Donating toys away is a wonderful means of sharing toys with other children and allowing your child to learn more about giving (for a good cause). When your child has grown tired of his or her toys or has outgrown the toys, you can donate them to a charitable organization which is a great way of giving back to the community.
You can set a time period like every four months to go through your child’s toys and see what is broken and should be thrown away and what can receive some tender love and care and possibly make another child happy. But there are several things you do need to take note to ensure that a toy is really worth donating.
Inspect Toys for Loose Parts
When you are going through your child’s toys and separating it into a donate pile, it is important to first inspect the toys for any broken or loose pieces. If the pieces can be fixed with some strong glue or some stitching if it’s a stuffed animal… that will still be a nice gesture.
Many toys just need little minor repairs from you (you can make it a family effort and do it along with your child if they are old enough) to make them fully functional again. By taking the extra time to do this, the toys can be donated away and be enjoyed by another child.
Clean Toys
Sometimes toys may have been left out in the rain and the moisture caused mold to grow on it, or maybe they were played with outdoors and are covered in dirt marks. If these toys are washable, they should be thrown into the washing machine to be cleaned.
Toys that are wooden and plastic should be washed and cleaned with soap and water, a damp cloth, and then wiped with a clean dry cloth to remove the last traces of dirt and dust. Just a simple cleaning like this can restore the toy back up to a useable state.
Sanitize Toys
Toys that are placed in dirty hands, mouths, toilets, and muddy ponds or have been dropped on the ground numerous times and dragged through shopping centers and grocery stores should be given a thorough cleaning and they should also be sanitized to ensure germs are completely removed.
By taking this extra time to sanitize used toys, they will be ready for the charitable store to place on its shelves and will most likely be bought quickly. When a toy is clean and sanitized, it will definitely stand out from the rest.
Check for Recalls
Another important part of donating toys is to check if there have been any recalls on it. You can do up a check on them by doing a search online.
If you find a toy appearing in any recall list online, just discard of it. It is unethical to knowingly donate a toy that is on the recall list that could bring a dangerous hazard to an unexpected child and parents. This process shows your responsibility and care for your community.
Once you have done the necessary checks as mentioned above… your old toys can be given away for the next child to enjoy!