Help! Toy storage ideas, anyone?

[sansdieu]

DD has about 100 times more toys than a child could possibly need. I've always planned to rotate them, but I just don't have the time or the energy for it, so instead I "rotate" the child -- some days, she's in the playroom upstairs, but most of the time, she's in our "great room," where the floor is littered with her toys.

I really didn't want to spend money on this, but our current storage system is inadequate -- everything is bursting at the seams, and the child cannot access most toys without help (which also means she cannot put them away by herself). Then there are the big toys (ride-on toys, jump-on toys, easels, trikes), which also decorate my once-grand great room. I honestly wish I could build some sort of garage just for those.

Any ideas on storage solutions? I would like more grown-up furniture (it is my living room, after all). I know that a lot of people here use Ikea Expedit -- but I'm not sure which one (there are a couple of different styles). And which inserts do you use? and what do you do with those big toys (see above), as well as roller-blades and such? We did look at it last time we were at Ikea, but DH refused to get it because he thought it looked flimsy and didn't match the wood our living room (it's cherry, and that's one color that Expedit doesn't come in).

Any other thoughts on the topic? I'd love to hear them.

[kristac]

I use a solid wood bookshelf and baskets from Micheals for the little stuff. No great solution for the bug stuff though.. Maybe a screen?

[wendibird22]

Love our Ikea Trofast with various size plastic bins. DD1 is able to pull out and put back the bins and knows what toys are in what bins. Once the kids are grown I could see repurposing this for other home supplies or for DH to use for tools and such.

[BeachBum]

Rotate the child. HA HA. That is such a good explanation for what we do as well.

Most of our toys are in the playroom, which was previously my formal living room. In there I have 3 wooden bookcases (tall 6 ft type). On there we have rattan type baskets and pbk canvas bins. Yes, some stuff is too high for them to reach, but we don't have enough wall space to have only eye level to them space. We also have a Nilo table. Some ride on toys store under the table. The rest line up in our dining room against the wall.

In our family room we just use decorative baskets that slide under the coffee table and arm chair.

In their rooms we have short book cases, and that primary colored bin/pole organizer.

It's not perfect, but it does work pretty well.

I don't usually do this, but here are a few pics of our playroom. The first few (without the train table) are older...I don't think our room is all that, but I know it helps me to see a real space so I thought I'd share.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8050102@N02/sets/72157623255097264/detail/

[sansdieu]

Love our Ikea Trofast with various size plastic bins. DD1 is able to pull out and put back the bins and knows what toys are in what bins. Once the kids are grown I could see repurposing this for other home supplies or for DH to use for tools and such.

I really like the Trofast system, but it seemed a tad on the pricey side, and I wasn't sure how it would look in a grown-up room (I'll probably get one for DD's playroom, though, especially if I can find one used on CL).


I use a solid wood bookshelf and baskets from Micheals for the little stuff. No great solution for the bug stuff though.. Maybe a screen?

Where did you buy the solid wood bookshelf? I am not a real pro at furniture shopping (most of my stuff comes from Costco, Ikea and the now-defunct Scandinavian store near my house).

Screen is not a bad idea at all... I'll look into it.

[lowrioh]

We just got the Expedit for our family room and it has really help out with the toys. We got the 2x4 unit that we have on it's long side, but since your DD is older I would suggest getting 2 of these and putting them side by side.
There are these fabric bins at Target that fit perfectly in the shelves and they look really nice. They come in a bunch of colors depending on your decor.
We also bought some smaller plastic bins for smaller parts (like FP Little People) that we throw inside the bins.

http://www.target.com/Fabric-Storage-Bin-Brown-Large/dp/B0015E4HGS/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&searchView=grid5&frombrowse=0&node=1038576&keywords=fabric%20bins&field_browse=1038576&searchSize=30&id=Fabric%20Storage%20Bin%20Brown%20Large&field_availability=-2&refinementHistory=subjectbin%2Ctarget_com_age%2Cta rget_com_gender-bin%2Ctarget_com_character-bin%2Cprice%2Ctarget_com_primary_color-bin%2Ctarget_com_size-bin%2Ctarget_com_brand-bin&searchNodeID=1038576&field_launch-date=-1y&searchRank=target104545&searchPage=1&field_keywords=fabric%20bins

I have no suggestions for the bigger stuff...
Good Luck!

