PDA

View Full Version : NEED: Toy Storage solutions for tiny tiny apt.



jec2
10-20-2004, 12:55 AM
Help! We are being over-run by toys. We live in small apt. and need some help trying to figure what to do.

What storage systems do you use?

I was thinking of this...wonder if it's handy? Any other suggestions?



http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/15261.jpg

KrisM
10-20-2004, 10:34 AM
My aunt has this for when her grandkids come over. It works really well for them. With the tilt, it's easy for the kids to see what toys are where. It seems to be built well, too.

Momof3Labs
10-20-2004, 11:37 AM
We have a system like that, except there are shelves on the top two levels, and three bins (two small, one big) on the lower two levels. It really holds a lot (books on the top, puzzles in the middle, smaller toys at the bottom) and sits pretty flush against one wall. We got ours from sears.com when it was $20 with free shipping about a year ago.

jk3
10-20-2004, 11:43 AM
My DS has something similar in his room + it's great for storing toys. He enjoys taking the buckets off the shelf which is fun for him but somewhat defeats the purpose.

We are trying to figure out a storage solution for our family room. I don't think the bin rack will work because I'd prefer something that has doors so we don't have to look at the toys all of the time. I have yet to find anything I like that isn't too exensive.

Jenn
DS 6/03

http://lilypie.com/baby2/030603/2/5/1/-5/.png

gracelynne
10-20-2004, 12:05 PM
I'm interested in this, too, but I fear the openness of it. I can just see DS dragging the bins off and things flying everywhere! Has anyone know where I can find a similar one with lids for the bins?

HelenD
10-20-2004, 12:38 PM
Because I have a tiny, tiny, tiny house I got some medium sized, attractive baskets from Micheals. I don't even have the wall space for that thing.

The baskets seem to work well and they are attractive. Plus I can just stack them up and put them in the closet when company comes. It's also great for rotating toys. And w/ my space limitation, if the baskets overflow-ith, I do cleaning out that gets rid of un used or out grown toys.

It's a solution that's great for folks who share their main living/entertaining space w/ the kids toys. It's an attractive alternative for a main living area for toy storage.

I got mine w/ Micheal's had a 40% off coupon and a 50% off basket sale. Watch their circular's. I got some that were lined w/ a linen liner and were closely weaved so they didn't splinter.

Good Luck.

Helen

mamagoosie
10-20-2004, 12:50 PM
You want to hear something crazy? We live in a tiny condo and use the Pack & Play as a giant toy box. We have one shelf with a couple of baskets for the most commonly-used toys and books. But the P&P works great because I can just dump everything in there--dolls, stuffed animals, balls, books, and the tape player, etc. It makes cleanup a lot easier.

Also, whenever DD sees bins like the one in the picture, she sees it as an invitation to take it and dump the contents all over the floor. With the P&P, half the fun in jumping in there are rooting around to see what toys she can find.

It's not a solution for the perfectionist organizers out there--but it helps manage our chaos!


ETA--when "fancy" company comes over, we take the P&P, contents and all into our bedroom--and presto, we have an adult living room!

jec2
10-20-2004, 01:09 PM
Oh, i like the sears.com one...I think that might be the answer. Thanks lori :)

jec2
10-20-2004, 01:11 PM
This is what we've got going right now. I wanted to keep our LR as adult looking yet kid friendly as possible. The idea was that we would then put the baskets in our cabinet. But, the baskets wind up set out all the time. And, becasue they are kind of deep, I think DS gets kind of turned off by the chaos of all the toys.

jec2
10-20-2004, 01:12 PM
Not a bad idea. But our PnP is at the babysitter's for naptimes.

jec2
10-20-2004, 01:13 PM
there is one at sensationalbeginnings.com that has lids.

gracelynne
10-20-2004, 01:26 PM
Thanks!

redhookmom
10-20-2004, 02:05 PM
I "hide" toys all over:
-in baskets on the bottom shelf of the tv armoir
-in baskets on the bottum shelf of the china cabinet
-covered baskets scattered around the house
-old sheet music cabinet has puzzles
-our coffee table has cubbies and shelf under it
-chest in foyer

ribbit1019
10-20-2004, 05:00 PM
I did a search and this one came up a couple of times, looks attractive enough. At toysavings.com for $34.99

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00009RGSX.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg


For my DD we use this one...It is at Target.com for $69.99

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/steitzsmith/Nursery/storage2.jpg


I took a couple of the bins out for books and it works really well for DD's cousins when they come over (2 - at 2 yrs) and is attractive enough. The bins are fabric not wooden or plastic, which I love and they unzip at the bottom and collapse too. They sell a rolling three bin unit also for $49.99. Which I keep in the closet in her room. DD is only 4 months, but I have to say that it doesn't look any worse in the livingroom then her Step and Play Piano and Jumperoo and I plan on having it in the livingroom for a very long time. :P Good Luck!

