where do you put all the stuffed animals, figurines and trophies? There is not much you can do with glass trinkets besides placing them on shelves or in a curio cabinet to keep them out of harm?s way. Curio cabinets provide a virtually dust-free environment or mount your wall shelves above eye level so the dust is not as noticeable.

It does not make sense to put too many stuffed animals on the kids' beds, unless you consider it a form of exercise the next morning when you have to bend down to pick up each one. I recommend using toy boxes for stuffed animals. They are roomy and easily accessible to the kids. Some toy boxes have separate compartments and are great for organizing. You can keep the Beanie Babies separated from the balls and the cars. Clear containers also work well since they allow you to see what is inside without having to dump everything out.

Kids will eventually outgrow their stuffed animals. In a perfect world, this would mean keeping a few of their favorites and donating the rest to a hospital. But in the real world, this means packing and sending them off with your adult children when they move out! It is a basic fact of life that most kids like stuffed animals. All you can do is change your own attitude and find ways to live with them.

Vicki Vasto is a professional organizer and has a website called Vast Emporium, Inc. which focuses on home furnishings and decor.