How To Store & Organise Toys
Scrummie Sundays: Toy Storage
Having children has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life. However, with children, comes mess. And that – I struggle with!
In the days after Christmas, I found myself looking at the latest additions to my children’s toy hoards and wondering “Where on Earth are we going to put all this?!”, so when the lovely Kimberley, known to my two small fries as “the Magic Toy Lady” of Catkin Toys, asked me to pen a blog for this weekend on TOY STORAGE, I jumped at the chance, taking it as my cue to research the best options out there and to justify to my own family a serious reorganisation and refinement of the Scrummie household storage solutions.
Kallax Shelving
Easily one of the most popular options out there in the way of toy storage is the KALLAX series from IKEA. The simple storage shelving comes in an array of different sizes, shapes and finishes and with, or without, all sorts of accessorising bells and whistles. But the real reason it’s so popular? Because of its versatility.
In KALLAX, Designer Tord Björklund, very much in line with IKEA’s ethos, has created a simple design that can be used, pretty much, however you need it to be. Yes, it can be used as upright shelving, but it can also be used on its side as a bench with cubbyholes, on its back with a removable table top, creating a desk with internal storage; covered with an upholstered lid and used as an ottoman-style reading nook, even as a dolls’ house or a dual-purpose storage shelf room divider.
Images:
Miranda Lehmann
Ikeahackers.net
Apartmentapothecary.com
Mikrokosmos (Facebook)
It seems the options are infinite - and that’s before you even get into the realms of buckets, baskets, boxes and draws! The open KALLAX cubbies are asking to filled with beautiful toy receptacles like these gorgeous handmade rainbow crochet baskets from Willow Tree Yarnery!
Magnetic Strips
If your child seems to have an entire army of small metal cars,
trucks and trains then attaching a magnetic knife strip to your wall could be a great way for you to utilise some vertical space, keep their collection tidy and simultaneously create a toy display wall that you will both enjoy! It’s as simple as that!
Images:
Just A Girl and her Blog
Keeping Up With the Souths
Wheeled Carts
Image: projectnursery.com
Another great toy storage option is a wheelie cart. Now, there are several stores out there that sell these (including the aforementioned Scandinavian superstore!) and some beautiful vintage options to explore and discover too.
Wheelie carts might not seem like the most dazzling of storage solutions, but when you actually give them some consideration, they’re pretty nifty.
Using a movable cart means that your child’s play area isn’t confined to one particular space in your home: if you want to have Little One play in the sitting room during the day but for their toys to return to a nursery cupboard come bedtime, a wheeled cart could be just what you need and, better still, you can even use the cart as an independent learning tool for your child in that when it comes to tidying up, they can push the cart along, collect all their toys in it and ‘help’ you wheel it back to wherever you want to store it!
If you need to compartmentalise organisation further, you can create ‘themed’ carts: a craft trolley, a toy trolley, a book trolley and so on.
Under the Bed Storage
Image: Great Little Trading Co.
Under the bed pull outs, or built-in storage, can be a bit of lifesaver when it comes to keeping the bedroom floor clear and avoiding those “I think I’ve broken my ankle” late-night trips to A&E after you’ve decked it in the dark by tripping over a Brio train set and crushing underfoot Barbie’s spare tennis shoes, in an attempt to check on your sleeping offspring.
Over the Door Hangers
Who’d’ve thunk it – shoe organisers! Yep, that’s right, it turns out: over the door, hanging shoe organisers are actually a completely fab ways to store all those little play and craft bits and bobs: being adult shoe-sized, each pocket will comfortably store an action figure, or a truck; a pack of crayons or a tennis ball; a tub of dough or a fairy wand. Cheap, cheerful and incredibly handy – you can hang these of the back of your small person’s door or inside their wardrobe or a cupboard - you can thank me later!
Images:
Sunlit Spaces
Tidbits
Decanting Puzzles and Board Games
Decanting puzzles and board games out of their broken and battered boxes is not only a more aesthetic option but it’s a practical one too: using plastic wallets or plate racks reduces the amount of space these kids’ favourites actually take up too.
Images:
Extreme Couponing Mom
@shebesorted
Trofast
Another option from our Swedish friends, the Trofast series is a failproof option when it comes to toy storage, sturdy frames and removable boxes make it easy to use and super accessible for both you and your child. Why not convert the flat top of the unit into a train track tray, or a building block base surface?
Images:
Hand Makes Home
The Sticker House UK
Soft Toy Hammock
More cuddly toys than you care to count? Then try fixing a hammock to your child’s bedroom or playroom wall. Hang it at their height and then they can access their soft toys as and when they need them (win for them) and they’re nicely stored away “in their bed” (win for you!).
Image: Etsy – Mama Made It Shop
And those, ladies are gents, are my toy storage solutions!
What I’ve learnt this week is that you can create useful, exciting and beautiful places to store your child’s toys without it (a) breaking the bank or (b) breaking your morale! It doesn’t have to be difficult or complex, with some imaginative thinking there’s a good storage solution for every toy: save those jam jars for your craft supplies, pop toy manuals into plastic folders, and if all else fails, buy this Play & Go Storage Mat let Little One play on it and then just pull the drawstrings to scoop up the toys up into one bundle bag and no-one will be any the wiser!
I hope you’ve enjoyed my whistle-stop tour through the storage options out there; don’t forget that you can download your FREE toy organisation labels HERE!
Until next week!