Christy - Maddy's Momma

hellosmiletoday
10-20-2004, 05:17 PM
I also have limited storage options, and no wall space to put a bookshelf. DD doesnt have alot of large toys (YET). Currently I have to large "under the bed" baskets from Micheal under DD's crib...They are much larger than PBK style baskets and hold tons of toys. I also have a mesh type Pooh pop-up hamper for toy storage, and baskets in family room.

However, I have no idea where I'm going to store future large toys! DD doesn't even have space in her own closet, as that's where DH's clothes is stored in our tiny 2 bdroom!

zen_bliss
10-20-2004, 07:50 PM
i am another devoted michael's baskets user. they are 40% off this week. and, if there are some 'orphans' scattered around that don't make a full set, the manager will often give you a great price on those to get rid of them. as a pp said, i don't care for the look of and don't want to eat the wallspace with the bin holder. one of my walls is lined with tall bookshelves that are now bolted to the wall with L brackets. the bottom shelves are part books, for ballast, and part michael's baskets, some larger, some smaller. i also have the low ones stuck under the couch, under the dresser, etc.

new_mommy25
10-20-2004, 07:56 PM
Juliet, we have that colored shelf you posted. It's in Noah's room. He loves being able to see the toys and it's been great for organizing. One bin has peek a blocks, one bin has Little People and so forth.

Our living room is really, really tiny. Seriously I doubt your living room is smaller than our. We have a 5 shelf bookshelf and the bottom shelf has some of Noah's toys. We also have a amoire that houses our tv. There are 3 cabinets on the bottom. The middle cabinet is glass and has our DVD player, cable box etc. The two side cabinets house the rest of Noah's toys. I like that they are out of sight.

His "large" toys like his cozy coupe are stored in the closet under the stairs. However, we do get lazy and sometimes there are toys all over the place.

Chelsey333
10-20-2004, 09:44 PM
My son loves trucks and owns too many. My house was being taken over by trucks and I couldn't figure out a good solution for them. I used to have them lined up against the wall - which drove me nuts bec it looked cluttery. I found a very large wicker basket at Home Goods for 29.99. It is oval shaped and does not look overly big - but it holds about 10-12 trucks, some of the trucks are large dump trucks. It was the best truck solution I have found and now my playroom looks much more neat. It is only about 2 feet long and 1 1/2 feet wide, but it holds a lot of trucks.

pritchettzoo
10-20-2004, 10:32 PM
I can't find a picture of what we have, but it's a bathroom storage shelf with canvas bins from Target. I think it was around $30. I got it because it's a white (faux) wood shelf and natural canvas bins, so it looks pretty neutral. Also, you can't see into the bins when they're on the shelf, so it makes it look neater. I've removed the top two bins to use that shelf for books and stack those two bins on top of the shelf with larger stuffed stuff.

What about a storage ottoman? We have open end-tables with big baskets underneath. One stores blankets and one holds dog toys, but since our dogs prefer to eat things off the counter, we might as well get rid of their basket! ;)

Anna

zuzu
10-20-2004, 10:58 PM
You may also want to try IKEA, if you have one nearby. They had some bin units with lids and others where plastic or wicker bins slid into a wooden base so the tops would not be exposed (Trofast? line), but I'm not sure whether those also had lids.

Melissa, mom to Sarah (5/03)

jec2
10-21-2004, 01:54 AM
Jessica,

all great ideas and hate to sound the naysayer. however, we have no tv armoir :( no china cabinet (all the china is still in its original boxes stacked in a storage unit) no coffee table (apt is much too small for one :( ) and no chest in foyer b/c we don't have a foyer :(

Doesn't my apt. sound so appealing?! LOL!

jec2
10-21-2004, 01:56 AM
Anna, something like your target shelf might work too. I like the idea of storage ottomons. we already have two (non-storage ones) that DH and I made and don't know if we have the space for others. this is a tiny apt. with NO MORE SPACE :( . Closets are crammed full. under our bed is lined with plastic storage bins. We aren't able to get under our sofa to store bins as Zenbliss suggested. Where is Tye and his Extreme Home Makeover or Oprah's Angel network?! LOL!

new_mommy25
10-21-2004, 04:11 AM
Juliet, maybe it's time for ebay or a garage sale :) I hate to say it, but maybe there is some stuff you could weed out to make more room?

