One of the questions I get asked a lot is “where are all of your toys?!” Maybe you’ve been thinking it.
Sometimes I shove stuff out of the picture (all bloggers do), but for the most part, we have the toy situation figured out. Toy storage, organization, decluttering, decrapifying, simplifying, it can all be tricky.
But once you figure out what works in your home and for your family, you can get the mess manageable and keep the toys from taking over.
About Us
Maybe you want a little bit of a background before I start.
Our home has 1200 square feet, plus an unfinished basement and an unfinished upstairs/attic. (Here’s a home tour and a floor plan.) We have two bedrooms, 1 bath, and six people living here (yes, we are crazy). Our kids are 4.5, 3.5, 2, and 5 months old.
And let me throw in a disclaimer that this is what works for us. It might not work for you, it might not work for us in another year or five. But I’m willing to change things up and amend what we do to best fit our family.
Basement Toy Storage
This is the key factor that keeps toys organized in our home. Let me say that again but louder. THIS IS A KEY FACTOR THAT KEEPS TOYS ORGANIZED IN OUR HOME. 😉
We have a large storage shelf in the basement that my husband built. It was fairly easy to build, inexpensive, and took one day to put together. Here is a post on how to build a basement storage shelf. It’s pretty basic, but is sturdy and gets the job done!
Each type of toy is in a different bin. Larger sets are in larger bins, small sets are in smaller bins (from Walmart, Target has similar ones). Long toys such as our puppet show theater and roll-out car rug are stored behind the small bins. The price of bins can add up quickly, so I saved money by buying a few bins at a time over the years.
I found the blue bins at Goodwill for $1.99 each because they were missing the tops. This worked out as a blessing in disguise, because with no tops there’s no cramming to get the lid shut. 🙂
Puzzles and Board Games
I have a storage shelf that keeps both the puzzles and board games up high and we take them down one at a time. I bought most of them second hand so I don’t feel bad about pitching a game if it loses pieces. Jigsaw puzzles are in big, labeled ziploc baggies in a small, clear bin on the toy storage (see above).
Upstairs Toy Storage
The other key to keeping the toy situation under control is that there aren’t many toys on our main floor.
We have a few toys that are always in the family room. Two basket-boxes, an old penguin bucket that was mine as a kid, and whatever humongous baby toy thing my youngest is using at the time. Last month it was the swing, this month it is the bouncer. 🙂
The Duplo Legos and blocks get played with daily and the random toy box is filled with some of their favorites that don’t belong to a set. A big Thomas the Tank Engine, some cars, dinosaurs, little figurines, etc.
We don’t have many toys in the kids’ room.
This started when we were transitioning my now 4.5 year old into a toddler bed. I took everything out so she wouldn’t play instead of sleep and it kinda stuck. The kids have stuffed animals in their beds and a bookshelf (more on that below), but other than that, no toys are stored in there. Sometimes toys hang out in here but they’re not stored in here. Now that we have three kids in a room there really isn’t any ROOM for toys in there, haha.
Electronics
Grandma and grandpa gave the three older kids each a Leappad 2 for Christmas. The Leappads, cartridges, and cords go in a big basket on top of the fridge and they can ask me when they want to use them. This helps to limit screen time, sneakiness, and losing the accessories.
I also keep my dSLR camera up there because I’m prone to forgetting where I put it. 😉 If we had a tablet, that would go up here too. The laptop is “stored” under the couch.
DVDs are stored in the entertainment center. I’ve limited the DVDs to ones that aren’t online. We watch most of our kid shows streaming on Netflix or Hulu and borrow from the library. You can also read about how we ditched cable here.
Stuffed Animals
Stuffed animals stay in the kids’ beds. They can come out and play during the day, but when it’s time for bed, they go to bed too.
I will say this: stuffed animals used to annoy me. I saw how much fun my kids had with them and changed my mind. So we have what feels like a ton of stuffed animals and my kids have a blast. Okay, they’re cute, but in moderation. 😉
Books
We have a bookshelf in the family room. (Also note the diapers and homemade baby wipes in the green basket.)
and a bookshelf in the kids room (read more about the built-in book rack here)
Guys, books are so tough. They’re good to have and good for your kids but they can get out of control. I try to go through them regularly and buy most at Goodwill or garage sales. We have some sentimental ones and favorites, but if I buy them cheap, I don’t feel as bad about donating them for another family to enjoy. We also borrow from our library.
