@Monica – Cleaning up our toys is our after dinner/before bed routine. Unfortunately, like in many houses, a toy gets left out here or there… It happens. Of course no one is perfect.

Which is why my before bed routine includes me going through the house and picking up whatever is missed and picking up whatever I or my husband have left out and putting it away. It’s not about being perfect. In 12 years of being a parent I haven’t tripped over toys in the middle of the night. So just saying I can’t relate and thought maybe you would like some advice on how to avoid such things. You said you know you have been there too, but the truth of the matter is no I have not. Never said I was perfect, just that I get my kids involved in cleaning and what they miss becomes mine when I clean.

Wow. I like this post a lot, because I’m CONSTANTLY tripping over things. Not even just toys! One of the dogs, my mom’s shoes, the corner of the table… even in broad daylight.
@Monica…. we should change the name of the site to Monica.com? Because I’m pretty sure Danielle was making a generalization. Considering you believe you are the only person this post was going to reach, maybe you should try taking a Xanax and relaxing a bit. I don’t think Danielle was criticizing the condition of your house and I don’t believe your “advice” was meant to “teach” her anything, so much as it was meant to demean and demoralize her. In theory, your little attempt to make the author look like an idiot was good, but I think you’ll eventually see, if you re read your comments, that you make yourself out to be the idiot here. Such a snarky comment was completely unnecessary.

I love this post. Mr. Potato Head seems to be the most painful!

For us its fire trucks as well… all shapes and sizes.

You name it, I’ve tromped on it in the middle of the night. Last night, it was a talking Lightning McQueen at 2:15 a.m.

I’m a natural klutz, so I run into stuff even when it’s been put away in its proper place — like the wobbly penguin toy that hoots, “Woo-hoo-hoo-HOO!” and plays a jingle when you brush against it.

I’ve learned to slide my feet on the way to the bathroom …

Try the plastic heavy-duty toy dinosaurs. Those suckers hurt. My son has a T-rex that I swear weighs 5 lbs and blends into the carpet and some how we always manage stepping on his sharp front hands or teeth.

While I haven’t had any middle of the night stepping on toys (most of the toys stay in the basement playroom) I have stepped on things on the way to the laundry room (I have to go through the playroom to get to it) and I think the worst that was not mentioned has to be jacks (marbles are bad too).

My kids are older now and I don’t generally have this problem anymore, but some girl toys are horrid too. I can’t count the number of Bratz accessories I’ve stepped on in the middle of the night or in the day since they are rather small and are generally missed when the kids pick up.

We don’t really have a problem with toys not put away, but when my son has been playing in his room for awhile on a rainy Saturday, I purposely don’t go past the door. He spreads his legos and hot wheels on every possible space of carpet. (his room is small) I learned my lesson when I went in, arms full of spiderman underware and socks. Not able to see the floor, I full-on stomped on a skinny lego sticking out from under a hot wheels. Let’s say my husband was outside in the shed working, and he came inside to see what all the commotion was about! Enjoyable article. This was the first time I’ve been on this website, and I liked it. It will be a bookmark!

Such a good post – thanks for sharing – made me laugh :). For me the ultimate toy-not-to-step-on has got to be those bead mazes – as in http://www.aghomestore.com/servlet/the-1721/KidKraft-63241-Bead-Maze/Detail. We have a small one that is just the right size for a foot-trap. The most painful toy which my husband, son, and myself have all managed to hurt ourselves on. Keep a close eye on that one ;)