{"id":610,"date":"2026-06-01T15:59:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T15:59:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/2026\/06\/01\/how-to-be-clutter-free-with-kids-minimalist-families-told-me-how-they-live-with-less\/"},"modified":"2026-06-01T15:59:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T15:59:12","slug":"how-to-be-clutter-free-with-kids-minimalist-families-told-me-how-they-live-with-less","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/2026\/06\/01\/how-to-be-clutter-free-with-kids-minimalist-families-told-me-how-they-live-with-less\/","title":{"rendered":"How to be clutter free with kids \u2013 minimalist families told me how they live with less"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/span> Igisheva Maria\/Shutterstock<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Kids need things, but they grow out of their toys, clothes and furniture so quickly.<\/p>\n

Families can be left struggling with clutter<\/a>, as seen on decluttering shows<\/a> like BBC One\u2019s Sort Your Life Out where families wade through large amounts of toys and children\u2019s clothes.<\/p>\n

Children and their parents are also under ever increasing pressure to buy more<\/a>. Adverts are stealthily embedded into online content<\/a> and games<\/a>. Kidinfluencers<\/a> create videos of themselves unboxing new toys, piling on the pressure to purchase.<\/p>\n

Large volumes of clutter can cause stress<\/a> in households. As well as the general feeling of things getting out control, there\u2019s the endless environmental guilt that\u2019s involved. Most plastic toys with electrical parts can\u2019t be separated in recycling<\/a>, for example, so they end up in landfill<\/a>. <\/p>\n

To explore how best to reduce the stress and environmental consequences<\/a> of children\u2019s stuff, as part of my research for a book I am writing on minimalism, I interviewed 12 minimalist parents who intentionally try to live with fewer belongings for themselves and their kids. Here are five ways they manage kids\u2019 clutter:<\/p>\n

1. Say no to kids<\/h2>\n

This can be very tricky. As one parent described: \u201cYou go to a supermarket and they\u2019re like \u2018I want this, I want this\u2019.\u201d Some parents I spoke to prevent impulse purchases in shops by asking their kids to take a photo of what they want to make a wish list for their birthday or Christmas. <\/p>\n

This acknowledges the child\u2019s wants. \u201cIf they still want the same thing when those events come around, it\u2019s quite a good indicator it\u2019s something they really would like, not some passing phase or interest.\u201d <\/p>\n

\n \"Child<\/a>
\n Children and their parents are under increasing pressures to buy more.<\/span>
\n Volodymyr TVERDOKHLIB\/Shutterstock<\/a><\/span>
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Parents also manage children\u2019s expectations of how many presents they will receive for Christmas and birthdays by limiting to four gifts. This is based on the saying, \u201cSomething you want, something you need, something to wear and something to read.\u201d <\/p>\n

2. Gift experiences<\/h2>\n

Managing gifts from friends and family can be really challenging \u2013 especially from grandparents. In a US study in 2019, they were found to spend an average of US$805 each year<\/a> (\u00a3598) on gifts for their grandchildren. In the UK, grandparents intend to spend almost \u00a3100<\/a> on each of their grandkids at Christmas.<\/p>\n

Some minimalist parents try to limit gifts from others by asking for specific items their kids really want, for contributions towards a bigger gift, or for experiences, like a trip to the zoo, bowling or cinema tickets. <\/p>\n

Parents also prioritised low-cost experiences over buying things, like playing outside in parks or trips to the local library. <\/p>\n

\n \"mum<\/a>
\n Open-ended toys can be played with in lots of different ways and encourage creative and imaginative play.<\/span>
\n RRice\/Shutterstock<\/a><\/span>
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

3. Invest in open-ended toys<\/h2>\n

Kids still need toys and play materials to help their cognitive development and learning<\/a>. But having fewer toys overall allows children to focus better and play more creatively<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The minimalist parents I spoke to liked to give their children simple open-ended toys. These are toys that can be played with in lots of different ways \u2013 such as building blocks, magnetic tiles and play silks<\/a> \u2013 that encourage creative and imaginative play. <\/p>\n

4. Put things in their place<\/h2>\n
\n \"girl<\/a>
\n A place for everything \u2026<\/span>
\n ArtCreationsDesignPhoto\/Shutterstock<\/a><\/span>
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Organising children\u2019s toys in a household can still be very challenging. Parents told me how they managed this by giving things designated homes \u2013 specific places where each object lives. <\/p>\n

One parents explained: \u201cI found that making sure that everything had a home was really the only way that I was able to keep my children organised, keep my life organised.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another parent kept all the toys in a storage box: \u201cWe have a rule that everything has to fit in there.\u201d <\/p>\n

If toys start to overflow, the children have to get rid of something. <\/p>\n

One parent mentioned how they were very happy for their kids to keep their things in their rooms how they wanted, but shared family areas like the living room and kitchen had to be kept clutter free. <\/p>\n

5. Pass it on<\/h2>\n

When a child has grown out of something, minimalist parents don\u2019t tend to let things sit around unused<\/a>; items are swiftly sold, donated or passed on to friends and family. <\/p>\n

This helps keep their own homes clutter free and has added the sustainability benefit of extending the use of objects<\/a> to other families. It also prevents recipients from having to buy something new, so less resources are used.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s therefore much to be said for taking on some of these minimalist parenting practices of buying kids less new things, opting for local experiences and passing on children\u2019s things when they have outgrown them. It offers personal benefits of spending less and having less clutter \u2013 and can be more sustainable<\/a> along the way.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Amber Martin-Woodhead’s research on minimalism has been funded by the Royal Geographical Society.<\/p>\n

She is writing a book on minimalism which is under contract with Princeton University Press. <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Igisheva Maria\/Shutterstock Kids need things, but they grow out of their toys, clothes and furniture so quickly. Families can be left struggling with clutter, as seen on decluttering shows like BBC One\u2019s Sort Your Life Out where families wade through large amounts of toys and children\u2019s clothes. Children and their parents are also under ever […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-610","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/610","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=610"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/610\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=610"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=610"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=610"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}