With a multitude of toy storage solutions now available, there’s really no excuse for that pile of toys in the living room.
Unless you have a designated playroom in your house for all of your children’s toys, you’re most likely faced with the dilemma of what to do with all those Barbies, Hot Wheels, Legos and super hero action figures - not to mention, all the microscopic accessories that go with them.
Stay-at-home parents know that clutter can be a worst enemy, especially if you’re working from home or on a busy schedule. Keeping your home organized should start with toy organization.
The Best in Toy Storage Solutions
Department stores and stores like Target and WalMart sell a growing number of toy storage solutions with bins and drawers for separating and organizing children’s toys. In addition there are specialty stores like Clutter Free Kids that offer a number of different storage organizers, storage shelving, and other storage systems.
Choose one that fits in your home and that is easily accessible to little ones. Toy storage units come in styles with see-through bins so kids can see which toys are where, and enclosed bins that look nicer, but may require some looking around before children can find the toys they’re looking for.
To Divide and Conquer?
Parents and kids who like to know exactly where each Lego is at any given time will appreciate toy storage organization that includes small individual drawers, bins or containers for separate categories of toys. That type of toy organization can be time consuming when it comes time to put the toys away.
Somewhere between micromanaging each toy placement and dumping the whole lot into a closet is a middle ground where parents and children can feel comfortable knowing generally where the toys are and can put them in their place in a few minutes.
The best toy storage solution is one in which children as young as 3-years-old can put away their own toys. Children who are given some responsibility with household chores grow up to be more independent, self confident and feel good about contributing to the household.
Incorporating Toys into the Main Storage of the House
Think of your children as regular members of the family, with “stuff” just like the rest of you, and you’ll start to see their toys in a different light.
Do you have room in your kitchen cupboards for the kids’ play dishes and plastic pots and pans? The kitchen is most likely where they play with them, so it’s a natural storage solution for play kitchen items.
Children’s arts and crafts items, coloring books, paints and clay can be kept in with mom’s scrapbooking materials or closet storage in an office or study.
Kids may get a kick out of the idea that their toys are in an important place, just like mom's and dad's things.
Toy Storage That Doesn’t Look Like Toy Storage
Who says a toy box has to be in primary colors, shaped like a castle, or covered with pictures of zoo animals? Stashing away toys in a nicely decorated family room may be as simple as buying a large wooden chest from a furniture store.
Ethan Allen, Thomasville and other big name furniture stores sell blanket chests and hope chests in a variety of different styles, which when the lid is closed no one would ever know are filled with toys.
Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel and other contemporary home furnishing stores offer a huge variety of storage solutions, complete with baskets and other holders.
No matter what style of toy storage you choose, you can make it fit well into your home and your busy lifestyle.
