My attempt at Simplifiying and Oranizing Toys

[wimama]

This was my New Year's weekend project. I recently read the book Simplicity Parenting. Great book. After reading it I wanted to simplify DS's toys a bit and organize them to make it easier for him to find and put away toys. In a un-Simplicity Parenting move, I actually added a few new things into the mix when I took away some old toys. I added in some music instruments, a play table, Ikea Paper roller, a bin of fort making supplies, new game, new puzzle and art supplies. Before this all his art & craft supplies were in a drawer in the kitchen.
I took away toys that were too young for him and some electronic/animated type toys that didn't make use his imagination.

So, this is the result of last weekend's project. What do you all think?

(I have descriptions on each picture. Click the pic if you can't see the description)

New Year's Toy Reorganization Project (http://www.flickr.com/photos/57460483@N08/sets/72157625631831407/show/)

[HonoluluMom]

Wow! You did this over the weekend! It looks like one of those amazing places in magazines!

[larig]

Wow! Looks great.

I absolutely love the lamp on the end table, BTW!

[wimama]

Wow! You did this over the weekend! It looks like one of those amazing places in magazines!

Thanks but you haven't seen the rest of the house. I have much more decluttering to do. LOL.;)


Wow! Looks great.

I absolutely love the lamp on the end table, BTW!

Thanks it is vintage. Like the table it is sitting on and DS bedroom furniture. All circa the 60's and 70's. The end table and night stand are very kid friendly the have laminate tops to them, so no worries about using coasters. We moved in with my MIL so there are quite a bit of vintage furniture and decor here.:wink2:

[MomToOne]

Looks nice!

[WatchingThemGrow]

Wow! I need to go back and take some notes. We have a lot of the same toys and I've been needing to get a list started and to take pictures. Wow, wow! I wish you could come to my house and do that!

[happymom]

That looks amazing! How does your DS like it? I love the old Little Tykes kitchen btw!

[larig]

Thanks but you haven't seen the rest of the house. I have much more decluttering to do. LOL.;)



Thanks it is vintage. Like the table it is sitting on and DS bedroom furniture. All circa the 60's and 70's. The end table and night stand are very kid friendly the have laminate tops to them, so no worries about using coasters. We moved in with my MIL so there are quite a bit of vintage furniture and decor here.:wink2:

I was going to ask if it was vintage, but I kinda knew. It reminds me of a favorite lamp at my parents' house. They were big into "Swedish modern" as they call it.

[wimama]

That looks amazing! How does your DS like it? I love the old Little Tykes kitchen btw!

My DS seems to love it. He hasn't mentioned any of the toys I got rid of yet. I think he really likes access to his art supplies and the table there best. I am only letting him have crayons in the play area for now, markers would be a mess. And the play table and play kitchen are both vintage as well. The Little Tykes kitchen has to be about 25 years old now. My FIL and MIL bought it when my oldest niece was little.

I pre-planned what I wanted to keep and how I wanted to store it all. We made a run to Ikea and the Container Store before Christmas. Both stores are about 1 1/2 hours from where we live. So, I wanted to be sure I got all the bins and containers I needed.;) I used mostly Container Store men's shoe boxes and boot boxes for most of the clear containers you see. I have heard the sweater boxes work well in the Expedit. But, mine are the men's shoe boxes. I thought they would work better inside the bins under train table.

On New Years Day, I sent DS out with DH to watch the Rose Bowl at my BIL house. I had several kid free hours to dig in and I stayed up late and finished the playroom. I had good idea of where I wanted everything. I had taken and printed out the pictures for the labels before hand. On Sunday, I redid DS's room while he played downstairs.

I even pasted picture labels on some of the spots on the shelves where the toys are supposed to go in the closet. That is how DS's daycare is set up and the kids can clean up with out any problems there. So, that is what I was going for. DS is still getting used to where everything is, but he seems happy!

[KrisM]

Wow, that looks awesome! I wish my house looked so good!

How much did you get rid of? What is your plan when you have 2 kids who aren't the same age? I find that even limiting each kid to a handful of toys, that multiplying it by 3 is still crazy. Plus, 2 boys 4 years apart and a girl in the middle, just adds to the numbers. I'm getting better at NOT keeping everything from DS1 for DS2. And, the baby stuff is gone. I think I need to read that book!

[Kaylee31]

Wow, it looks great! It looks very organized, and functional. I love the pic labels on the bins, that's a good idea. What kind of train table is that? I've been looking for one w/drawers.

[wimama]

Wow, it looks great! It looks very organized, and functional. I love the pic labels on the bins, that's a good idea. What kind of train table is that? I've been looking for one w/drawers.