[wendibird22]

[QUOTE=sansdieu;2602199]I really like the Trofast system, but it seemed a tad on the pricey side, and I wasn't sure how it would look in a grown-up room (I'll probably get one for DD's playroom, though, especially if I can find one used on CL).

True, but I find it less childish than some of the toy bins at places like Target. Plus the play kitchen in our living room kind of ruins our grown up decor already lol! I like that the bins really hide what's inside, so while you know it is toy storage, you don't see the clutter of all the toys.

ETA: It's a solid piece of furniture...not cheap particle board...and DH had an easy time assembling it.

[kristac]

Where did you buy the solid wood bookshelf? I am not a real pro at furniture shopping (most of my stuff comes from Costco, Ikea and the now-defunct Scandinavian store near my house).

Screen is not a bad idea at all... I'll look into it.

I bought the bookshelf at World Market. We also have a table/chairs set from them and I am really happy with the quality/ price. They often have good sales as well.

[WatchingThemGrow]

I don't usually do this, but here are a few pics of our playroom. The first few (without the train table) are older...I don't think our room is all that, but I know it helps me to see a real space so I thought I'd share.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8050102@N02/sets/72157623255097264/detail/
:applause:
I would feel like I were in Heaven if we had that room in our house.
We have the Target bin thing in the coat closet, a PBK Cameron base and cubby in the LR, a PBK train table with drawers (filled with duplos, etc) and toys on shelves in the kitchen, under the futon in dishpans, under the cribs, etc. We try to park the larger items in each room for a while, then switch them around for interest.

[JTsMom]

I think it helps to keep in mind that a lot of the obnoxiously big stuff doesn't hang around for long, at least ime. Some will, but not all of it.


Maybe some of the stuff you could put in a storage ottomon or something similar? That way it would be hidden. Baskets/bins are good as well. I actually prefer fabric bins, or more open baskets b/c I think they stand up to abuse better and are more easily accessible.

We have one of the 2X4 Expedits behind our couch that doubles as a sofa table, and another 5X5 in our craft room. I love both, but I wonder if you could find something similar in a color that would match your stuff? Otherwise, maybe a big one in the playroom would work, and you could just put some sort of container for hidden storage in your family room.

[KrisM]

I got a 2x4 Expedit for Christmas and I am in love with it! In our playroom, I have wire cubes that hold games, etc. But, DS2 isn't allowed in there and most of his toys are in the family room. The Expedit completely solved our problems. I used clear plastic bins from the Container Store in 4 of the openings and nothing in the other 4.

Other ideas that have worked well - I have Sterilite containers under our train table, an old repurposed entertainment center in the basement holds games that are out of rotation.

[sansdieu]

Thank you! Especially for posting pictures... In the spirit of reciprocity, I really should try to take some pictures of my living room -- for the "what not to do" section ;)

I guess the main issue with my house is that there's no storage space. No basement, no garage; there's an attic -- but you have to climb a ladder to get there, which is impossible to do with boxes. And there's no place to put a playroom downstairs either (and the upstairs one isn't perfect either -- it has a balcony and a big brick chimney in the middle, so you really can't leave a child there alone until they're at least 15).

As for the big stuff... I don't think it really goes away; it just gets replaced with other stuff. We got rid of the exersaucer and jumperoo, and got a tent, a tunnel, a trike, a scooter, a train table, and some other stuff I am forgetting momentarily. I'm sure once she outgrows those, there will be new toys to take their place.

[vonfirmath]

Thank you! Especially for posting pictures... In the spirit of reciprocity, I really should try to take some pictures of my living room -- for the "what not to do" section ;)

I guess the main issue with my house is that there's no storage space. No basement, no garage; there's an attic -- but you have to climb a ladder to get there, which is impossible to do with boxes. And there's no place to put a playroom downstairs either (and the upstairs one isn't perfect either -- it has a balcony and a big brick chimney in the middle, so you really can't leave a child there alone until they're at least 15).

ARe there two adults in your house? What my parents did was my dad would climb up the ladder to the attic, my mom would hand the boxes up to him, then he'd set them at the edge. After they got the boxes up there, they could move them around as needed for organizational purposes.

(Oh, my dad had nailed down planks around the opening for places to put boxes, etc. So there was not the fear of falling through the cracks into the ceiling.)

And I know I've seen quite a bit of furniture in old attics too -- it had to get up there somehow!

