Mom shares ingenious hack that keeps her son interested in his old toys saving space and money

Most kids get bored of playing with the same toy for months, as they lose their interest in them. It gives rise to the demand for new ones and the old ones lie long forgotten in a corner, eating up unnecessary space. However, a Boston mom has come up with a creative solution to keep her son interested in the toys he has for a longer period. Kaylee Opatich–who goes by @kaylee.o17 on TikTok–shared a video titled "Another month, another toy rotation 'Christmas' morning."

Opatich uploaded this video in July and not actually during Christmas. The mom explained to Newsweek how, every month, her son experiences Christmas-like joy because of her method. "We live in a small house in Boston, so we don't have a lot of space and kids accumulate a lot of stuff. We also have a very generous family that blesses us with gifts. We try to keep things to a minimum and ask for small toys, but then my dad will be like, 'Here's a big dinosaur' or something and we don't want to limit that," she explained. The mom found a solution through a website that directed her to the "Montessori method."

In this method, children are given fewer toys at once to help them engage better with them. "By giving them just a few toys to play with it really engages their attention and lets them focus instead of jumping from one to another because they're overstimulated," Kaylee revealed. "I just took a whole bunch of stuff and put it in storage bins and put them in the basement. So, instead of 50 books on his shelf, there were 15. Then, every six weeks old, I'll just bring the bins up and just swap them out. Or in his craft box, he might have something like Play-Doh one month and kinetic sand the next," the mom explained. 

Now, if it might feel like too much work, Opatich shared her experience to reassure other parents, "Honestly, it takes maybe 30 minutes or so now that I have a process down. I think doing it every four to six weeks is the sweet spot for us." Nonetheless, it's not always easy for her. "In the beginning, I'm always like, 'I don't want to do this,' but you see the reward." She shared how her son's attention span and will to engage with things have improved due to the method. To take things a notch further, she also does the same exercise for her son Grayson's room. "The visual part is also really big for younger kids. It kind of sparks their interest a little bit more," the mom reasoned.

Although the method might be difficult for people who don't have extra space like basements, it works well for Opatich, who has started using it for other portions of the house. "I've noticed that being in a minimal house has made me less anxious. I used to arrange 17 pillows on our bed and then one day I was like, 'Why am I doing this.' I have definitely kind of made it a mission to minimalize and organize our house in the last year or so and it has helped a lot." Meanwhile, Grayson is busy feeling a "new love for his 'old toys' that he hasn't seen in a month or so," as per his mom's video. People took to the comments to share their own experiences. @saralentz44 wrote, "My kids are 6 and 9. I started this last year. I wish I had done it sooner. They both love it." @arielkp123 asked, "How often do you rotate?" The mom answered that she does it once every 4 to 6 weeks.

You can follow Kaylee Opatich (@kaylee.o17) on TikTok for more lifestyle and parenting content.