um, I really need some assistance her,e people. My nice organized toy area as exploded overnight. Well, actually it’s been in the making for a while, but I think I finally got enough sleep to see how ghetto our play room had gotten. This pile gets an larger and FEMA is going to have to come in and assist (and we know how helpful they are).
So question: what’s an attractive (not super cheap crappy) shelving, storage for this stuff that isn’t real expensive? What has worked for you? I can’t throw it all out. Old Viv toys are now being played with by Rex. I’ll try to think of some reward for the winning idea.;)
It makes me giggle that there aren’t any comments as of yet. It’s like this image is just too close to home for most moms out there. Like every mom reading this just collectively went slack and let their foreheads hit their keyboards.
I know this comment is no help to you. You’re welcome.
Same here, I’m like…uh.
Personally, I lean towards wicker to solve all of life’s problems. Pretties up the area, with a sense of definite purpose. Of course, breakable by toddlers.
Still no help.
I notice you have a CB2 bag there. They have some fantastic storage solutions that look nice, aren’t too kiddish, and aren’t too expensive. Obviously, the low sitting stuff is safer. Credenza, consoles, bookcases, even a wardrobe could work.
Oh please, my house looks like a toy box threw up on a daily basis. Just picture an open ranch house. Dining area – check but no walls, breakfast nook – why yes, but no walls and no real playroom unless you count the basement and while finished & lovely who wants to hang down there all day? Hmm, not me. So that leaves me with just a HUGE open space that runs on and on and a 2 year old boy with free reign on the once lovely wood floors. Life with a baby, who has quickly become a toddlar; he just rocks. Messy toys and all.
We have the IKEA Trofast unit in my daughter’s room. Pretty sturdy, inexpensive, easy assembly. Buy two units if you have the space. You’d be surprised how fast they fill up. Kids can pick out bins in their favorite colors. And switch them out for different colors as they get older. Bins are ridiculously cheap to replace. I also have those same Bed, Bath and Beyond striped bins in your photo and they coordinate well. Best of luck!
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S49850462
Any kind of nice bookcase could do wonders. I personally use and love these
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50103086
You can use it vertical or horizontal and use some baskets for the smaller toys (stuffed animals in 1, barbies/dolls in another, etc.). They have a few different sizes to play with and it looks like they have some kind of drawer/box things too. They are super easy to put together (I did it myself) and mine lasted 5 years so far (and still look good in the black/brown!).
Of course, that may not work for bigger toys and just a regular less-deep shelf may be better for dolls or other things. If you have smaller stuff you can always go to Target and get plastic drawer bins. Most come on casters but we didn’t put them on and they work great for things like train sets and legos and other crap like that.
I hate organizing toys. I hope you find a good solution and when you do, let us know what it is!
We have the Ikea step building shelves. they look beautiful, and the kids cans slide them out and help themselves.
Are you sure you can’t donate or toss some of the things? I know blasphemy.
i will review the largess!
love the forehead comment. ok, will follow these leads. seems im ikea bound.
this title is intriguing http://clutterfreekids.com
The Ikea trofast storage range for kids works well for us. Comes in lots of great colors too.
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S49850462
Hope I’m not too late to weigh in on this…I have two that toys get passed down from one to the next, too…
I have some basic bookshelves from Target (Eh, they’re there…you can see them, I don’t remember the brand). I also buy the prettily colored plastic baskets…for small items. Their handles do this weird flip thing so they can be stacked on top of each other…but we don’t bother with that. I have them in 2 sizes…and some of the baskets go on shelves on the bookcase, some sit in plastic drawers to hold itty bitty things, some sit on TOP of the plastic drawers.
And then I have plastic drawers (also at Target!)…I try to group things by commonalities. Those billions of happy meal toys…go in a drawer. The baby stuff goes in a drawer, all the pretend kitchen stuff goes in a drawer, etc. 2 bookshelves, 2 plastic drawer bin things (3 bins, and the bins slide out, so I can travel around the house with…throwing things in it, or even put stuff in for a day out of the house…when we might still need toys to occupy us!). I also have 2 of those storage ottomans that were on sale for $19 each…I got pretty girly colors cuz I only have girls.
I put all the stuffed animals into those…so they are still light enough for the kids to push around & sit on, but the damn animals are OUT OF SIGHT!!
My almost 5yr old loves tiny animals, etc. We recently photographed ‘samples’ to tape to those plastic shoe boxes and it has made clean up so much easier. We put the boxes on a bookshelf . Good luck!