While I realize our Monday Tips series is usually me telling y’all tips, this Monday I am asking you for your tips!
We have a situation at our house. While it may seem awesome to have a ton of toys for our boys {and it is a blessing, I know!} they are slowly taking over our house and its driving me nuts! I try really hard to keep our home clean and picked up. While I am not always the best at keeping it truly clean I do a pretty good job at keeping it picked up. But these dang toys, and all the tiny pieces, and puzzles, and legos, etc. they are everywhere.
I attempt to keep the majority of them stashed ‘away’ in these baskets, but now they are overflowing. I also store some in the cabinets, a lego table in Brays room, and a lot of bigger toys outside. We also have the mini farmhouse table that Jeremy built for Bray two Christmas’ ago that stores some art stuff. That table was awesome for keeping stuff out of Winston’s reach when he wasn’t able to cruise around, but long gone are those days! That kid pulls everything off the table!
So here is where I need help!!! We just got a lot more toys for Brays birthday, and Winston’s birthday is coming right up. While I don’t want to get rid of a ton of toys {unless they are truly never played with}, how do I consolidate the best? Do I really need to just ditch some? What is the best rotation system that you have found to work? I think that Bray would really love not seeing toys for awhile, and then seeing them again- but I don’t know what the best approach to this is.
All I know is that while I want them to have fun with their toys, I am not wanting this. I have no delusions that our house will look kid-free, nor do I even want that { I love a lived in home!!!} but I would love to have him want to play with all the toys that are out at the time, and not have a massive mess constantly! Is that even a possibility? Send help parents!!!
I try to make theme baskets and then fill up the living room toy chest with 3-4 themes. For example, music basket, train basket, dog basket, multiple book baskets for variety, ball basket, puzzle basket, etc. I try to switch baskets weekly during Sunday nap. The small plastic rubbermade boxes with lids are great and i can stack them in my hall coat closet!
Not sure that you would want to consider a “permanent” solution, but you could add doors to those built in cubbies to at least better hide the mess? I use baskets like those too, but it is impossible for all of the toys to stay inside, and “they” (you know, the experts – lol!) say that kids don’t play as well with their toys when they are all buried on top of each other like that. Montessori recommends open shelving/low book cases, and only having as many toys/games on the shelves as can fit easily (no cramming) and be nicely displayed (and at arms reach). Also, similar items in individual bins to make it easier to take “one” toy out to play with and then clean up and put it away before moving on to the next ting (i.e. hot wheel cars and their ramp all in one basket or storage bin, etc.). Good luck. 🙂 I am actually not someone with wisdom really (as I am living under a pile of toys myself) but I have a extra high tolerance for mess I think (unfortunately lol). I have been given those tips, and need to put them into practice myself 😉
Hi Adri- our home is SMALL… We have always maintained that most – ok almost all of Liam’s stuff is in his room- ? I only have 1 basket under the coffee table. I know you want to know about organizing – I say open shelving. I wanted to share this with you- back when L was 2 I was searching for help because he wasn’t really choosing to play with items that were all in baskets- things he couldn’t see- not sure if you are familiar with the Site Dirt and Boogers- Amanda had an amazing post about organizing her sons playroom- http://dirtandboogers.com/setting-up-playroom-so-your-child-will/
I did this and never found an issue again with L not actively playing.
I agree with a previous postings above. A. I organize by like items and B. I try to have everything accessible. You may want to think of a child only section? I’ll see if I can share a pic on FB later… 🙂
Remove 3/4 of the toys. Put the ones that you have removed in large tubs. Put the tubs away in the garage. Every two months rotate the tubs. When you go through them to put the old ones away, decide what you want to keep. Decide NOW about Legos – you have 2 boys, so do I. If you do not have a system for Legos they will take over your house. Be careful with open tubs/baskets/containers. My youngest would dump them with joy – just to spread them all over the floor, and then walk through them – he loved the NOISE!! Check out your question on Pinterest. If you get books from the library have a special shelf for them. CLEANING up toys MUST be drilled into your boys – yours are little, if they learn now it will be fun and automatic. Later on WILL NOT work.
Good luck – I never had this advice – my life with my sons toys is AWFUL.
Great advice Mason! THank you. We definitely drill it in to them about cleaning up {well not really Winston yet, hes not even 1 lol} but Bray knows that before he pulls out a different set of toys, the other set has to go away. And before bed each night he has to go around and pick up all toys! Hes so good about it and I also think its because thats how it has always been for him:)