On anothe note, I found some storage ottomans from the company store. I'm not sure how much they would hold.
http://tinyurl.com/4jyl5
http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/15335.jpg

lucy94103
10-29-2004, 01:47 PM
Juliet,

DD is almost 5 months old. We also use our limited living room space to play and to keep her toys and books for easier access. After some serious thinking and comparing, DH and I have decided on this:

http://www.sterilite.com/Category.html?Section=Storage&ProductCategory=48

The two, three, and four drawer 3700 Series Drawer Carts feature solid side walls to hide clutter, and clear drawer fronts for easy identification of contents. The large drawers are ideal for storing clothes or hanging files, and the small drawers hold paper, crafts, toys, or office supplies. Casters are included with all drawer carts to create mobile storage.

Here are some of our reasons:

Affordable.
We got this one (3704 - 4 Drawer Cart) on sale at Target for $15 (?).

Cleaner.
Drawers hide the clutter. Also, while I do try to clean the toys after use, drawers help reduce the dust too. Bonus…the white cart blends in with our white wall.

Clear view drawer fronts.
We can identify the contents without labeling each drawer.

Expand as needed.
We will buy the two-drawer cart (3720) for mid-size toys later. For larger toys, we either don’t put them away (Gymini, Kick and Play Bouncer), or at the end of the day we put them back to their original boxes stacked in one file.

Use as a table.
After we get three carts (same height!), we will place a piece of long white board over them for flat surface and stability.

Hope they make sense.

papal
10-29-2004, 02:14 PM
I was going to post the same question today.. thank goodness you are always ahead of me Juliet!

That shelf thing just would not work for us.. forget the aesthetics, i can just imagine Leela topping the whole thing over and removing all the baskets. Also, if i set up an organizing system (eg, Bin 1 = Little People, Bin 2 = Play books etc), i will be the only one getting highly frustrated because nothing will ever be in its bin unless I put it there so basically a PITA for me.

Right now i have one of those pop up baskets that hold all extra toys.
I take out one or two every day and give Leela.. of course she always has the incrediblock and fp table and her dump truck and little push trike and talking barney (all gifts..grr).. they can't be put in any baskets.. too freakin huge.

I am of no help really.. just wanted to say that I am in the same boat.

jec2
10-29-2004, 06:05 PM
I hear you completely on the disorganization of the bins....I shutter at the thought! But, as it is right now, I can hardly handle all this stuff. I did just yesterday finally weed out some of his more "baby" toys, and I am significanly more happy. But, now where to put/store all those that were weeded out? Ugh!

papal
10-29-2004, 06:43 PM
Have a toy-swap with your moms group and give them away?!!
Put them in a box called 'Old thingies' and put them in storage. You will never remember what is in them and several years from now you can open it and say 'What's this?'.

I don't know. How the heck do we collect so many toys in ONE YEAR. I swear, growing up, I had NONE of these things. Now my apartment is overrun by primary coloured plastic. grr.

hellosmiletoday
10-29-2004, 07:31 PM
FYI...At either Lnt or BB&B I remember seeing these same storage containers with a laminated wood top.

Mommy to baby girl 5.8.04

jubilee
10-30-2004, 02:33 AM
I saw a white wooden wine rack at Target today, and I thought it would make a good toy storage system. It was on clearance for $17 and it looked really nice (and not primary plastic, as so many hate!). I think it was this one-
http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/16004.jpg
I think you could sort smaller stuff into the wine slots and one larger toy could go at the top. It doesn't hide the items, but does sort them.

jubilee
10-30-2004, 03:19 AM
This is a cheap and cute storage idea for girls-
http://www3.jcpenney.com/jcp/Products.aspx?DeptID=2652&CatID=23226&CatTyp=DEP&ItemTyp=G&GrpTyp=PRD&ItemID=0aa682c&ProdSeq=12&Cat=toys&Dep=online+outlet&PCat=&PCatID=2652&RefPage=ProductList&Sale=&ProdCount=71&RecPtr=&ShowMenu=&TTYP=&ShopBy=0

NancyP
10-30-2004, 09:46 AM
Here is one with lids:
http://static.zoovy.com/img/hwt/W165-H180-Bffffcc/gd98046lg.jpg

$149.99 with free shipping at:
www.HeirloomWodoenToys.com