If you do have a sentimental book that gets damaged, make it into some artwork! I’ve made Very Hungry Caterpillar Art and Golden Storybook Art.
Art Supplies
I’m always making something which leads to my kids wanting to make stuff too. We keep paint, paper, crayons, brushes, and all of their stuff in a drawer in the hallway built-in closet. Much of my craft stuff is in the top drawer, their stuff is in the middle, and the bottom drawer is fabric.
The stuff in the drawers are more “shoved” than “organized”, but it works. The art supplies have a designated place and they’re out of sight when not in use.
Baby Stuff
Ohhhh, baby stuff. This could be a post on it’s own. You have to figure out what works for you, but here’s what works for us.
Small baby toys go in a basket in the family room so they are easy to find. One baby carrier stays in the car, the other stays in my closet. I have two baskets for diapers and wipes: one in the family room and one in my room (in my opinion, you don’t need a changing table). Extra cases of diapers are stored on a shelf in the basement.
Big baby things (BBTs) are unavoidable. Some of our BBTs are a Pack and Play, crib, swing, a jumperoo, a Bumbo, a table for them to stand and play, toys to push when learning to walk. I know I’m forgetting some. When we are not using them, the BBT goes in the attic, basement, or to a close family member to borrow (even better!). If I can help a friend or family member by letting them use my BBT, then yay! I will!
If it gets broken, no big deal, I’ll find one at a garage sale if I want another one.
While we are talking about lending baby stuff, I feel like I need to add this in (even though it hasn’t happened to us). If you want something back, let them know. But know that things happen and it might get spit up on or damaged. If you see things as replaceable, it’s okay. If you want it returned in pristine condition, DON’T LEND IT OUT. That’s okay too! If they ask, kindly decline, or mention that you’ll help them find one secondhand.
Doing the Toy Rotation
For us, the basement storage system is enough to establish a rotation of toys. We have all of the bins down there, they get one at a time (more if friends are over or I’m feeling generous), they pick them up, and then pick a new one. They can bring a bin upstairs, but the toys get put back in the bin at the end of the day. Stuff happens and gets crazy and cars and trains might stay upstairs if we really like em. A bin may stay upstairs for a week or more if they’re really into that toy.
That’s fine.
They’re toys, they’re meant to be played with.
Lately we’ve been keeping the basement clean and they prefer playing down there since there is more room to spread out. Cool, as long as we stick to the one bin at a time thing. If they want a new toy, I ask that they come get me, we clean up, and get a new one.
Don’t Go Crazy
I’ve been guilty of ALL of these at one time or another. Going crazy includes:
-buying too much “stuff”
-buying too much little dollar store crap
-buying lots and lots of toys at garage sales because “hey! they’re cheap! and it’s Melissa and Doug!”
-getting too attached to… everything.
-holding onto toys that the kids don’t care about (for sentimental reasons)
-not letting them help you sort and get rid of stuff (aka giving toys to another kid)
-spending too much on a toy and then feeling bad about getting rid of it
-thinking that it’s going to stay clean forever.
It won’t stay clean. You’re going to go crazy at some point.
You are going to have to continually sort and re-sort and re-evaluate and maybe buy more bins.
But they’re toys. They’re meant to be played with. You have a home with kids, do your best but make it a fun place. 🙂
Did I miss anything?
Do you have a great toy organization method I need to know about? Any questions for me? I’ll meet you in the comments section!
As always, if this post helps you out, I’d love it if you shared on Instagram and tagged me. I’m @whbsblog. 🙂 Thanks!
Diana Gamra says
A great article although I wish this sort of advice was around when my kids were little. My children are in their 20’s and I still have a whole wardrobe filled with toys that I can’t part with. The obvious trashy fads are long gone but I’m hoping that any grandchildren that come along may enjoy playing with the toys that their parent once played with. I’d like to get rid of a few but am really stuck with what to let go. I often open the cupboard, sigh and then close it. Help!
Leanne says
Thanks so much for your wonderful post! We also have bigger items like a tool bench or a food truck that won’t remit into a shelf neither can it be easily disassembled, do you have any thoughts on how to put that part of the “rotation”?
Eli says
I can’t wait to have a house! We currently have 3 kids in a 2 bedroom apartment. Have you ever thought about putting the stuffed animals in a hammock? That’s where ours are kept in the kids room. Before that there wasn’t enough room for them on their bed with all their snuggly company. Now they’re each allowed one in bed and the rest in the hammock at night.
