After Christmas, in most of the houses it is time to order toys and parents ask ourselves a question: What to do with toys that children no longer use?
Santa Claus and the Magi have brought gifts to children by increasing the usual stock of puzzles, balls, dolls, stuffed animals, games, blocks and much more.
Although we try to avoid the avalanche of toys for Christmas, it cannot always be achieved and the truth is that children end up having a lot of toys.
Many of them are parked in a drawer or cease to interest them because they have grown and no longer motivate them. Therefore, when deciding what to do with toys that children no longer use, before throwing them away, there are more helpful options as long as the toys are in good condition.
One of the rules we have at home regarding toys is that for each new toy, you have to donate or give away one that is not used, so as to avoid accumulating them uselessly and giving other children the opportunity to have a toy.
On the one hand, we optimize space and on the other we teach them to be supportive and make reasonable use of toys, looking for another purpose when we no longer need them, such as:
Donate them
The most solidary option is to donate them so that children with fewer resources can benefit from them. It is also important to involve the child in the donation, which does not consist of “getting rid of” what he no longer uses, but of sharing it with other children.
Toys should be in good condition, comply with safety regulations and, of course, should not be broken.
Preferably, it should be a non-electronic toy because the child who receives it may not have the resources to change the batteries once they have run out.
They can be donated to charities that are responsible for collecting toys through various campaigns such as UNICEF, Caritas, Red Cross, You let me play or Messengers of Peace.
They can also be donated in parishes or churches, as well as in nurseries, schools, hospitals, or through toy collection campaigns organized by municipalities or other organizations.
Give them away
Through donation we give toys to unknown children, but give them to children we know as cousins, children of friends, children of acquaintances, it is also a valid option.
The toy that no longer motivates a child can be the most fun for another. For this reason, they are usually given to younger children, because our children have been "small."
It is also important to involve the child who gives away his toys, allowing him to decide who to give it to. We must explain that it makes no sense that they are stored without anyone using them, and that child can take advantage of them more.
Recycle toys that children no longer use
Finally, if you do not opt for any of the above proposals, or if the toy is not in good condition, the last option is the recycling.
If the toy has batteries, we must remove them and recycle them separately. Toys contain slow degradation plastics, and especially electronics, can contain highly polluting heavy metals.
Ideally, take them to the nearest clean point where they are deposited in different containers depending on whether they are plastic, metal (bicycles, scooters, skates), and separate batteries or batteries.
