Still storing your children's 'stuff?'

That's a good point. the things I most regret hanging onto are cuddly toys which, at the time, other children could have got pleasure from. As it is, even though they've been kept in sealed bags I don't feel that they're clean enough for the grandchildren to play with. I guess I did it because my mum threw all of my teddies and dolls away when I left home; even the photo I'd taken of them was missing; result was that I couldn't bear to throw anything away.

Please limit your children's stuff to one box or a bag...I remember my daughter storing her beloved Barrie in the loft and after a couple of years found it melting and sticky due to the heat...I felt bad as if the doll had been given away some other child would have been happy to love it.
I feel we can hold onto some stuff and memories but not hoard...

Love this thread, glad to see I'm not alone! We moved from an old farmhouse, including barn 2 years ago. Whilst there DSs had gone through uni so the barn was full of school and uni stuff. After much nagging (moi?) they did come over and have a sort out.... still have several boxes of toys, memorabilia in our rumpus room + DS1s beloved collection of football shirts.

Mind you, my organised and minimalist DD1 has already said that when we go she'll just hire a very large skip. When I showed her the four boxes of dressing up outfits (from their youth and my time working in primary schools, nothing racy!) she just said "Make that two skips".

Oh dear, NameChange , another timely reminder that I need to sort things out. I'm a bit (to put it very mildly) of a hoarder, but I'd hate my DC to have to spend so long sorting my junk stuff. I might have complained about my DM throwing things out, but when she died my sister and I had her house cleared over a weekend. All her important documents (and nothing else) were clipped together in one sideboard drawer. I have at least three boxes full of "souvenirs", let alone the filing cabinet that is never pruned. I've only just steeled myself to ditch DS's keyring collection - he's in his mid 30s.

I thought I had taken everything of mine from my DM's house when I bought my first home many years ago. I did leave toothbrush, a nightie and a couple of other bits and pieces so I didn't have to take them with me when I went to stay with her.

When she died her house was full of stuff! Every postcard I'd ever sent her, every school report, everything! I hated school so I really enjoyed shredding all my school reports.

DM had 2 wardrobes full of clothes (some went to charity, some were divide up, and some were sold), at least 30 pairs of shoes (my DSis was the same size and took a lot of them), 13 of those hideous 1970s nylon undersheets (which no one wanted), 6 filing cabinets full of papers and boxes of newspaper cuttings about gardening! It has taken me nearly two years to finish clearing out her things.

I have just remembered some friends left some of their paperwork in my loft when they emigrated in 2011, in case the HMRC wanted to see it. I must ask them if I can get rid of it now!

I got left a trunkful of my children's toys and after about twenty years I threw most of them out.
One daughter has never forgiven me and frequently reminds me that I sent her beloved dolls to landfill.

My mum's neighbours had 4 kids, when she gave up her house due to ill health, there was a track worn between her house and the local tip, with all the stuff they had begged her to keep for them for years! I am sure my mum & dad still has stuff belonging to me in their loft and I've been married 28 years...

I don't know though - there are children and there are collectors. Don't they just want pristine toys, untouched by human hand? I'd rather see a toy being played with and enjoyed than sitting in a box (unless we're talking huge amounts of cash, of course ).

On the other hand, my mother gave me the family Christening gown to dress my dolls in when I was about 3, and of course I wrecked it. It was very old and delicate, beautifully made in fine ivory lace, with tiny mother-of-pearl buttons. I was the last baby to be christened in it. It'd never have had monetary value, but that's the sort of heirloom I'd have treasured.

My DM had previous - she shipped all my beloved Just William books to a jumble sale when she decided I'd outgrown them. They were all first editions, bought for my dad (William, of course) as they were published in the 1920s.

My DD2 had Cabbage Patch dolls as a child. I kept her favorite one for years then gave it back to her because they are quite valuable now. Instead of putting it away, she gave it to my GD (three years old at the time) to play with. When I visited some time later, it was on my GDs closet floor missing shoes and socks and the very sought after 'binky' (dummy).

I had to remind DD2 that these dolls are prized by collectors. DD2 has now pledged to put her away where she is safe and to replace the missing items if they can't be found.

Moral of the story: Not always a good idea to return everything

DS just gave DGD[2 1/2] Buzz Lightyear to play with/ take home and I'm worried she'll break him....

I've had the same when I handed the Thunderbirds vehicles to the DGC, historian. Just wait till I get that Star Wars box open!

Our Room of Doom is the cellar. Unfortunately once DD1 cleared out the many big plastic boxes of belongings we were storing for her, I realised that a lot of the clutter I was blaming her for is actually mine. At least I can reach the washer now though without deploying my impressive hurdling skills.

