I have a confession to make. I really hate to admit it, what with me being a Professional Organizer and all. But plenty of you have admitted your dirty little organizational and productivity secrets to me, so here goes . . .

At last count, my eight-year-old daughter “Blue-Eyed Jane” had exactly 80 stuffed animals in her bedroom.

Now, before you start chastising her (okay, me) for having too much clutter, in her (okay, our) defense they all have a “home.” The small beanie-sized ones get corralled in an over-the-door shoe organizer hanging on the inside of her closet. And the larger ones each have a designated place of honor either on her bed or on a shelf. Plus, to keep the number stable, we have a “one in, one out” rule-whenever a new one comes home an old one hits the road by way of our monthly donation to the local Rescue Mission.

Recently, I received a comment here at Virtually Organized from a fellow Mom who also suffers from stuffed animal overload:

“I have a question about soft toys and how to get rid of them!  My boys are 18 months and 5 years but neither of them are interested in the soft toys we’ve been given and I’ve got a big basketful of them just taking up space. The charity shops don’t want them, and a few of them have some sentimental value, but they are taking up so much space and not getting played with.  Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!”

Well, in terms of those sentimental toys, my first preference is to take a picture of your child with the item. Photos of your memories not only take up less room, but when you include your child, you visually record that moment in time when the item meant so much.

Another option is to narrow down the sentimental toys to one or two small that you can store in their “Special Things” box. It’s okay to hold onto these tangible memories as long as you:

• 1. Have an organized method for storing them
• 2. Have enough space to store them
• 3. You prioritize what you keep so that only the most special and meaningful items stick around.

Now, when it comes to getting rid of unimportant excess, I’m fortunate to have a local donation site that actually will accept stuffed animals; however I know most charities reject such donations.  For those of you without a local donation site who are looking to keep your toys out of land-fills, the following organizations will not only take your “like-new” stuffies, but they’ll put them to good use, too:

• Project Night Night (www.ProjectNightNight.org) is dedicated to improving the lives of homeless children living in shelters by providing them with individual tote bags filled with a security blanket, an age-appropriate book, and a stuffed animal. By providing these comfort objects, Project Night Night seeks to advance the emotional and cognitive well-being of these children. Visit their site for drop-off locations, as well as addresses for where you can send your “like new” stuffies. (They’ll even send you a receipt for tax purposes.) Please note, they do have some restrictions on what donations they will accept (no Beanie Babies, no stuffed animals that make noises and no commemorative stuffed animals that have years sewn on them).
• Contact your local fire, ambulance and police departments. Often times they keep stuffed animals on hand to offer children involved in motor vehicle accidents, en route to the hospital, or who are victimized in a crime or involved in a custody incident.
• Loving Hugs (LovingHugs.com) collectsnew and”gently used” stuffed animals to send to children in hospitals, orphanages, and refugee camps (IDP Camps)in countries that have been devastated by war, poverty, or natural disasters. By giving thesechildren something to hug close and hold onto, Loving Hugs hopes to offer a small bit of comfortduring such difficult times. Check out their site for mailing addresses. Additionally, to cut the shipping costs of your donation, Loving Hugs will provide you with their UPS account information so you can take advantage of their discounted rate. Click here  for the application information

If you are planning to donate your stuffies to any of these worthwhile options, be sure to observe their requirements and needs. Some ask that the stuffed animals be bathed in a washing machine and fluffed in the dryer, and some collect other “like new” donations to offer the children they serve.

As for my Blue-Eyed Jane’s extended family of fluff-filled friends, my goal this month as we approach her 9^th birthday is to reduce the quantity of her collection while protecting its quality and sentimentality. Loving Hugs suggests holding a local collection drive, and knowing that stuffed animal overload is a prevalent problem in households with young girls, I’m thinking we can help weed out some of her friend’s stuffed play things, too. I’ll keep you posted on the progress.

Simply yours,

Debbie

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1. One Year Ago on Virtually Organized: Confessions of an Organized Mom
2. Welcome to Our Newest Sponsor, Beyond Bedding!
3. Tax-time Organizing Help: Donation Valuation
4. The Organized Nursery: Creating a Bedroom That Grows With Baby
5. Benny’s Book of Sorting: A Different Way of Teaching Kids to Organize