Gina says
Hello,
I just found this article and LOVE the stacked storage baskets with lids!! But I cannot seem to find similar ones online. Would you mind sharing where you got them, please? Or what brand they are so I can try to look for them ob Amazon, etc. Many thanks!!
Ann Marie Heasley says
Hi Gina! The baskets we have were found secondhand, from Crate and Barrel. It looks like they discontinued them, but I found these similar ones on their site: http://bit.ly/2lHOtXR.
I tried doing a search on amazon and couldn’t find anything similar.
Renee says
Finally. A more realistic amount of toys in an organizational post! I have four kids as well (13,10,5,3) and I just can’t deal with how many toys we own. I’m trying to purge and reorganize a small space in the basement for toys. I need to create some storage space for rotational toys! Thanks for the inspiration.
Elisabeth says
The basement storage rotation idea is great. And my husband is already looking forward to building the shelf…..
We have 4 boys (age 9, 4, and twins, both 2) and my struggle is that they all want to play with different toys, yet the twins tend to mess up (and mix up) their older brothers’ creations (lego and wood train) and then everything is one big pile of mixed toys. Our twins are also incredibly mobile and inventive and have no trouble reaching high shelves (they push a bar chair and then a box, and climb from one onto the next…and voila). So, even high-shelves are not save from them and they pull out my books, and empty the bathroom storage, and the food storage, empty my closet and the kids’ closet …… I could put locks on all doors and closets, etc, but am not keen to do that. Did you ever face this problem with your boys? How did you manage it? (my older boys kept to their toys, so we did not have the problem before). At the moment, I am just hoping this problem will solve itself once they turn 3.
Maria says
Great tips this is a big help for me. Thanks you so much for sharing.
rebecca says
Thanks for your post. I really struggle with organization so I appreciate your help on this. While I like the idea of separating different toys into different bins, there is one thing that holds me back from choosing this type of organization: what type of magic happens when different toys from different categories get played with simultaneously? I don’t want to hamper creativity. Do you have any thoughts on this?
Thanks!
Leslie Preston says
I just found this site, too. I’m decluttering my house and happy to be part of the 40-day challenge. Most important, though, I’m happy to see how to organize children’s toys. I have two young grandsons, and their mother/father need as many tips as possible. I really like the wooden shelves in the basement. She could have some in her garage. I’m hoping she’ll join this group, too, but at least I can be reading up. This is great! Thanks so much!
Jennifer says
I have 4 kids in two bedroom house too. But no basement or attic. My kids are 4. 6. 8. 10 so yes there’s toys in every room of the house and it’s driving me crazy. I like your ideas. Might have to build something in the garage to store toys.
Thank you
rebecca says
Great post! We use a lot of the same ideas and methods as you do. The first time of heard of toy rotation and storing toy units in bins ( I think we only had 4 kids then) I thought it was brilliant!! I still do 🙂
Now we have 7 kids and although I have made some minor adjustments I still do very similar things as you mentioned with only 2 small bins of toys that “live” on the main floor.
Sanity savers!!!
Nancy Venezia says
I live in Massachusetts & we have a Facebook network that is individual city online “yard sales”. When grandchildren out grow items, I sell them or give them away on a “Pay it Forward” site. If I need to bring in new things, I buy stuff through the local sites at reasonable prices. I have seven grandchildren..all different ages…so I have lots of toys! I too have cubby with baskets to keep them organized by category. Baskets on top for older kids so they are out of reach for younger kids. Love the shelf in your basement. Thinking Papa can build one in garage for me! Also, we donate to local shelter for victims of domestic violence every few months. Sometimes Mom & kids leave situations with very few belongings & they appreciate some toys.
Jessi says
OK…call me crazy or maybe naive but i have never done toy rotation! I always fret over all these toys literally everywhere and never thought to rotate them through the basement system…I’m sitting here innutter shock contemplating how I can execute this plan. My kids are 5 and 2. we have a 3 bedroom house with a living room, kitchen, 1 bath and a laundry room. I better get off here and get to work!
Sheli says
i loved this post.I am a mom of five grown children,23-36. We are adopting our foster daughter on 1-11-16 who is now 20 months but we have had her since birth. I used a similar toy storage method when our adult children were all small. I loved keeping things organized because it kept me sane. New mommies have the added challenge of electronics,not even in my radar when my kids were small.
