What to do with Happy Meal Toys

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Happy Meal Toys

From time to time we will grab a kiddy meal from Chick-fil-a or McD’s after school as a snack.  And yes, there are times I feed my children drive-thru for dinner. Shame on me, I know. Sometimes we eat dinner at a restaurant that gives packets of crayons. With five kids, and two bigger kids who are really not into the toys anymore,  these really start to pile up.  And honestly, how many Shrek watches do we really need? On the flip side, some of these goodies (like from Chick-fil-a) are educational books, games or cd’s. But still they pile up.

Here is what I have done as we accumulate, and acquire, duplicate happy meal toys. I have a large bag I keep them in and use them for things like:

  1. filling birthday party goody bags (party bags)
  2. donate to your child’s classroom teacher or Sunday school teacher for their class treasure chest (teachers will adore you for this one!)
  3. make a home treasure chest (reward system)
  4. stocking stuffers for your little ones at Christmas
  5. make a small gift bag for a little one who is becoming a big brother or big sister using a few of these toys. It will make them feel special and you’re using things you already have on hand.

What do you do with extra happy meal toys?

10 Comments

  1. Melissa (Betty and Boo's Mommy) says:

    Great ideas – thank you! We have way too many of these things, and they've been driving me a little nuts. I like the idea of the reward box!

  2. Great ideas! I usually let them play with them and then sneak them into the trash after about a week of picking them off the floor. 🙂

  3. If I haven't already thrown them away when the kids weren't looking, I use them in our Operation Christmas Child boxes that my kids prepare.

  4. Don't laugh at me, but if I'm in the mood for McD's I almost get myself a kid's meal. The grownup ones are too expensive and too big! I alternate between boy and girl toys, then I bring them into the pediatric office where I work. I have a 'treasure box' that I take out once in a while, especially if a kid had a hard time (like getting blood drawn). They love it, it doesn't cost me anything, and I'm not either eating too much or throwing away good food.
    And there is no shame in take-out food. We can't all make every meal from scratch. It's called 'life gets in the way,' LOL! (My four are all grown, but we were quite familiar with drive-in food back in the day! And guess what? My kids are perfectly healthy!)

  5. I love the idea of donating the toys to pediatricians or teachers. Goodie boxes were the best back when I was a wee one!

    (I too get happy meals for myself!)

  6. Anonymous says:

    We let them pile up until Halloween–we have very few trick or treaters, and it seems to do the trick

  7. Marni's Organized Mess says:

    Those are great tips! We never get fast food, mostly because hubby is a cheap bastard. (HA!) But I really like this. I'll keep it in mind if I ever get my way on an easy meal. 😉

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