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The sneaky version is:Put a few quietly (selected because now too young, tatty and not precious) in a box and hide it at the back of a cupboard. Even better, put the ones that can't be passed on in one box, and have another for charity shop/children's project disposal - saves sorting later and potentially being caught in the act...Do the same every week. After 4-6 weeks without them saying 'what happened too...XXX' dispose of the first box - bin/charity shops/distant friends. Make sure that the disposal place is somewhere they're never likely to go! Then the next box etc etc!If you think they'll cope, they can always join in. if not in a direct 'we'll give these away, then with a choice of 'must keep with me at all times during the move', 'the ones I'll want within a week of unpacking', and 'it doesn't matter if they don't get unpacked for a while'.The last group being the ones to get rid of...

Not easy - we have to do any clear outs when the girls aren't around. My ad wants to keep everything, but actually once it's gone she often doesn't notice. We have kept lots of her baby stuff but most of it is packed away in the attic.

My ds notices anything missing so he has to be involved.This summer he's had new Lego for each bin bag full of toys he's filled to get rid of.A trip to Lego shop beforehand helped to focus his mind when he spotted several items he wanted.Got rid of 3 bags this summer !!

My AD won't give throw anything away by choice even if it is much too young for her. However, what I have discovered is that she likes giving people things and will happily take things to friends with younger children. I have a quiet word in advance and just tell people they can throw the things if they don't want them. She loves it, it makes her feel good :-)

Tokoloshe's version works v well for us!!!

I always wait until maybe a month or so before her birthday or Christmas and say, chances are you will get some more lovely things but we don't have anywhere for them so we need to make some room. It's always worked so far as she has the promise of replacements, just make sure you get rid of more than you are going to replace them with!

I've done a toy and book swap with my Brownies where they all bring anything their mums can persuade them to bring, they get to take a toy if they brought a toy and take a book if they brought a book (so no need to have someone like your toy/book) and the rest go to a charity shop. I am not sure how that would translate to an individual child but some of ours were very attached to theirs but getting something new helped them to give them away.The children at the end of our street were doing a toy sale for charity yesterday, they were sending the money to Save the Children but perhaps a sale for insert less scary charity of your choice here would work for some children along the lines of giving the toys to someone for whom they are more suitable? I got a great noisy toy for little boy for 50p!My friend gave us some toddler toys that her two school age (non-adopted) children really weren't using but accidentally let them see one being put in the car. They said "mum, we used to have one JUST LIKE THAT and it was SUCH FUN, what happened to it" " don't know, must have gone to the charity shop" she says with a straight face...

Does everyone keep their children's old school exercise books? I am fast running out of storage space, so I've kept English and topic books, but got rid of the maths ones, except for any which contain photos. And models and craft projects, their first attempts at sewing etc? I've kept most of it, but space is a real issue.My parents didn't keep any of my books, and now I wish I'd got just a few to look back on. But you just can't keep everything, and there is enough adoption-related paperwork to fill a box room!I'm just conscious that our children have lost so much relating to their early childhoods, that school paraphenalia may mean more to them than to most kids.Papergirl x

Well all can say is good luck with that one I think mine will be playing with their fisher price little people when they are 21 (or at least they will say they are whenever I mention sorting them out ) xx

Re: models and craft projects - I read a great tip which was to take a photo of Lo with the project, then keep the photo. A lot less space!I'm a bit disorganised but do have a photo of LO next to her very first craft project, which is lovely

Great idea, Tokoloshe, thanks!