It’s been difficult with our little addition to not buy everything…finally we have both time and money. Thankfully my “old” frugal/organizer self wins most times. Thank you for this wonderful reminder of how amazing limits can be!
Amanda says
The one main point I took from this post was, also as a Mom of four, (plus a stepson on the weekends) was “Oh, good, I am not the only one who stores the laptop under the couch! SAFEST spot! 🙂
Ann Marie Heasley says
NOT THE ONLY ONE! 🙂 also, under the bed.
Kimberly says
We have 1000 square foot house, plus unfinished basement as well. Only 2 kids though. But white house and black shutters and very similar toy system. We put this flooring in our basement and I feel like we have even more house now. It is soft and cushy like an anti-fatigue mat and it insulates against a cool basement floor really well. We enjoy going down there now. My only complaint is that my cats have used their claws on it and scratched it up a bit, but even so, I still love it! Thanks for sharing your great tips! http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003R2LFEI/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B003R2LFEI&linkCode=as2&tag=frugalplaygr-20&linkId=CGIZPJ5CKMYUWGX
Angela says
This is actually the same thing I do, which is encouraging. 🙂 i have one different problem, which is due to divorce in our extended families our kids have 7 Christmases…. and a nightmare amount of toys coming in all at once. But after a day or two of me flipping out trying to figure out what buckets everything goes in, it all works out again. This year we’ve had so much that I now have a shelf in the basement of new games and books that need to be used and evaluated before they make it to the “official” shelves. 😛
Anne Perkins says
I love your post. How to Keep the Toys from Taking Over LOL I have two children and a dog. It is a disaster. I am going to follow some of your advices. Thank you very much for sharing them. Best regards!
Sarah says
Thank you!! i have four kids also-6, 4, 21months and 5 months. We have a smallish rambler and every time I nurse our little one lately I’m brainstorming on how to de-clutter and organize! If only there were more time! I was just pondering taking the toys out of their rooms and how much should actually be in the living room vs stored away. I’ve read the book “Simplicity Parenting” and love the concepts. Thanks again, I’m going to strip their rooms of toys and pare down the ones in the living room!
Jayme Pierce says
Are we twins? I am also a mommy of 4, same ages as yours 🙂 I decided to redo our toys today and your ideas were perfect! Excited to follow your blog. If you go to mine, don’t judge lol. I still have pictures from before our last baby :/
Martha says
hi I really like about the toys I have 3 childrens and I will have another baby my kids are 4, 2 , and 1 year old and I’m looking stuff like this that helps others mom’s that have many childrens like u and me, unfortunately I do not have opportunity to like in a house like u I live in a mobile home I do not have to much space so if u can please help me with this situation putting stuff like this, thank u ?
Christina says
ive been going crazy at home with toys everywhere and haven’t figured a way to maintain the overflow. I’m going to try your way. Seems to work for u so hopefully me too. But I know I’m gonna have to put my foot down at times like when they want 3 different tubs down, I’ll have to limit it to 1. Thanks for the tip chicka
Michelle Lubbers says
Finally, the real truth about how many toys one may have. I cannot part with the wooden blocks, the legos (big or small) waffle blocks, hot wheels, train sets…all the timeless classic toys. My basement is in a terrible place filled with bits and pieces. Thank you for sharing this so I can take a step forward and organize what I have and not feel like I have to purge half of it. My kids are 7, 4.5 and 2 so we have lots of playing (and repeat cleaning up to do!) still coming our way.
Martha says
Just found your site, and I must say it’s really refreshing to find a declutter/decrappifier (love that term!) that has kids! And lots of them! I thought, she must be Catholic (esp. with combining with lent!), and then on your kids’ bookshelves, I saw The Mass for Children. Awesomeness. I’m a Catholic and have 8 kids, and I so appreciate that you’re in similar circumstances, and can still manage a simple life. Gives me hope, as most of my clutter issues are child and homeschool related (can’t seem to get rid of much, as someone is going to need it!).
Thanks for your inspiration, Ann Marie! 🙂
Jennifer says
Will you please tell me what’s on the big bins’ labels (besides “Little People” and “Trains”)? I need to do something like this, but I don’t want a massive amount of small bins, and wondered if you combined items, and if so, what categories you used. Thank you for sharing!
