The Great Toy Rotation – Spring Cleaning Edition

Spring break isn’t just about sandy toes and sunshine (though yes, please). For us at The Tired Couple, it’s also the one time of year we can actually clean the house. And by clean, we mean frantically purge and organize so we don’t return from our Florida escape to a toy explosion. Sound familiar?

This year, before heading to see the grandparents, we’re going to embrace a little something we call: The Great Toy Rotation. A little extra motivation to clean the house, and make our return from vacation feel slightly more manageable. Bonus potential: it will hopefully keep the kids excited about their toys instead of complaining they have “nothing to do” with a living room full of Legos.

Here’s the deal: kids don’t need ALL their toys out ALL the time. In fact, having fewer options actually increases engagement. They get bored less often, play more creatively, and (here’s the kicker) cleanup takes half the time.

So what’s our plan before leaving for spring break? See below:

1. Purge Before You Pack
   Cut deeper than your comfort zone. If it’s broken or missing parts, it goes in the trash. If it hasn’t been touched in 6 months, it goes in the donation bin. Involve the kids (kind of)—turning it into a “find toys that need a new home” game.
2. Sort and Store
   We use these clear plastic bins from Amazon to sort toys into categories: building blocks, pretend play, puzzles, sensory, etc. Then, we stored about 70% of them in a closet for later use. This might sound a bit crazy but bigger is better…the little ones are really of now use for us. 
3. Feature the Favorites
   We’ll let each kid pick a few toys or sets they absolutely couldn’t live without for the week. That’s what will stay out and visible while we’re gone.
4. Clean as You Go
   Nothing like finding a rogue sippy cup under the toy kitchen while decluttering. Take the opportunity to wipe down shelves, vacuum toy bins, and finally get rid of the glitter slime residue from 2022.

Walking in the door after a trip is chaotic enough—especially when you’re dragging tired kids, backpacks, and multiple bags of dirty laundry. Coming back to an uncluttered toy area is a gift to your future selves. The kids will be excited to see their “new” toys again when we rotate in a fresh set, and no trip hazards when you get back home. 

Pro tip: if you rotate toys while the kids are at school or asleep, the surprise factor is magical.

Again, as previously posted, don’t forget these life savers below:

• The Kindle Fire 10 Kids Edition will be packed and charged.
• The Tonies Toniebox will be coming with us to lead the bedtime routine charge!
• A compact puzzle travel book will help provide some distraction during the flights and restaurant trips.

These are big deals while traveling!

Decluttering before spring break might sound like adding one more task to your list, but trust us—it pays off. Rotating toys not only helps keep your home (semi) organized, it actually makes playtime more enjoyable for the kids.

And when you come back from vacation, you’ll be thankful to walk into a house that doesn’t scream, “You left two toddlers here unsupervised for a week.”

Head over to @thetiredcouple for more spring break survival tips, packing hacks, and very real parenting moments. And if you grab any of our toy organization faves through our Amazon links, know that you’re helping support us—and our caffeine habits.

Thank you for supporting The Tired Couple! ❤️