I hope that all of the Quad City Moms Blog readers had a fun and special holiday season with family and friends. I am sure your children were members of Santa’s ‘nice’ list this year, which means their toy collection seemed to double overnight. Here are a few ideas for storing toys which can be done inexpensively and will help keep your house looking like a home, rather than a toy store.
Collapsible Storage Bins: When the ‘dorm room’ items went on clearance this fall, I found collapsible storage bins at a fraction of the original price. I like that using smaller bins allows my son to be able to see all of his toys, rather than toys falling to the bottom of a larger box to be forgotten. I used extra wall decal stickers to brighten up the bins and coordinate them with the rest of the toy room. I also use a larger, round, collapsible bin to store balls in the toy room. Another perk to these bins is that sometimes the bins become even more exciting to play with than the toys inside!
Magnetic Boards: I also found magnetic dry erase boards on clearance when the ‘dorm room’ items went on sale. I attached these boards to a wall in my son’s toy room and put his magnet toy sets on the boards. This freed up storage space in the bins and has been very successful in the quest to not lose the small magnetic letters and animals.
Outdoor Storage Bench Turned Indoor Toy Box: When my son first started playing with toys, my family room was changing from an adult space to a toy room. While I wanted to keep toys in the space for him to play with, I also didn’t want the toys to become the main décor. I looked for toy boxes that would match my furniture and the prices were surprisingly high, until I came across the outdoor furniture section at Target. I was browsing through the outdoor clearance section looking for pots, when I noticed one of the outdoor wicker storage benches not only looked like the perfect substitution for a toy box, but also had the shock lifts, so I didn’t have to worry about little fingers getting smashed. It was the perfect toy storage system for our family room and at great price.
Organize Cabinet Space: I use two of our family room cabinets for toy and book storage. For my son’s first birthday I purchased small tubs at a dollar store to hold snacks. The small tubs are perfect for storing small toys on the top shelf of the cabinet. The tubs fit two deep, so I can rotate which tubs are in front so all of the toys are played with.
Rotate Toys: After my son’s first birthday, I started rotating toys in and out of his toy bins. By storing some of his toys and rotating them into his toy room, it helps keep the toys exciting and de-clutter the space.
These are a few of the toy storage ideas that have worked at our house. What are other storage systems and de-clutter tricks you’ve used to keep your children’s toys organized?
Love storage bins! We got the shelves with the clear/colored storage bins and that seems to work well-they sit in the basement/toy room. I also(sorry this shows my nerdy organization love) took pictures of the kids holding-or wearing the toy(s) that go in each bin and taped them to the bin for them to easily put away. I got really tired of hearing “where does this go?” and ” I can’t find that purple Barbie shoe” so my kids know when I ask them to clean up, where to put it, and when they are playing(Hopefully) where to find it. so I don’t have to dig through a giant toy box for one purple Barbie shoe….
Your use of photos on storage bins to help with the ‘pick up’ process is great!
Great ideas! Like I need an excuse to go to Target…but it is good to know about the dorm room items. I never thought about that!
Thanks! No matter how hard I try to stay focused and stick to ‘my list’ at Target, I always seem to leave with way more than I intended to get!
I love the idea of the outdoor storage bench. I feel like we have a pretty good system with the fabric bins and new “dress-up” closet, thank you pinterest! However, the storage bench would be great for the “Big” toys that have no home!
I love your dress-up closet (and I love Pinterest)! Such a creative way to keep the dress-up clothes organized!