Ann Marie Heasley says
Absolutely! Let’s see. As far as the big blue bins go: little people (old), little people (new), trains, lincoln logs, Mr. Potato Head, dress up, doll house, play food, Playmobil. The slightly smaller, clear ones are “Daniel Tiger”, cars, Dinosaurs and Animals. The small small ones are board games like “Don’t Break the Ice”, play doh, play doh accessoriess, music toys, and one with bags of wooden puzzles.
I’ve since decluttered some of those sets and added new big bins. The new ones not included up in this post are duplo legos, farm toys (Melissa and Doug barn, then all of the dinosaurs and animals from the old smaller bins), roller blades and helmets, and a larger bin for all of the cars (matchbox, bigger Cars movie ones, huge push around ones). I’ve also reused some of the clear bins for art supplies upstairs, for lego sets, etc. This really sounds like a ton of toys but I assure you that we are decluttering as the kids grow or play with something less! 🙂
OH!!! And I separate the “guys” into one smaller clear bin. My kids like to play with people and animals, so in there I put everything from little frozen figures, the daniel tiger guys, My little ponies, dollar store spidermans, lego guys, etc. I think we might even have a guys bin here in the basement and one in the kids’ room since they play with them so often.
Bet you weren’t expecting such a novel. 😉 Hope that helps! If you have any other questions, please let me know and I’d be more than happy to help.
Nicole says
I see we have the same taste in the “vintage” Fisher Price sets 🙂 I bought a number of them on ebay when my son was younger and they are such a hit with any kid who plays with them. Thanks for the tips!
Leslie says
I am a grandmother who has 3 grandchildren and 1 more on the way! They all live within a 30 minute drive. I’m a retired teacher and have LOTS of school things (books, worksheets, arts/crafts projects etc.) and guilty of buying too many toys for the kids. I have used the “one crate” idea for about 2 years now…except, mine are labeled with the kids’ names. So, I only have 4 right now with one being baby things for the new baby. I also have a crate that is mine and labeled “Ya Ya” for the Toy Story collection and others that were expensive and need to last for several years. My grandkids got to choose what goes in their crates with the condition that the lid will close. This really works for me and there is no arguing over “that’s mine”!! I love your crate holders in your basement…great idea!!!
Ann Marie Heasley says
Leslie, that’s a brilliant idea! Maybe we can implement something for upstairs bedrooms. 🙂 I know they like having some treasures up there, but then other things migrate up from the basement toy area and it becomes too much for even them to clean up. Thanks for sharing!! 🙂
Stephanie says
Thanks for the ideas. I have four children and we have the playroom that looks like a bomb went off! I have finally had enough and I am going to store all the toys in clear bins in the unfinished part and if they want to play with a toy they can “check it out” from the collection. They have to give me a dollar when they want it and once they are finished cleaning it up and putting it all away they will get there money back. Now to figure out the Lego situation with my 12 year old!!!!
Danielle says
Ugh! You have no idea how much this post calmed my heart! I live in 900 sq ft with 1 almost 2 year old. Everyone keeps giving him toys because he is the only boy in the family. I am sitting in a pile of toys in my living room. Can’t handle it. Thanks for the great suggestions and piece of mind that it can be managed.
Mary says
I’m so happy I found this post! I have 4 kids also and the toy clutter has gotten to the point where I just didn’t know what to do or where to start! We also have a basement and garage (not conveniently placed to the current driveway so it’s only used for storage) so your tips and methods will work perfectly at my house also! I’m really excited about getting started and getting this clutter under control now! Thank you so much for sharing your methods for organizing toy chaos!
Melissa says
Where do your bins in your living room come from? I need some decorative with lids.
Megan says
Love all these solutions! I am in reorganizing mode after Christmas and this is helpful! I also love to see your old Fisher Price Little People toys…they’re my favorite in the whole world and they take up most of our playroom 🙂
sylvia says
On Lending: I was told once that if you Know you will want it back take a picture of the thing and who you’ve let borrow the thing (with date stamp). that way you don’t forget who/where it has gone.
MomOf3 says
Thanks for your great ideas! I’m wondering how you or the kids decide which bin to bring upstairs. Do all the kids have to agree on the same bin? Or do the kids rotate who gets to choose? Thanks!
Ann Marie Heasley says
Right now they are still little, so a simple “hey, how about the legos?” from me usually does the trick. We do have a few toys on the main floor that are always out, so if they disagree I ask that someone goes to the kitchen table to draw or the other to play with blocks in the next room, and say we’ll bring the trains or whatever up next time.
