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Toys in the Bedroom

November 6, 2012 By 8 Comments

Get your mind out of the gutter.

Toys in the bedroom: should you or shouldn’t you?  Here’s how I see it:

Some children cannot handle toys in the bedroom.  Rather than going to sleep at bedtime, they want to play; or, worse, they wake in the middle of the night and play.

  • Solution: If you want toys in the bedroom, they can be brought in temporarily or have an out-of-sight bedroom location.  Either way, they should be cleaned up and put away before bedtime routine begins.
  • However: If your little critter is getting up to dig through the toy box then storing toys in the room probably isn’t the best option.

Some children refuse or are very reluctant to clean up their toys.  While this will be a problem whether the toys are in a bedroom or a playroom, having the bedroom as the site for the clean-up battle doesn’t foster a calm sleeping environment.

  • Solution: Provide an opportunity for success by allowing toys in the bedroom so long as they are cleaned up without fuss.
  • However: I believe in second chances but at some point a parent has to declare a “no toy in the bedroom” rule.

For some kids, their bedroom is the only place they can play without a sibling interfering.

  • Solution: Allow special toys to be stored in the bedroom, brought in temporarily, or provide a time and space where the child gets some uninterrupted play time.
  • However: Be sure that alone-play-time isn’t the only playtime because for some kids, desire for alone-play is rooted in an unwillingness to share or play with others.

 

 

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Do you allow toys in the bedroom?  Why, or why not?

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About James Hudyma

Dad. Husband. Teacher. Minivan. Some hair. Some gut. Strong coffee. Guitars. Songwriter.

  • http://twitter.com/GinaValley Gina Valley (@GinaValley)

    My kids toys are always escaping their tubs and multiplying.

    • James Hudyma

      Some toys are very good at multiplying. It’s black magic.

  • http://grade1y.wordpress.com grade1y

    We let them have toys. It is nice to have a quiet, safe place to play where they can have some alone time.

    • James Hudyma

      Thanks for commenting and I agree. As a kid, I always loved knowing I could go to my room for some peace and quiet; although, I wasn’t usually very quiet (playing guitar).

  • http://twitter.com/ABetterGuy Be A Better Guy (@ABetterGuy)

    First off, great organization in that closet in the top picture!

    We’ve had success with toys in our oldest daughters room. The thing that helped us in terms of limits and appropriate play times was the use of rituals and rhythms. We watched her for signals and tracked it. We looked for when she liked to go back there and play alone or when she liked to have us back there with her and built the routines around those times. At the end of the day one of the rituals as she picks out pajamas is to clean up her toys and like clock work it signals a transition into the night time routine of bath, brushing, and settling down.

    Of course that didn’t happen overnight but it’s a neat constant that reinforces good behavior while enjoying fun in a safe space that’s all her own.

    • James Hudyma

      I can’t take any credit for that closet. My wife is the Organizing Queen.

      Thanks for sharing your success story. I guess it really comes down to compromise, patience, and knowing your kids.

  • happiestdaddy

    Nice post. We allow our 2 year old to not only have toys in his room but toys in his bed. Scandalous, I know. Sometimes at night we hear him playing, talking, imagining with his toys for an hour. We love and respect his alone time. Oddly, he never gets out of his bed and has always been — knock on wood — a great sleeper. We figure if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

    • James Hudyma

      That’s right. “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

      There really is no right answer; only what works best for your family.

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