Is toy storage becoming more of an issue than you thought?

Is your house feeling overrun by toys? Do they seem to multiply overnight? If you’re spending far too much time tidying up teddies, or have stepped on one too many pieces of Lego, here’s an experienced mum’s guide to managing your toy storage

These days, the sheer range of children’s toys out there is impressive – from messy and creative toys, to instructive and educational toys. However, trying to keep on top of your kids’ many playthings can be a challenge, and having the right toy storage could be key.

With some simple strategies, the right storage and a few basic house rules, you can make sure your home still feels like a haven (and a little bit less like a toy shop). 

Simple strategies for managing your kids’ toys 

Toys are a fantastic way of interacting with your children, and encouraging their creativity and development. However, as many a frustrated parent has noted, the toys in your house seem to grow exponentially! Here are some top tips for taming the toy mountain:

1) Designate a play area

It’s a good idea to dedicate a specific play area for your children’s toys. This might be a separate playroom, a snug, or their bedroom plus a corner of the living room. For larger spaces you can try having themed areas, such as a dressing up zone or a crafting corner.

Whatever size you’re working with, by allocating a particular space for toys you can help to minimise the problem of ‘toy creep’ in the rest of the house – as well as having a good idea of when too many toys are beginning to accumulate! 
 

2) Set out some ground rules 

A few simple ground rules can help to impose a bit of order. Start by limiting the amount of toys that are allowed out at once. Encourage your little one to put away a toy when they’ve finished playing with it – ideally before getting another one out! This will also help them to engage more fully with the toy they’ve chosen.

Another useful rule is to have a dedicated ‘tidy up’ time each day before bed, when it’s time to round up all the toys and put them away. You can build this in as part of your child’s daily routine. If toys have made their way into other areas of the house – as they surely will – this can help them to find their way back to their rightful place at the end of the day.

3) Have a place for everything

If you want your children to buy into the idea of keeping things tidy and organised, you need to make it as easy as possible for them. This means making sure things are easily accessible and that it’s clear where everything needs to go. 

You can help to get your children engaged in the process by involving them in deciding where everything should live. Try sorting the toys into types together (eg dolls, blocks, cars, dressing up, puzzles, crafting etc) and assigning them to a particular drawer, basket or box. 

Labelling the drawers and boxes with words or pictures will help your child to find what they’re looking for (meaning fewer instances of everything being upended and strewn about the place), and will also help to make sure things go back where they should. 
 

4) Choose the right toy storage

Space is often at a premium these days, and having the right storage can make all the difference.

We have a range of storage solutions which are both stylish and practical, and designed with kids in mind – from the beautiful hand-crafted Vanilla toy chest, which looks great in any space, to the Jango children’s cupboard, which comes complete with wheels for ultimate flexibility – or our range of colourful padded toy boxes, which have a clever cutaway at the front to avoid trapping little fingers, and can also double up as a useful extra seat! 

Meanwhile, our storage baskets come in a range of fun colours and patterns – like our funky blue star toy storage basket or our gorgeous gingham range. These are a good option for storing a stock of toys in a shared space, such as the living room, and they’re also great for rounding up toys in a hurry!
 

5) Declutter regularly 

To help keep on top of your kids’ toys, it’s important to have a good sort out from time to time. Work out which toys haven’t been played with for a while, and if your kids are up for the challenge you can go through them together.  

Charity shops are a great way of recycling toys you no longer need. Or if you have some budding young entrepreneurs, encourage them to raise a bit of extra pocket money by having a stall at a car boot sale. This can be fun for all the family, and will get your kids into good habits.

If your child is more attached to their belongings, you could try storing some away for a while to see if they miss them. And if all else fails, you can resort to a ‘stealth tidy’ from time to time! (Just remember to hide the bags before they get home from school.)

Using wish lists can also be a good way of helping to control the amount and type of toys that come into the house in the first place.
 

6) Put your kids’ toys on rotation

Children can only play with so many toys at once, and in fact too many toys can actually be quite overwhelming. If space is at a premium, but you’re not quite ready to get rid of the toys, you could try a rotation system. 

This means limiting the number of toys that your kids have access to at any one time, and storing the others away in a cupboard or a box in the garage. Then every few weeks, you can change the toys over – and it will be like Christmas all over again for your kids (but without all that annoying packaging!)  

At the Children’s Furniture Company we believe kids’ furniture should be practical but with a sprinkle of magic dust. Browse our range of children’s toy storage solutions here.