Rotating the decision is a good idea! I might have to try that one. 🙂
Momof3 says
Thanks! I have a 7yo girl and 3 and 1yo boys, so I can definitely see them not agreeing on bins. I love your idea and will be tweaking it to make it work for us! Happy holidays!
Jessica says
We are getting ready to welcome our 2nd child and also live in a two bedroom, 1.5 bath place. I am about to wrap up the arduous process of decluttering our home and garage before #2 is here. I have to say, I envy the extra storage space of your basement 😉 But, I love the way you presented what I call a toy library! And, your post is encouragement to me that we really can make it work with our Littles sharing a room. Also, I’m totally with you on the no need for a changing table. Basically, thanks for the affirming post! 🙂
Addie says
Love it! I too, am I’m favor of bins. I buy a couple at a time. I’ve learned that some of our “collectible toys” (ie trains…well, yeah, all our train sets – wooden, plastic, geo trax, die-cast – we are really into trains) have outgrown their smaller bins. This year we will be graduating to the big bins and they will be stored downstairs as well. I try to do 1 set at a time, since it gets messy fast. But they’re stored in the kiddos room (seriously great room for storage! Closets galore) but the kids take advantage and pull everything out. Which I think means we should reevaluate our situation a little better ???? thanks for the tips!
J says
Love your article. Just curious, where did you find your wicker baskets with lids? Sorry if someone has already asked this.
Jovana Feli says
Living in a two bedroom apartment I don’t have much of that garage, basement, or attic space. However, I do try to use all the empty space I have. I usually store some of my BBTs under the crib like bouncing chair, baby bathtub full of outgrown baby clothes, toys, bottles, and other newborn items (we plan to have another munchkin). I also use all my traveling cases to store “stuff”, closet: you will not find free space in my closets lol. Under the vanity, no chemicals but everything else that should go in a hallway closet so that I can use that closet for arts supplies, small storage containers with Little People, pretend food, alphabet letters, baking sheets, etc… I love your clipboards and I am so going to copy that. I love to display my A artwork.
Julie Roberts says
Love this post. We also have 4 kids, but only one of them is really toy age. They are 16, 14, 11 and 2. I looked thru the post but didn’t see if you had posted where you bought your lidded baskets. I think those are a fantastic idea!
Thank you!
Leigh Gutzwiller says
Rereading this post was on my to-do list today after too many hours spent cleaning up tiny toys. I felt my stress melting away as I looked on all your lovely bins, haha. Making my own plans now! As always, love your approach to simple, organized living while making it a priority to let little ones play and be little. Thank you!!
Jenny says
Thank you so much for this great post. I am a SAHM of three little ones (1yr old, 2yr old, and 4 yr old), soon to be four in March, and the tons of toys are driving me wild. We are soon moving to a new home too, so I really wanted to have a plan, so I’m going to definitely use this. Thanks a bunch 😉
-Jenny
Wendy says
It was great to read your article about toy storage. We have done a lot of the same things over the years. We stored books in plastic bins (no lid) or in decorative baskets. The kids could reach them (floor or low shelf) and put them back with minimal (if any) help. As they got older, and more coordinated at re shelving, book shelves worked. (:
Tracey Moon says
My best tip – borrow from a toy library. The kids can have new toys to play with every week, and you don’t have to find a place to permanently store them!
Sarah says
You have great ideas! Often when I read posts like this I’ll love the concept, but then I read that the person has a huge house and only one or two kiddos (no offense to awesome folks like this) and I realize that I couldn’t implement such ideas. But you…you *get* it – large family, less-than-huge house. My kids are 9, 7, and 4 (twins), and we have 3 bedrooms, but your house looks a bazillion times cleaner and cuter than ours! I’ll have to take a peek around the blog so maybe some of your fantastic will rub off on me. 🙂
Ann Marie Heasley says
Reading this made me smile, thank you Sarah! It definitely took some time to get it this way, and we’re going to moving soon, aka going to be living in not cute unorganized chaos for a while, hahaha! But it’s definitely possible. I am NOT NOT NOT an organized person. In fact, I am quite the opposite. 😉 But I feel so much more calm (and less overwhelmed) when we decided to have less stuff and have specific places for that stuff.
