Children's toys seem to multiply like rabbits! Am I right or what? If you aren't careful, they can quickly get out of control in a blink of an eye. It seems like I'm always finding toys around the house and we are constantly picking toys up. I've also found that people seem to think that you can't have a nice looking living room with children. That if you have a child, your home has to look like the toy aisle in the store. So, is it possible to have a pretty, stylish house with children? My answer is yes, it is! Here are 6 of my best tips and tricks to use when it comes to organizing children's toys.
1. Purge
Go through and weed out any toys that are broken or that they don't play with any more. I recommend doing this every so often when you are helping pick up the toys after a play session. If you see something that needs to go, take a quick minuet and deal with it right then. That way, things don't have a opportunity to build up to the point of it becoming a dreaded nightmare of a task! Also, once or twice a year (before Christmas and birthdays!), do a deeper purge to make room for new toys.
2. Rotate Toys
This works well especially if you are short on space. A toy rotation can help old toys feel like new if the child hasn't seen them in a while. Just fill up a rubbermaid storage container with toys and swap those toys out with the current ones every couple of weeks or so. Don't forget to swap them out of a regular basis!
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Get fewer, nicer toys instead of a closet full of cheap plastic toys. Ok? I personally would rather have a handful of nicer longer lasting toys than a closet full of cheap plastic things that break after the 1st month.
4. Baskets and Bins
Baskets and bins are your best friends right now. Store toys in large baskets like this, this or this if they are out in the open. I personally use this cube bookcase to store toys and I love, love, love it! This white bookcase is very similar. Pro Tip - try to choose storage containers that don't have tops to close. Because lets face it, those tops will not get closed after the first couple of times! Instead, use something that your child can easily dump toys into.
5. Make Use of the Closet
This is where you keep the bight plastic toys that we all have - in the closet. I have always put my children's toys in the closet since my oldest was young. It just made sense to me! I use a couple of bookcases in each of the children's closets and they work like a charm. We take out a couple of bins/baskets every time we play and put them back when it's time to clean up. I have done this in 4 different closets as of today and it's worked pretty well so far as seen in this closet.
6. Teach your Child to Clean Up after Themselves
Now I know this will not happen overnight, so be patient and persistent. But teach them to clean up their mess. Do not clean up the entire mess yourself each time. Get your child involved in the entire process.Your child needs to learn how to clean up after themselves. You are teaching them a valuable life skill starting at an early age.
In case you wanted some recommendations for specific organizing items, I've got you covered with my toy organizational round-up!
What have you found that's been helpful for you with organizing toys? Here is more tips on keeping up with your kiddos toys around the house and how I store children's clothes. And here are many more organizing ideas! Don't forget to download the printable pdf instructions!
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