That is a Pottery Barn Kids train table. My parents bought it for my DS for Christmas when he was 18 months old. They insisted in buying the drawers with it. The wood is kind of banged up, but it still looks pretty good. Our old house was very small and DS toy are was 1/2 of the dinning room. We went with the PBK train table because it looked nice in the dining room. Those bins used to house most of DS's toys when he was little.


Wow, that looks awesome! I wish my house looked so good!

How much did you get rid of? What is your plan when you have 2 kids who aren't the same age? I find that even limiting each kid to a handful of toys, that multiplying it by 3 is still crazy. Plus, 2 boys 4 years apart and a girl in the middle, just adds to the numbers. I'm getting better at NOT keeping everything from DS1 for DS2. And, the baby stuff is gone. I think I need to read that book!

Lets see some things I am saving for the next baby. Others I am taking to the consignment shop or donating. We got rid of Rocky the Dump Truck, Yo Gabba Gabba guitar, Elmo computer, random cars, Imaginext pirate ship, a little keyboard that didn't work well, messy not very functional cardboard puzzles, other small puzzles and some of his figures and matchbox & hot wheels cars, LeapFrog Clickstart (he got an Explorer for Christmas), some stuffed animals, some babyish books, colorforms and other random toys.

I have a Diego Rescue center set and Imaginext dinosaurs that we will rotate in when we rotate out the Imaginext Space shuttle. I also kept a big Toy Story Rex and RC and am storing those in the store room to rotate into rotation on occasion. Rex is really big and RC would likely suffer an injury on a play date. RC is really meant for older kids, like DH who insisted we needed RC. I took away about 70 Toy Story Army guys, because DS always dumped them all. I gave him a Container Store assessory sized container filled with 30 army guys instead. (He had a ton of army guys because he had an original container of army guys and then bought another to use as birthday party favors.) I got so tired of picking those things up.

I have thought about the toy situation with the baby, but I am not going to worry too much yet. My DS will be 5 1/2 by the time the baby is born. I figure I have about a year and a half before I have to worry about having a mobile baby. When DS was little his toys were all stored in his room with just a few kept in the living room at our old house. I figure we will do the same thing for this baby on the way. Keep all the baby's toys in the nursery or in the family room near the kitchen. The pictures I posted are of our basement playroom/rec room area. It is very far away from the kitchen and main living area of the house. I figure we will need to keep the baby and baby's toys closer to the main living area until the baby is at least 18 -24 moths old or so, to keep an eye on the baby. I figure by that time my DS is 7 years old and he will probably mostly be into Legos, Playmobil and video games. He is already gravitating to Playmobil and Legos at 4 1/2. I also figure I can lock off access to the playroom closet if I need to or move all the potential toy hazards to DS room. He has a pretty big room, so we have space to move more up into his room.

I am already training him to keep all Playmobil and Legos in his room and to keep them of the floor. So, we will hopefully not have to worry about little Legos and Playmobil bits everywhere. That is the main reason those toys are in his room. The baby will not be allowed in DS room unless we are there with him/her. Eventually I figure the baby will overtake most of the playroom with the exception of family games, puzzles and video games.

[RunnerDuck]

LOVE the LT kitchen set up and the old school sit and spin!!! The new sit and spins are awful. (And it all looks great!)

[wimama]

LOVE the LT kitchen set up and the old school sit and spin!!! The new sit and spins are awful. (And it all looks great!)

I totally agree with you on the new sit and spins. I tried out two side by side at the consignment store. The older ones spin much, much faster. Old school ones sit and spins rock!

[KrisM]

Great plans for the baby. We have doors on our playroom and Legos, etc where in there and DS2 was not allowed in until the summer at age 2.

[clc053103]

Great work!!!!! I read this book last week as well and simplified our play room. I was still thinking I kept too much, but it really seems in line with what you have. I am debating putting the kitchen on craigs list b/c DS doesn't play with it. but his guests often do.

Like you, I am now really trying to spread the simplification through the entire house. My closet is up next!;-)

[wimama]

I also thought maybe we kept too much. I do think he may age out of some of the things soon. He doesn't really play with Thomas and the play kitchen/food too often any more. I kind of more changed the types of toys more than greatly reducing the number. That is why I added the art, fort and music supplies down there.

[wimama]

DH just dropped off DS at school today. His teacher pulled my DH aside and told DH that she asked all the kids in the class what their New Years Resolutions were. Guess what DS resolution was-

To keep his toys organized!:love-retry:

He told his teacher his mommy reorganized his toys and he had to keep them that way.:bighand:

He isn't really complaining at clean up time. He still takes his sweet time cleaning up. But, that is progress none the less.