You can do it! 😀
Clari says
I’m so glad I found this page! This was exactly what I needed to read, not just the organization aspect but the loaning of baby things (recently got back a bumbo that was not treated well at all and was pretty irritated) and the buying of way too much stuff, expectations of clean…. everything thanks for helping me see an alternative to feeling guilty about lending/not lending stuff, sharing wisdom, and well just your entire post!!!!
Aunita Tyler says
Hi, I am a Grandma and have 7 grandkids. Only 2 ( 7 year old grandson and 5 year old granddaughter) spend a lot of time here but Wow can they mess up a house quickly.
I really love your idea’s of organizing and controlling how much they take out at a time.
I also have an Art studio which they Love to be in and create things, and they have their own shelves with their things in the studio, but I need more idea’s of how to store the stuff they make, so this really helps. I’m going to send this site to my daughter and daughter in law also, I think they will appreciate all the creative idea’s. 🙂
Thanks a Bunch,
Aunita
Haley says
I have four kids also- 4 (almost 5), 3, 2, & 5 months. Can we be best friends? haha I seriously lack talent in the organizational area. You make it look so easy! Thank you for this.
Racheal says
Thank you for sharing this! I love your system!! I am a working mom of 5 kids ages 13, 10, 6, 4 & 8 mos. I am type A, and it drives me CRAZY when the kids don’t put the toys back in the bins that they came from!!! I take hours sorting through toys and matching up the things that go together, only to have the kids mix them all up again. UGH!! This would save me from so much stress! Love your blog! We have acquired soooo much crap over the years and you have inspired me to cut the clutter:)
Jennifer says
Love the ideas and pictures! We have no “out of the way” space to store things. But I bought a 6 cube shelf with pullout square baskets and sorted toys into that ( dress up, kitchen, little people, blocks) Here’s my dilemma/question: my 5 yo daughter is at an age/ personality where she always wants something from every basket. i.e. she builds a house with blocks and fills it with little people who then needs plastic food and little cloth scraps as blankets and on and on and on. Then (understandably) at clean up time she announces it is too hard to put it all back, whine, whine. I love the creativity, but…sigh. Anyone have any thoughts??
Kristen says
Can you just have unsorted bins? As long as they go into the cubby and you can’t see the chaos I think it would work! Maybe later she will feel like sorting.
Sheila. Bright says
Loved this article. I am a also a basket/ bin user. I also use bookshelves with baskets for toys. We are a family of 8 ( 6 kids 12,9,8,6,5,3) 1 bath little over 1000sqft home. Always looking for more ideas. We are renovating this summer so we will hopefully get another bathroom (4 girls) and hopefully gain use of basement.
Theresa says
These are fantastic ideas. I have never been good at organizing, and I am even worse at getting rid of anything, but I am trying! It’s so not my skill set right now, so your website and tips and especially photos are extremely helpful.
Finally the decluttering bug has bitten me 🙂 My quandary now is how to help my children get on board with the idea of passing some things on. I have two daughters, 4.5 and 2, and they have memories like a steel trap! They usually know when something goes missing and almost always remember who gave it to them and for what memorable occasion. There are so so many little toys, big toys, books, beloved stuffed animals … We’ve talked about sharing with other kids who don’t have toys, and that helps some, but I would LOVE some practicals on going from being overrun with toys to helping your kiddos be okay saying goodbye to things. Help!
Diane says
Hi- about play dates and the mess they invariably lead to. I make sure that the final 5 minutes of their time together is “leave no trace” time. We are a scouting family and I love the Leave no Trace idea: “Leaving the Place Cleaner than How You Found it” is even better. The boys may not like it, but I explain to my son that if he and his friends don’t put things away when they are done, he will have to do it by himself after his friend leaves. That usually does the trick.
Jennifer Campbell says
Thank you SO much for this post! I have been banging my head against the wall wondering what to do with ALL THE TOYS!! Obviously a lot of it just needs to go, but we have so many “sets” I didn’t really know how to handle: the Legos, wooden train, Lincoln logs, etc. I feel like I can tackle it now! 🙂
Monica says
Great ideas. One thing that we do with the baskets/bins, etc. is when one is overflowing we dump it out, then fill it with each child picking one toy at at time to keep. When it is full the rest is given away. This has really kept my children stay excited about sharing with others and helps us keep only their favorites. We still have too many toys but we deal with that day by day to decide what to get rid of or keep.
Kelly says
Just found your blog. I am so going to try out the idea of having the toys in the basement, and rotate the bins. I think you may have just solved a big part of our problem! (smalle house, 1 bathroom, unfinished basement, no play room)
Then, will be checking out your other posts soon!
