Toys: Organization (or, fighting the chaos)
Imagine what would happen if the TinkerToys, the Legos, the Lincoln Logs, Potato Head parts, Barbie furniture and clothes and shoes, and alphabet blocks all got dumped into the middle of a room, and then a miniature tornado moved through it all.
If you leave two kids to play for an hour unsupervised, that’s about how your den will look. And for the parts I just mentioned? That’s over 1,000 parts and pieces that would have to be sorted through and put back into the right container. Trust me on this one, you don’t want to do that.
Some things, like the Tinkertoys, can easily go back into the container they came in. Other things must be packed back into their original containers just so in order to fit, and most of our little ones are not going to be capable of doing that. So, for those toys, you’ll need to buy a container for them. Also, if you buy Lincoln Logs and decide you need more, then you’ll find it’s easier to store all of the Lincoln Logs in one large container instead of in the two smaller containers they came in. Do your shopping and find containers with lids your kids can handle. Also, measure the space the container will go and buy accordingly when you buy containers.
Personally, I like the ones pictured at the left the best. The lid is attached, there is a handle, and even little kids can handle that latch. At a little over $6 each they are kind of expensive, but I find them worth it for things like alphabet blocks and Barbie accessories.
We also have the kind I’m showing to the right. Again, the lid is attached and even little kids can handle opening and closing the lids. Bought in multiples the 3 quart version ends up being around $1.90 each, the 7 quart version around $4.75 each, and the 15 quart version around $5.70 each. You can buy them individually as well, but they are a good bit more expensive that way. The large containers are good for things like building blocks when you’ve bought multiple sets of them, or multiple sets of Mega Blocks. The smaller sizes are good for things like Little People and their accessories, or sidewalk chalk, or that bag of plastic farm animals someone thought was a good idea. (Okay, so it was a good idea, but there are 24 of them and if you don’t have a way to keep them together then they will be played with once and lost.)
Sometimes things are just grouped together in a box. So the Write and Learn Letter Pad, is grouped together with the Fridge DJ, and the Learn and Groove Radio.
We also have these IKEA containers that we use on shelves. They come in an assortment of three sizes, for $10 you get 2 of each: 6″x6″, 11″x6″, and 11″x11″. We also have some of the IKEA baskets that are designed for the various IKEA shelves, although those are a good bit more expensive so we don’t have a whole lot of them. If you are having problems finding storage solutions and you are within a two or three hour drive of an IKEA, then I highly recommend you make the trip. Oh, and you might want to make it in a vehicle capable of bringing home boxes that are, say, 8 feet long by 12 inches wide by four inches tall – that should be big enough for the majority of their big shelves. You can get an idea of things online, but you really need to walk through the store to understand the options and versatility. Oh, and if you are like me then plan to spend at least a half of a day in the store. There is a restaurant in the store, no need to pack a lunch. Oh, and one more thing, walk through your house and measure every spot you think you might want to put something. Write it down, carry the list of measurements with you. Bedrooms, den, kitchen, foyer, closets – measure your empty walls, or your walls that aren’t empty but can be made available if needed. If IKEA is just down the street then it’s not that big of a deal, but if you’re making a trip then take your measurements. Oh, windows too, since IKEA has curtains. You may even end up wishing you had cabinet and drawer measurements if you don’t have them. Seriously.
But, back to the details of how to organize toys and then help your kids stay organized: Follow the “everything has a place” rule, and make it easy on everyone. Grab a picture of items you have from online somewhere (or take a picture with your camera) and make two copies of each item. Use wide clear tape to attach one copy to the container so it behaves like it is laminated onto the side, and attach the other copy to the shelf where the container goes (I use the tape to laminate it and then just use a single rolled piece of tape to hold it in place, don’t want a lot of tape on the shelves). If it’s a container with multiple items in it then show each item that goes in the container. And then try to stay on top of things while they are playing. I’m not terribly bad about insisting they put that doll up before they get something else out… but I am militant about the Tinkertoys being put away when you are through playing with them. Same with the Lincoln Logs, Potato Head family, etc. Until recently the puzzles were on a high shelf and could only be played with if mommy or daddy got them down. I’ve recently put them down lower, with the caveat that if I find pieces floating around they will go high again so that little girls must ask someone to get them down.