I have what is known as 'The Room of Doom'. As well as having to use it as a study it is half filled with cardboard boxes and plastic storage crates belonging to my six aged between 43 and 26. My youngest has just moved yet again however this time to try to encourage a clear out of 'The Room of Doom' she has hired a small storage unit locally. This requires a small outlay monthly on her part but she feels this is making her more independent. She is hoping this will encourage the older ones to clear their stuff. I have also horrified certain of them by giving the grandchildren to play with what are considered 'collectibles' they could ebay. My reply is tough they were just TOYS when I bought them. Can you imagine a 43 year old whinging because his 2 year old nephew is playing with a 'Stormtrooper' and 'Chewbakker'(?), apparently this is sacrilege!!!!

DS1 went through as much as possible when he left for the US. I said he could leave a few boxes of stuff, but he wasn't to then come back and throw the contents away after we had stored it for six or seven years. I recently went through the boxes and condensed them a bit - I am sure there is loads there that he will not want to keep when he gets back - broken toys, broken glasses in children's sizes, bits of computer kit that are really really out of date.

DS2 is a thrower-away and just chucked everything into the dustbin, leaving a few clothes which he uses when he comes to visit. He does bring books back sometimes, which get integrated into our bookshelves. I often discover kitchen equipment and things at his flat that he must have "borrowed" from me.

DS3 hasn't really left home yet - still at uni - and his room is full of junk. Quite a lot of it isn't even his. I have pushed it over in a corner so that when he or one of his brothers needs the room they can sleep in there, but it is all very dusty. I would love to put it all in cartons and then plonk him down with the entire contents to deal with it all. But he never stays long enough.

They seem to think we shall be here for ever offering free storage. But I can't say anything because we're just as bad ourselves!

My loft contains the childhood of two of my three children. My youngest daughter's husband has OCD so they are never going to be collected. My eldest son seems to think he has a fortune stored up there in 1980's football programs. I've never come across them and if I had I would have started charging him for storage!

Also very close to my heart. We are downsizing and two of our children live in Australia. Our loft has had a massive clear out as we have been here 30 years. DD went to Australia for 6 months and has been there 6years with no intention of returning. We have just cleared through boxes and boxes of miscellaneous 'stuff'. We made many, many trips to the tip and Pickfords collected the remainder today to ship to her in Sydney. I only hope she does moan that we have disposed of anything precious to her. It is very hard to make that decision for someone else but she has refused to do it herself so there is no alternative. Feeling very sad but also relieved that it has gone ... at last!

This is close to my heart! After a disastrous break up[ with his ex, my son turned up with practically everything he owned. He had already stored childhood stuff in the loft previously - special things! This is now accompanied by years of adult 'hoarding' of various books, clothes etc so that the loft is full, so is the garage up to the roof. He has now moved on to a house share - no room for his life's collection! Frustrated!!!

We do still have stuff that belongs to our sons in the loft but that does not annoy me . What does annoy me is the stuff from bil that was stored at mils until she died and ended up in our house because bil lives abroad. He comes over occasionally and I remind him but it falls on deaf ears . He did once have the cheek to tell me to put all the football magazines on eBay but not as a job lot , all singly . I told him politely to get lost.

We have stuff belonging to both of our children, now in their 30s and some of my Dil's things too. Also my Bil's stuff from his mum's house, which was sold when she died. He is in a residential home.

I've kept a small memories box for each DC and the best of their toys - which have now come out again to be played with. But everything else was passed to them in dribs and drabs when they called round to be kept or thrown as they choose.

Now though when we call round to see them, things which we 'lent' to them when they set up house are being passed back. Tit for tat!

I've got rid of most of it bar some university books and old dvds, but the latter may go to charity, they are in the spare bedroom which looks a lot clearer than it did. I kept a lot of my childrens' childhood books which are now coming in useful for our grandchildren, talking of which their toys etc. have replaced what we got rid of . Seems it never ends!

My son didn't move out from home until he was 42, I still have a cupboard half full of his books. I did tell him about it and he said ' why, what do you want the space for?' I will start charging him storage space charges soon. Apricity I totally agree with you, he is a grownup and responsible for his own stuff, it's convincing him of the fact that's difficult.

Oh yes! Now aged 36 and 33, DD is just moving to a much bigger house though and I'm hoping to let her have her wedding dress, various bridesmaid dresses and her uni stuff back although no doubt with two small children the new house will fill up very soon. DS has a 1 bed flat and only moved out last year so am happy to store his belongings for longer. We will be downsizing in the next few years so everything will have to be gone by then.

We have so much in the loft, but last summer DDs and DGD got all the bin bags of cuddly toys out - nearly covered the lounge floor. Sorted and kept some, others have been redistributed or sent to charity shops etc. Still lots of other toys to be sorted.....not to mention clothes, DH's uni notes (He's 66!) and massive collection of football programmes. When DHs parents died he was really looking forward to going into their loft and finding his old games and toys, he was so upset to find nothing there, apart from a box of love letters of theirs - which are now in our loft!

I had to laugh at GadaboutGran saying things reproduce!!! There does seem to be a tendency for it all to advance into the room from the corners! And of course we will all be writing our books one-day -JUST DO IT .