Organizing dolls and stuffed animals, and need doll nursery

[DAKnits]

Right now, I keep all of DD's dolls and stuffed animals in her room because she really plays with them all. I have a Step 2 Lift and Hide toy box which is HUGE, ugly and clunky, but holds a ton.

Before buying her expensive doll furniture, I just bought her a CHEAP ($15) nursery center from Big Lots that has a cradle, highchair attachment, baby carriage, and carrier which to my surprise, she plays with constantly. But, it's really cheap and flimsy, plus there are so many pieces which are large and all over hte place. And she insists on the babies each having a place to sleep, so we have two baby carriages, a cradle/highchair, and a baby carrier constantly being shoved out of the way, and her room is small.

How do you store dolls? I was thinking of buying the Zapf wood doll playpen and then she could a few of the babies in there including some that are on the way from family, but she also will want a cradle and highchair. I would love a combination WOOD nursery center that actually looks nice, but I don't think it exists. Any suggestions?

How do you store stuffed animals. The Step 2 toy box hold a TON but looks bad. If she didn't play with them all, I'd just leave a few in the room and find a place for them on her bookcase, but she really would miss having them. Any ideas? There are too many animals for a hammock, and I want her to be able to reach them. Am I stuck with clunky plastic?

[Melissap]

For stuffed animals, I saw this in the November issue of Parents. It looks cute and comes in three colors and sizes.

http://www.booninc.com/AnimalBag_oval.html

[Beth568]

We are struggling with virtually this same issue with dolls, which is why I'm on my way to IKEA later today. A friend of mine just told me that she found a really cute wood doll bed there, and I'm hoping they will have other doll furniture, as well. I don't see it on their web site, but if I end up with one, I'll take a pic and post it. I like the idea of using the playpen for some of them. I think Zapf also makes a very realistic looking wood doll crib...

We store our TONS of stuffed animals in a couple of mesh hampers from IKEA. They're lightweight and easy for my kids to reach and move around, they hold a ton, and if they tip over, no one gets hurt. We also have some in a wood toy box - I've just left the lid off for now, so that it's easier for my 2 year old to get things in and out. This is our family room with one of the mesh hampers and the toy box (you can see some of our friends peeking out of the box, and there are a LOT of smaller animals in that red hamper). The other mesh things are in the kids' rooms, and they work really well there. As you can see, I have the hamper crammed full of animals, and maybe it's not the most attractive option, but this way, the kids can dump the whole thing out if they want to, and it's a very quick cleanup to get the animals back in. And easy enough for the kids to do it.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c48/beth568/familyroom1.jpg

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c48/beth568/familyroom2.jpg

[Ceepa]

I was going to post the same thing. I've never seen anything like it. I think DS would actually be irritated that his stuffed animals are inside, but it's still an interesting concept.

Now can they make a beanbag I can stuff with DH's old tattered T-shirts that he insists on keeping? :)

-Ceepa

[Ceepa]

Beth,

I love the design on the toy box.

[babyready]

We use an IKEA mesh hamper thing for our animals now too. They really do hold a lot. Ours is almost full now, though.

I will definitely be watching this to see what people come up with!

[DAKnits]

The bean bags are a very interesting idea! I wish it came in different colors -- DD's room is sage green and light pink. I wonder how many animals could fit in those bags, and how easy it is to get them out if it's stuffed. I would love to see IRL pics if anyone has them!

Beth, I LOVE your toy box and bench with books! They're so pretty, and you look very organized! I also like the mesh hamper idea -- can a two year old reach in? Mine is 34" tall. I definitely want her to be able to get her animals herself -- one of the great things about the Step 2 toy box is that everything is so accessible to her. It's actually completely functional and meets all my needs except for its looks, of course.

Can't wait to see all of the creative ideas people have!

I can't see any of the doll furniture IRL since no stores around here have any, so if anyone has pics of a set they really like, I would love to see! If there are any creative/unique ways to store them all, I'd love to see those as well! The less doll furniture I can get away with having, the better b/c space is limited.