To recap: You’ve got to think about this in two parts: 1) each toy and all of it’s parts needs a specific container that all of the pieces can easily fit into, and 2) that container must have a specific place to live when its contents are not being played with. If you’ve got two kids then stuff for the big kid goes higher and stuff for the little kid goes lower, for the most part. And things like puzzles with more than 24 pieces, and games, and chemistry sets, go up high where only the adults can reach them and the child must ask in order to play with them.
We started out with the idea that the containers are clear and each container can just go back where it came from. No need for labels, right? That actually did work when there was just one kid. But with two kids it did not work. So, the labels were instituted, and that has made a huge difference.
Also, on our last cleaning and organizing day I started using zip-lock baggies to help keep smaller items together. That works great for bigger kids, but you can’t do it if you’ve got smaller kids because plastic bags are a choking hazard for little ones. But, we’ve been able to get rid of some of the bins that way, because now one Barbie Bin has a plastic bag of shoes, a plastic bag of casual clothes, a plastic bag of formal gowns, a plastic bag of purses, etc. Another bin has a plastic bag of toy cars, a plastic bag of earth movers, a plastic bag of airplanes, etc.
July 20th, 2009 at 8:53 am
Thanks–this is a very timely topic for me. DD’s room is out of control and I’ve vowed to get things in order before she goes off to school this year. We are getting her a bed with some storage, but that won’t be enough. Some really good ideas and advice here.
July 20th, 2009 at 9:15 am
Another type of bin to consider are the industrial storage containers like you would see in a warehouse. They are small (about 8.5 x 11), stackable, but open so there are no lids. The best part is that they have dividers so that you can put more than one type of thing in them.
http://www.abtec.com/nexel/plasticbins.htm
(I don’t know about this particular website — I just found the pic here first!)
We initially bought them for the girls and all of the small parts that RQ mentioned above, but have found a lot of other uses for them around the house too! Now, they are in my kitchen pantry and laundry too.
Note: this solution works for us because everything has a place on a shelf and the low profile makes it easy for little ones to see what they are getting. Its also been really easy for them to handle and they rarely spill — even at age 2. We only bring out as many bins as space on the shelves allow and we rotate bins to keep things interesting. The ones that don’t fit are stacked in a closet.
July 20th, 2009 at 9:31 am
We love the “Expedit” line from Ikea for furniture storage. They come in all different sizes, they are GREAT quality for the price, and they look nice in your house. They are extremely durable, too. If you are a Jon & Kate Plus 8 fan – they had a few of the biggest size in their basement in their old house and I think 1 of the medium size. There are 3 colors – I really love the black/brown…very classy. They aren’t too difficult to put together and they come with safety attachments you can secure them to the wall. We have the medium size one in brown black and laid it on the side so my little one can get to both sets of shelves. I could see in the future using it as a bookshelf flipped on the other side when we are out of the toy-storage phase.
July 20th, 2009 at 9:31 am
The mess delicates lanundry bags that zip are great for keeping small parts to set together, before you put them in a bin. We have also found that labeling the bins with workd and pictures has helped our DD know where things belong. It takes a little time in the beginning but well worth it.
July 20th, 2009 at 9:42 am
Thank you RQ. This is so helpful and again, so generous of you to spearhead such a valuable discussion.
We’re just a few weeks away from leaving for China to bring home DD#2 so I’m in the throws of re-organizing my shelves, bins and containers to accomodate a 6 year old and a one year old. You know – all baby things on the bottom shelves, older toys on the top. And of course, going through everything has been a shock because we have WAY TOO MUCH S T U F F !!! No real surprise there, right? (I guess I live slightly in a state of blissful denial til I have to face it.)
