Clean Up?

MommyToAshley wrote: How often do you have your tot clean up their toys? I read that some parents make their child put up the toy they are playing with before they get out another one. I have a hard enough time having Ashley pick up her toys at the end of the night. Although sometimes she does do it herself without a reminder, but not very often. I try do a quick pick-up right before nap (I usually do most of it) and then we pick up again before bedtime (I have Ashley help with this one). Some days we do good and other days not so well. Just wondering what you do and what works with your toddler.

kimberley replied: at daycare we always made them put back a toy before they got another one but at home it was a different story. we usually tried to do a quick tidy up before lunch and dinner and before bed. like you, i ended up doing most of it. but we had a small place, 2 toddlers and lots of toys, so it was hard to keep things tidy. just teaching them a tidy up routine is good enough at that age imo.

Kaitlin'smom replied: Honslty I usualy am the one picking them up, I do have to admit I dont do it everynight . She has helped before but I have not really work on her helping.

ediep replied: I clean up before nap time and bedtime. I usually end up doing most of it. We sing a clean up song while we pick up the toys


clean up clean up everybody everywhere
clean up clean up pitch in and do your chare

jen replied:
Edie!!! I love your song!!! That is cute!!!!

jcc64 replied: I don't know, the one toy at a time thing's a little rigid to me. I can see the logic of it when there are lots of kids around like at a daycare or preschool, but it seems a little too structured for home, imo. Their play will start to involve a lot more imagination and creativity soon, and that seems kind of limiting, kwim? I remember when I was a kid, my brother and I would have Little People scenarios that would go on for days... For the time being, we usually clean up when we're transitioning from one room to another. Before lunch, before nap, before bed, etc. She likes to clean up, I think she craves organization, boy, did she ever wind up in the wrong family!

MylittlePaige replied: I usually clean up when I put Paige down for a nap bc I can do it so much faster and she is cranky before she lays down. She usually helps with a little coercing to put away the toys before dinner and if there is any mess around bed time I usually just pick that stuff up myself. She is really getting much better about putting away things when I ask her though. In the beginning all she would do was put the toys away and then immediately dump them back out, like it was a game. Now I try and make the game lets put away the toys and see if they can stay away for longer then 10 mintues!

ediep-I like your little song, I might have to try that out!

Alli and Paige-come on Mom I want all my toys out all at the same time...

5littleladies replied: Actually, I try and have my older kids clean up when they are done playing with something. If they don't, then the playroom just gets way too messy and they get overwhelmed when it is time to clean up and I end up doing most of it. Brianna's things are different-they just get picked up once or twice a day, but when they get older and have things with lots of little pieces then I think it's best to pick up as they go.

A&A'smommy replied:
BARNEY! LOL good idea I will have to remember that!

jen replied: My twin and I used to be told we had to put one thing back before getting another! But I would go to put it back and she would throw it on the floor and get something else! I of course DID NOT DO IT!!! We always pointed the finger at the other one! LOL !

MomToJade&Jordan replied: I am the one who usually cleans up. Jade helps at times, but she does a better job at messing things up then she does at cleaning. My mom used to make clean up a game. She would tell us to pick up everything that had blue in it or she would say shapes. It was really cool and it was a learning experience as well. I will probably start playing this game with Jade in the near future.

maestra replied:
Lol and then they get to kindergarten and are still singing it and driving me bonkers.......imagine 25 kids singing that song, continuously! But it works! lol

kit_kats_mom replied: We usually pick up before nap, before daddy gets home and before bed but there are times when we have to pick stuff up in-between or else there wouldn't be any open space to run around screaming in.

Schnoogly replied: You're joking, right????





Oh, yeah I remember ashley puts her own toys away. I am jealous!!!!! I can't even put Iain's toys away when he's there or else he throws them all on the floor as I'm putting them away. I have to do it secretly, when he's involved with something else.

I feel lucky if his toys get put away once a week. I have enough trouble keeping the house from being completely filthy and prying grape skins off the dining room floor. And I'm usually holding him while he sleeps, except for the brief period he sleeps in his bed when I get to take a shower.

MomToJade&Jordan replied:
LOL!!!! Yeah we have to do that sometimes too. Jade does need room to run around and scream. Usually it's up and down the hallway. Sometimes she even accompanies that with shaking her head back and forth and waving her hands in the air. Really wish I knew where she get's it from. I could use some of that energy.

aspenblue1 replied: I usually pick up at naptime. But Isabella likes to put her toys back usually after she empties her toy box. She thinks its a game to put them all back and close the box.

kit_kats_mom replied:
She must have picked that up from K. LOL

coasterqueen replied: Well I've tried and tried to get Kylie to put her toys away with no luck, so I'm not going to stress over it now. I just think she's too young to completely understand "why" she has to. That's what she asks when I tell her it's time to put toys away "Why momma?" LOL.

We pick up toys before she has her nighttime routine and only because part of her routine is to watch Elmo before bed. We don't want toys scattered all over the living room while she's watching the show because then she will get distracted instead of "winding down".

We pick up her playroom after she is in bed.

Maddie&EthansMom replied: We pick up before bedtime. We also sing the Barney clean up song! LOL! They actually taught her this when she started preschool last year. I'm proud to report that Maddie was voted the best cleaner-upper in her class and the biggest helper. Now, I just need to work on her minding more at home.