You've got a whole lot of toys in your home and you're looking for some toy storage ideas. Here are 10 great tips to help make cleaning up a little easier!
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When I was organizing our play room, I wanted to create a space that my kids love and that I can keep neat and clean. I found that the key to doing this is making sure that everything has a home. So what's the best home for your kids' favorite toys? I've found some awesome solutions to my toy storage dilemmas as I've been working on organizing our home, and I hope that they can help you too. I can't guarantee you'll never step on a Lego, but I can help you get organized and keep the toy clutter under control.
10 Genius Toy Storage Ideas
1. Sort & Store by Types of Toys
Small toy cars. Little People. Our super hero collection. My kids love to play with little toys like these and they can get out of control fast. I used to keep them all in one big bin, but when the boys can't find what they are looking for the big bin gets dumped and there are little toys everywhere.
I finally ditched the big bin for small containers that I can use to sort by types of toys. Small baskets or bins with lids work great, but I'm totally in love with toy totes that I can easily zip closed and label.
I absolutely love these Kids Clutter Tamers Toy Tamer Bags for all my kids' small collections. Kristi, the founder of Kids Clutter Tamers, is a boy mom like me and she knows about toy clutter. She created these ingenious bags and was kind enough to send me a set to test out when she heard I was working on organizing my kids toys. These bags are life savers! There are three sizes - small, medium, and large - and they come in different colors to match your decor. You could also color code them for each child or based on what toys are inside.
What makes these toy tamer bags so great is that they are sturdy and easy for kids to open and close, but they are see through so kids can see what's inside. There's also a convenient window for a label. No more dumping the bin over to find their toys! They keep everything contained while also being visible and accessible. Genius!
2. Use Shelves and Vertical Space to Keep Toys Off the Floor
This is one of my favorite tips for storing toys in small spaces - utilize your vertical space as much as possible. This 4 pocket hanging organizer is great for small toys, or you can even use a hanging shoe organizer for dolls, cars, or any other small toys that you want to sort.
Adding shelves to your bedroom or playroom walls is a great solution for storing toys. We love to display finished LEGO projects on the walls to keep them safe and out of the way.
Bookcases with small baskets also make great toy organizers - just be sure to secure any bookshelves to the wall to avoid tipping, and be sure to store heavier objects on the bottom.
Toy hammocks are a fantastic solution for storing stuffed animals, and pegboards with plastic bins are great for things like LEGO bricks or barbie doll accessories.
3. Combine Storage and Seating
I think every kid loves stuffed animals and it seems like they multiply overnight. I remember them taking over my room when I was young and I could easily see it happen in my boys' room too. But they don't because of this genius solution - the stuffed animal storage bag. Instead of just taking up space, we store tons of stuffed animals in this soft bag, turning their stuffed animals into a convenient seat in their bedroom.
You can also utilize benches with cubbies or ottomans with storage for toys in the play room or living room, so that you can easily store toys away without sacrificing seating space.
4. Replace Broken Puzzle & Board Game Boxes
It seems like our board game and puzzle boxes are always getting torn or smushed, so I replace them with bags instead. The medium and large toy tamer bags are perfect for bulky games, and these cotton drawstring bags are perfect for puzzles. Another tip: snap a picture of the finished puzzle and drop it in the bag for reference!
I haven't done this myself, but I love the idea for turning game boards into wall hangings and storing all the pieces behind the frame. Check it out here.
5. Take Advantage of Under Bed Storage
We try to limit the toys in the kids' room, but we do allow a few small toys and puzzles for quiet time. But with twins sharing a room, space is at a premium. For the bedroom, I love to utilize under bed storage as much as possible. For my twins' big kid room, we chose platform beds with drawers to maximize storage space. Before that, we used these adorable monster under bed storage boxes. They are super cute and slim enough to fit under a crib or toddler bed.
6. Contain Toys in the Car
Kids love to have little toys with them in the car, so give them a place for all their goodies with a backseat car organizer. I love having all these pockets for the toys that seem to collect in the car and it's safer than having them loose.
I also love using our small toy tamer bags for travel - when we head on a long car trip I let each of my boys pack their own bag of toys. Once it's full, that's all we are bringing. And they fit perfectly between the seats or can be secured with the detachable handle.
7. Use a Metal Lunch Box to Store Magnets
We love to play with magnets, especially the Melissa & Doug animal and alphabet sets. But they come in the worst box that is impossible to use for storage. I keep ours in a metal lunchbox instead - you can find tons of adorable designs and they are perfect for travel too!
8. Give Dress Up Clothes Their Own Space
Contain dress up clothes easily in their own wardrobe for easy access and to help kids learn how to put them back correctly. You can find tons of ready made dress up clothes organizers to match any decor or try a DIY project. I love this DIY Super Hero Dress Up Center Teach Me Mommy made from a bookcase!
Use hooks at kid-level to make dress up clothes accessible and so kids can easily clean up when they are done.
If you don't have space for a separate wardrobe, you can store them in their own section of the closet. Use a hanging sweater organizer for accessories to keep everything contained.
9. Contain the Mess with a Playmat Bag
I first discovered playmat bags when my boys did a Lego playdate at our community center and they are genius. These bags are perfect for Lego/Duplo blocks or any other small toys that go everywhere. Kids can play on the mat and when they are done, just cinch it closed and it turns into a storage bag. So simple and perfect for home or travel! Check it out here.
10. Label Everything
I love to label everything (you can see this in the way I organize art supplies and crafts) and it is a great solution for toy storage as well.
Labeling toy bins is a great way to keep your child's toys organized. It saves you time, and it also promotes learning as they can identify their own toys better. I started labeling toy bins in our playroom when my kids were tiny, even before they could read. I used these toy storage stickers with cute graphics to help them remember what goes inside, and teaching them to put their toys back where they belong was part of our daily routine.
As they've gotten older, our toy labeling has become a bit more sophisticated, especially in our LEGO room (which is actually our formal dining room). These LEGO brick organizing labels are super helpful to keep our bricks organized by color and type.
PS - you can grab my free printable toy storage stickers here and my free LEGO organizing labels here.
Moms know that the more organized your space is, the better it is for your sanity. Unfortunately, many homes are too small to fit everything in one room and toys end up scattered all over the house. Thankfully, there’s a way to maximize your home without maximizing stress with these 10 creative toy storage ideas! Be sure to download grab your free printables so you can get started organizing today.
If you need any help or want some inspiration of what works best for different spaces around your home (including bedrooms and playrooms), message me on Instagram (@sunnydayfamily)!
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