Practical Toy Storage for Every Age
When my first child was a baby, we had a larger house with a lot of space for toys. Now that we are temporarily renting a small apartment, our space is very limited. Meaning…toys can take over real quick! Luckily, I’ve invested in some really great toy organizers over the years that make life so much easier.
play kitchen storage ideas
As a former grade-school teacher, I have seen firsthand what’s required to keep a classroom organized for twenty-eight kids at a time. Whew…it ain’t easy, but there’s a few criteria I’ve found make all the difference when it comes to toy-storage for my own kids, as well as my clients. I’m calling them my sanity savors because they do just that!
Sanity-Saving tips for organizing your playroom:
Toys should be at child-height. For a few reasons. Most importantly, so they don’t try to climb furniture and hurt themselves in the process. But also, this keeps them from asking you to repeatedly reach toys for them that are out of their grasp!
Toys need to remain visible. I’m not a fan of large bins for toys. Why? Because toys either go their to die (in the case of those large toy chests, and sigh, even the cute cloth basket variety) or they get dumped out on the floor every time your kid wants to find that one T-rex out of a mountain of other toys. Instead, I prefer shelves that keep toys exposed. For corraling smaller items, I like to use transparent bins or drawers. Occasionally, I’ll have a client who has a combination living room/play room, so I will sometimes recommend more more attractive, woven baskets in this case. However, you will want to make sure the items inside are easy to identify. More on this below!
Less really is more Do you ever notice when your kids have too many toys, they actually play with them less? It’s magic, really. Reduce their toys by a third and notice how they naturally gravitate towards what’s remaining. We love to donate our old toys to thrift stores, but if it’s something I know they might want to play with again, I will just do the ol’ swap out! Put some of the items in the garage and basement until they forget about them, and then pull them out at a later date. It will feel like Christmas for them and give you an afternoon to yourself while they furiously playing away with what’s new all over again.
Everything in it’s right place Every toy needs a place to be stowed away. Every one. By doing this, your child will know where to find specific items, and more importantly (comin’ atcha with a bonus sanity savor here) put them away when they are done! What this means is we are saying good-bye to the miscellaneous toy bins. They are the junk-drawer of the toy world, only the drawer keeps growing and makes humans actually cry. From the smallest itty bitty polly pockets, to large sport gear, it needs to have its own spot.
Ready to gain back all that time you spend finding and cleaning up toys? Let’s go!
practical toy storage for kids of all ages by Hausmatter Interiors
Let’s start with the most valuable player in your play room, the storage unit! I love a cubby shelf because it gives you lots of storage at eye-level for your kiddo. I used a Kallax in this nursery, but if you aren’t up for braving Ikea, this one also fits the bill.
Montessori Toy storage tips for your playroom | Hausmatter Interiors
If bins are needed, use some that don’t entirely fill out the cubby. This will allow your child to reach in and grab something without always having to take the entire bin out (which you know won’t be put back, just sayin’). And, when they do want to take the entire bin out to play, this will be light enough that they can do it on their own. I love these acrylic bins.
Now…if your play room is also a living room or some other space shared by grown-ups, I do understand wanting toys concealed. In this case, try using kid-friendly tags like these to organize your bins. The main thing is to look for labels that are easily identifiable by children that may not yet be of reading age. If you are using woven baskets, make sure to invest in some with washable liners. This will also save you from fishing out small toys that get wedged between the basket’s weave. The things we do…am I right!?
Also loving this doll-house book shelf. Great for smaller rooms and I like the pegs on the sides for additional storage!
Although admittedly, this unit doesn’t knock me over style-wise, it’s a very functional option, and a breeze to put together. When my eldest child was a toddler, we used a very similar one and I loved how easy the diagonal bins made it for her to identify and retrieve her toys. We no longer have the base but actually still use the bins for all kinds of things around the house!
If you have a child that likes to transport toys, the snap-lock lid and handle make these storage bins a great, no-fuss option. Just be warned, I don’t love stacked storage for regular-use items as they can be cumbersome and difficult for younger kids to retrieve. These are fantastic for those toys you are hiding away for the season though!
Right before Christmas, I panicked as the reality of the toys that were about to descend on our little, short term rental occurred to me. I ordered these flexible, zippered pouches because I was looking for something that could hold both the small items my eight-year hold has, as well as slightly larger toys for my toddler. I wanted to hunt down some that were NOT made with PVC (hence no stinky plastic smell!). Even better, these are also super space-saving as any portions that are not completely full, get compressed when stowed away (unlike hard plastic bins). For this reason, these are my top-storage pick for folks who are short on space! Oh, and they are great for storing unfinished craft kits!
Truth be told, I held off buying any toys that had a lot of parts for a very long time. But sooner or later, your kids start asking for the ones with 50 accessories that are smaller than your pinky nail, and you cave.
That’s when it helps to have storage with a lot of little compartments, like this mini-drawer organizer. It’s great for small toys, legos, crafts supplies, and can be used for a host of other household items later.
Calling all stuffies! My daughter is of the sentimental-breed so we have held onto our share of stuffed animals over the years. I’ve tried a few things, including the bean-bag storage (that was about as uncomfortable as you can imagine, even for a kid). This corner stuffed animal “cage” feels modern and makes great use of a space that often goes unused. Kids can easily reach between the strings to retrieve their favorite lovie.
For serious lego-ers, this organizer has compartments so the pieces can be stored by color and size. The lid also works as a play surface!
Although I love board-game boxes for esthetic (and probably nostalgic) reasons, it gets to the point where there’s just not room. Not to mention, games falling over, lids getting smashed etc.. These board game bags solve all those problems! And you can store away so many games in a fraction of the space.
There are cuter bath toy organizers (and I’ve owned them all), but I think this one takes the cake in terms of functionality and toy-capacity. No annoying suction cups, with falling toys. No moldy, fabric mesh. Just a practical organizer that stands up, allows water to flow through, and serves as a toy scoop!
Although these Montessori solid-wood bookcases can be a bit spendy, I feel like they are so worth it. Allowing a child to see the covers of their books, peeks a child’s curiosity and allows them to more easily find their favorites. This is a nice, sturdy piece your family will love for years. Use it now for books and later for school projects, magazines, craft paper and more.
Because you know balls get lost under beds, under cars and down driveways, this all-in-one sports equipment storage rack is perfect for stowing away all kinds of gear.
Until next time…
Hi. I’m Katherine.
I’m the writer for this blog and lead designer for Hausmatter Interiors, an online design service.