[sansdieu]

ARe there two adults in your house? What my parents did was my dad would climb up the ladder to the attic, my mom would hand the boxes up to him, then he'd set them at the edge. After they got the boxes up there, they could move them around as needed for organizational purposes.

(Oh, my dad had nailed down planks around the opening for places to put boxes, etc. So there was not the fear of falling through the cracks into the ceiling.)

And I know I've seen quite a bit of furniture in old attics too -- it had to get up there somehow!

We tried that, but our ceiling is quite high, so the two adults can't actually reach one another. Somebody still has to climb while holding the box at least part of the way (or toss it skillfully up in the air), and I tend to lose my balance, unless I have use of both hands ;) What we normally do is an assembly line, which requires at least 4 people: one person in the attic, one mid-way up the ladder, one on the floor with the box, and one to try to stop DD from climbing the ladder. So, as you can imagine, we treat attic as a special occasion, planned weeks in advance. :cheerleader1:

The floor in the attic is actually fully finished (I think--I've never actually gone up myself), but the opening through which you get in is quite narrow, so I doubt I could put any furniture there. We do keep quite a few smaller boxes there (some baby & maternity clothes, odds and ends, a highchair), but it's not a practical solution for anything else because it isn't easily accessible. I still have some holiday lights, which I'd forgotten to pack with the other holiday stuff prior to our last attic endeavor -- and now they await the next trip up, whenever that might be (next Christmas?).

P.S. I have a very strange house. I truly do. :52:

[czekit7]

Yesterday, I was walking thru the neighborhood, and saw that one guy decided to hang all of the larger items from their kids room in the outdoor foyer/garage with bike hooks...bikes, strollers, cars, skates, etc. This moves the larger items completely out of the house, but don't know how feasible this would be for you. I'll see if I can take a pic next time we're strolling in that area of the neighborhood, if you're interested. Wish we had an Ikea near here...5 hrs to the closest for us. Really like that Expedit idea!!

[GraceH]

I've always been a fan of storage benches -- in fact, a quick Amazon search for 'storage bench' turns up benches a la toy box (which could be used for blankets or something once DC is older) (http://www.amazon.com/Linon-Storage-Bench-Short-Split/dp/B002USUKZK/ref=sr_1_3/186-0230715-3190507?ie=UTF8&s=furniture&qid=1264224977&sr=1-3), more 'decorator' trofast type things (http://www.amazon.com/Storage-Bench-with-3-Baskets/dp/B001TQEQZE/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=home-furnishings&qid=1264225834&sr=1-4), and even a bench with coat hooks which could be nice to store indoor/outdoor toys as well as a convenient place to put on/take off shoes in an entryway (http://www.amazon.com/Powell-Heirloom-Cherry-Hall-Tree/dp/B000KFY7RC/ref=sr_1_89?ie=UTF8&s=furniture&qid=1264225453&sr=1-89)... as well as other fun furniture pieces.

[sansdieu]

Yesterday, I was walking thru the neighborhood, and saw that one guy decided to hang all of the larger items from their kids room in the outdoor foyer/garage with bike hooks...bikes, strollers, cars, skates, etc. This moves the larger items completely out of the house, but don't know how feasible this would be for you. I'll see if I can take a pic next time we're strolling in that area of the neighborhood, if you're interested. Wish we had an Ikea near here...5 hrs to the closest for us. Really like that Expedit idea!!

I think it's a cool idea. I just wish I had some sort of outdoor space -- but I really don't. No garage, no carport, just a driveway. Not even a porch to speak of.



I've always been a fan of storage benches -- in fact, a quick Amazon search for 'storage bench' turns up benches a la toy box (which could be used for blankets or something once DC is older) (http://www.amazon.com/Linon-Storage-Bench-Short-Split/dp/B002USUKZK/ref=sr_1_3/186-0230715-3190507?ie=UTF8&s=furniture&qid=1264224977&sr=1-3), more 'decorator' trofast type things (http://www.amazon.com/Storage-Bench-with-3-Baskets/dp/B001TQEQZE/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=home-furnishings&qid=1264225834&sr=1-4), and even a bench with coat hooks which could be nice to store indoor/outdoor toys as well as a convenient place to put on/take off shoes in an entryway (http://www.amazon.com/Powell-Heirloom-Cherry-Hall-Tree/dp/B000KFY7RC/ref=sr_1_89?ie=UTF8&s=furniture&qid=1264225453&sr=1-89)... as well as other fun furniture pieces.