[Beth568]

"you look very organized!" Thanks! ;) I look organized in the morning, before the kids have started pulling everything out (LOL). But it is actually pretty easy to get everything put away quickly.

Yes, my 23 month old can reach into the mesh hapmers. They're pretty tall, but because they're flexible, she can easily pull down on a side and get in there - or tip the whole thing over and dump it out.

IKEA had only the doll beds, no other furniture, so I'm looking around online.

I'm thinking of this doll bed, which has some storage underneath:
http://www.babyuniverse.com/pro/baby/67236/PrincessDollCribandBed.html
http://mii.babyuniverse.com/product_images/pic/57/l57-67236.jpg

There's also a cute matching changing table with storage baskets:

http://www.mrtoys.com/dollfurniture/1861-Doll-changing%20table.htm

And look! You can get a doll-sized Kinderzeat! ;)
http://www.mrtoys.com/dollfurniture/1025-Doll-High-hair.htm

[Mommaof2]

I bought that bed in a set at Costco last yr. It came with the highchair. I don't find my kids rough on toys their Kidkraft kitchen still looks pretty new and it will be 2 yrs old this x-mas. Anyway they broke the door off by Easter and the highchair only made it until mid summer. I was SO disappointed as the storage area was the answer to my baby doll problems.

[vikivoly]

Those stuffed animal bags are cool, but I agree, I don't think my DD's would like having them shoved in there.


DD #1 also likes to play with her stuffed animals. I keep hers stuffed under her desk. I didn't buy her a chair for her desk yet, since it's part of her bedroom set and is for older girls. I put the animals where the toys are.

What about these from IKEA? They are larger than they appear online.
http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=15567&catalogId=10103&storeId=12&productId=62045&langId=-1&categoryId=16260&chosenPartNumber=40096784

[Beth568]

Oh, man, is it really flimsy? Thanks for posting that. It looked like a good storage solution, but the last thing I want is something that will fall apart. My kids aren't too rough, but they will open and close the doors a lot, so if it's not substantial it's not worth the time. :(

[DAKnits]

I just wanted to update this thread with a toy box I found for stuffed animals ...

http://www.littlepeoplescove.com/toy-boxes/products/gc-circus.htm

[maxineLee]

Have you guys seen this?

http://www.beaverworks.biz/ZooForCartAni.html

[greatcanuk]

I found the same Badger Basket doll crib with storage cabinets pictured above at Costco.com for $39 shipped. This is the one I have, which DD and I absolutely love. I thought the quality of the piece itself was good, however DD is not rough with her toys. Unfortunately the doll bedding that comes with it seems flimsy and cheap up close, but looks okay from afar. (I didn't use the pillow and blanket, only the crib bumper.) Customer service was good too, since one of the crib slats arrived broken, and a replacement piece was sent promptly with no hassles and free of charge.

They also have a version with canopy and open storage, that comes with a highchair for $59 shipped. I can't speak personally about the quality of the highchair.

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11206064&whse=BC&Ne=4000000&eCat=BC|25429&N=4020180&Mo=13&No=1&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&cat=62940&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-US&Sp=C&topnav=

As for the doll-sized Kinderzeat, I recently found this at Badgerbasket.com for $25 shipped, which I thought was a great price.

http://www.badgerbasket.com/products/productPage.asp?PID=281&CID=11


Camille

[zuzu]

We got one of these from Costco a year and a half ago and could never get the bottom part aligned properly when putting it together, so the doors never closed properly. We tried a few and they all had the same problem, but it could just have been a bad lot.

We ended up with two stackable beds from the PBK outlet that came with adorable bedding. While I miss the storage aspect, the PBK beds are sturdy enough for DD to sit on them.

ETA: We did get a Kinderzeat-style chair from Badgerbasket (or whatever that comapany is called) for DD's dolls that has held up well, so I would recommend that.

Melissa, mom to Sarah (5/03)

[greatcanuk]

That sounds pretty crappy. Perhaps I got lucky, or maybe their production improved or something. For anybody else still considering a Badger Basket doll crib, if something does go wrong, it's probably best to contact the manufacturer--they have an online order form for replacement parts.