Anyway, Happy Organizing Everyone!
http://www.atlastmilanascominhome.blogspot.com
July 20th, 2009 at 9:50 am
We are big Ikea people here…we have a small Cape Cod style house with very little closet space so storage is an ongoing issue. Ikea is great for those of us with smaller homes. We love the Expedit! You can get any number of different basket type things or just use them as shelves. We are using the cloth bins (like 3 bucks each). We also have some of the Trofast…they have slide out bins in different sizes. One we use as sort of a coffee table.
DD has been great about picking up her things when asked…we made it a game early on and now at 34 months she is really into it.
I also save plastic food containers (the large yogurt containers, oxiclean buckets or small Olivio containers) and use them for crayons, chalk etc…because they have lids! And they also work well at the beach, in the kiddie pool or sand box.
I ran 3 strings across our cellar door and use clothespins to hang up her latest artwork.
In our bathroom I use a cheapo cloth shoe holder on the door to hold training pants, wipes, facecloths, changing mat…all the stuff we need for toileting (or previously diapering).
July 20th, 2009 at 10:10 am
We have mesh drawers with liners from the Container Store in our playroom. Ikea has also been great for us since we live in a loft style house and have big empty spaces to work with. Curtains there are great because they fit our 9′ by 12′ windows. And they did not break the bank like the custom shades did!
The Container Store is higher end and more durable. They have great closet systems and storage solutions.
July 20th, 2009 at 11:10 am
I love Ikea, but don’t have easy access to one. We don’t have a Container Store either, but we do have Target. I did the same thing with clear totes with lids and handles and Ziploc bags to hold smaller parts together. This has worked pretty well for us.
Our problem is that all the toys end up in the living room because we don’t have a playroom and our daughter’s room on the 2nd floor is a little too far away for my comfort until she’s older. A few weeks ago I was in Target and they had 3 and 5 drawer stands available. They were advertising them for dorm rooms. The drawers are cloth boxes with handles that slide in and out. Since they came in black, they blend in with my furniture much better than similar kid-oriented pieces in primary colors. I bought 2 of the 5 drawer pieces. Each drawer has been assigned a different type of toy. She has one just with purses, backpacks, & totes. Another is all her dress up clothes. It’s working great and looks better in my living room than the stacks of totes did.
July 20th, 2009 at 1:15 pm
I recognize this chaos is just for a little while. After we were home a few months, hubby came home and said did you ever think you would have a living room that looked like this (as if the toy box threw up). Nope and I wouldn’t trade a second. I get its chaos for now, we just try to keep in controlled. I know someday when I have my grown up living room back I will miss these days.
I find to keep anything organized, it needs to be simple and quick and local. 10 feet is too far for children and husbands to go to put something back. If it is one wheels even better. Lids are too much work for them.
This one is working great for us. She can reach all the shelves and see everything. She can take a container, go play and put it back. I find if she can’t see it. She doesn’t play with it. I also find if it is too complicated (in her world) it doesn’t get picked up.
http://www.target.com/Whitmor-Kids%E2%80%99-12-Bin-Organizer-Pastel/dp/B000LRBSOE/sr=1-5/qid=1248109406/ref=sr_1_5/190-6798778-8578966?ie=UTF8&frombrowse=0&rh=k%3Astorage%20toy%20bins&page=1
We also have those plastic bins on wheels. Again, photos for what goes where, keeps stuff contained. Can be wheeled to the play area and tucked back away. This great for her kitchen stuff, mega blocks, lego type stuff.
http://www.target.com/gp/search/190-6798778-8578966?ie=UTF8&ref=tgt%5Fadv%5FXSJH1060&afid=yahoosspslp&lnm=Plastic%20Storage%20Bins%20on%20Wheels&field-keywords=Plastic%20Storage%20Bins%20on%20Wheels
July 20th, 2009 at 2:36 pm
I should point out that we’ve got floor to ceiling shelves that have doors on the bottom half and are open on the top half. The containers with lids that I pointed to are behind the doors where they aren’t seen, the nicer looking IKEA baskets are on the upper half (along with books, which aren’t in containers).
The large containers (that don’t fit on the shelves) sit inside of the laundry room, so they aren’t unsightly in the den.
When everything is put away we don’t look like a toy store.