I did look at some storage benches today (went to Mill Stores to check out if they have anything Expedit -like, but they didn't). They were nice, but I'm afraid DH will just throw things in, indiscriminately, and I so crave some organization ;) OT, but they had the cutest wooden rocking chair for little kids (for $60 and unfinished, so I didn't get it)

[Melaine]

We don't have much storage either. No garage, TINY closets and a small attic, also with a ladder. I do rotate toys by putting them in the attic. It is very inconvenient, but I wait for DH to come home and then hand him the toys and we stick them up there. Right now we have the wheely bugs and the bilibos in the living room along with the ever-present Little Tikes picnic table. All the rest of the toys are in their room or on the back deck getting ruined by bad weather. I figure one or two "big" toys can be in the living room at a time. If we put the bilibos up, I can get down the sit 'n spins. The girls' room has so many toys that there isn't a whole lot of room to play so they drag the toys out here pretty much every day. Oh and our coat closet by the front door is filled with games, puzzles, and blocks so if you get a coat out you are likely to get beaned by a heavy wooden toy.
It is so NOT ideal.

[Seitvonzu]

melaine, i apologize, but i had to laugh about you getting beamed when you get coats :) we have a similar situation with our closets. we DO have an attic (which has over the bathtub access- so it's very annoying /inconvenient) and a basement with understair storage , a utilitiy closet and a storage closet.... but i STILL have the "open at your own risk" thing going with all the closets.

i'm often heard telling DH that we live in a "house of cards"-- but golly, we have some cool toys.

too many, and they are all so cool :)

[Tondi G]

"I think it's a cool idea. I just wish I had some sort of outdoor space -- but I really don't. No garage, no carport, just a driveway. Not even a porch to speak of."

You should put up a shed! Costco often carries them for a good price (compared to what you would pay at home depot etc). We got one and it really is a life saver for a lot of things that you want to keep but just don't have space for in the house! Bikes/Trikes/Easel/outdoor play things etc. Ours was APEX brand (I think it's a 6x6 or 8x8) and we paid something like 500 or 600 for it in the warehouse at Costco. It takes a little time building it but was so worth it.

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11257113&whse=BC&Ne=4000000&eCat=BC|50126|49273|79318|1090&N=4035260&Mo=9&No=5&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&cat=1090&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-US&Sp=C&hierPath=50126*49273*79318*1090*&topnav=

[MamaKath]

It's not perfect, but it does work pretty well.

I don't usually do this, but here are a few pics of our playroom. The first few (without the train table) are older...I don't think our room is all that, but I know it helps me to see a real space so I thought I'd share.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8050102@N02/sets/72157623255097264/detail/
Thank you for sharing those! It always helps me to see that people can make REAL (as opposed to magazine perfect) spaces work! Gives me hope, lol. ;)

[alirebco]

Here are a few pics of our set up but we do not have a lot of toys compared to most. The baskets in the Expedit hold misc. items, blocks, trains and vehicles, and puzzles in order from left to right. We keep a few toys in our room for when we're getting ready in the morning, but everything else is down here. We do have more books now so I'm thinking of getting a small bookcase.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24561581@N02/4301628853/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24561581@N02/3945496352/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24561581@N02/3944712791/

[1964pandora]

Here are a few pics of our set up but we do not have a lot of toys compared to most. The baskets in the Expedit hold misc. items, blocks, trains and vehicles, and puzzles in order from left to right. We keep a few toys in our room for when we're getting ready in the morning, but everything else is down here. We do have more books now so I'm thinking of getting a small bookcase.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24561581@N02/4301628853/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24561581@N02/3945496352/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24561581@N02/3944712791/

Ooh... Alicia, I like the baskets you chose for your Expedits. Do you remember who makes them? Thanks, Susan

[alirebco]

Ooh... Alicia, I like the baskets you chose for your Expedits. Do you remember who makes them? Thanks, Susan

They're the Knipsa baskets and I got them at Ikea. I liked that they were solid not clear since it hides what is inside and they look nicer than the plastic or fabric bins. Our play area is in our kitchen so I wanted something a bit more pulled together.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20110540

[vludmilla]

Ooh... Alicia, I like the baskets you chose for your Expedits. Do you remember who makes them? Thanks, Susan

I'm not Alicia, of course, but those baskets look exactly like the ones we have in our Expedit. They are made by Ikea.