Cori @ Let's Eat Grandpa says
I loved this! We are planning on starting a family in the next year, and people keep asking when we’re going to move into a bigger house (we have 1,200 sq ft with no basement). But we keep thinking WHY? There should be enough room in this three-bedroom, two-bath house for our family for at least a few years. Maybe when they are teenagers we’ll have to see, but we don’t want to move because we have too much stuff. Thanks for the inspiration that it’s possible to live in a smaller house with kids!
Pam says
We live in 1400 sf with no basement. There are 5 of us, a 100 lb dog and a lizard. It works and I love this little house. It keeps us close, it makes me be more purposeful and it’s less expensive. We live in Seattle so there are many people in small houses with kids sharing rooms and such. I suppose that makes it easier, but I think there really is something to living in a smaller space that is good for the soul. My advice – you have to reconfigure. The laundry room or bedroom or desk area may have to change arrangement even though you just changed it two years ago. I don’t know that people in bigger houses face this as much. Buy the storage that fits the area and purpose in the things that are likely to stay for awhile. Above the fridge – max the storage, in the office supply closet, max the storage with specifics. In the other spaces we have storage standards. This is like software standards at companies (I know I worked in technology). I bought many of the same 2 types of bins. They work in several spots and their lids are interchangeable. Go with a brand that will be around for a while and then you only have a year or two before they change it on you. This has been a great thing! Good luck living small!
Jody says
Love this post! I could have written many parts of it, especially all these you listed
“buying too much “stuff”
-buying too much little dollar store crap
-buying lots and lots of toys at garage sales because “hey! they’re cheap! and it’s Melissa and Doug!”
-getting too attached to… everything.
-holding onto toys that the kids don’t care about (for sentimental reasons)
-not letting them help you sort and get rid of stuff (aka giving toys to another kid)
-spending too much on a toy and then feeling bad about getting rid of it
-thinking that it’s going to stay clean forever.
Loni says
Hi AM,
Just a couple questions for you: where do you store your computer accessories, like a printer, etc.? Also, is your basement cold? Do you use a portable heater? My basement is soooo cold & makes it impossible to use the space during the winter months. Also, where do you store your holiday decorations? Any tips for keeping that stuff under control & not getting too much of it? Do you save back baby clothes? And how do you store your sentimental stuff for the kids? Drawings, artwork, little keepsakes, etc. Thanks so much!!!!
Kira says
I was wondering about holiday decorations too! And I’d love to find a creative solution for hiding the printer but keeping it accessible.
Meredith from Penelope Loves Lists says
Man, I ate this post up with a spoon. All those containers! As a mom of a 2 yo, I feel like our sanity is held together by plastic bins at this point.
I can not believe you do this well in 1200 sq feet. You deserve MAJOR organizing street cred.
(Just found your blog via Pinterest and am loving it. Digging into the archives now.)
Patty-Jo says
Love your ideas, use many myself. Just wanted to add one helpful tip, since your kids are still pretty small. Next to the label I attach a picture. I take a picture of the contents of the bin laying on the floor. I use a self laminator sheet, and attach it —I use velcro tabs so the pictures are removeable and the bins can grow and adapt with us. This way the younger ones can put away/organize as well as the older ones who can read.
I have a sister who is big on presents, and everytime she takes them out, they come home with lots of $ store “stuff”. I just use that as a learning experience. Every few months we “clean out”. I’ll set out a pile of maybe 10-20 items (junk), and tell her she must pick only 5 to keep. Usually it works, but I can tell if it’s too much pressure at that time, and wait and try again at another time. And it doesn’t bother me what they choose to throw away, because it’s all “junk” this way, and helps them to develop habits for the future.
I also didn’t bother with a changing table, and used the basket idea for the diapers. One upstairs in the bedrooms, and one down on the main floor in the family room. Stylish, and no one knew what was inside.
Ann Marie Heasley says
You have so many great ideas, thank you! I really like the idea of letting them pick what to keep/toss.
I am in the process of making the labels, but did not think to do Velcro or laminated ones. I will definitely do that!
Susan says
I also use labels to help my 3 & 5 yo boys be responsible for putting their toys away – I have six small baskets on a shoe rack (all from Walmart http://www.walmart.com/ip/Canopy-Handwoven-Small-Tapered-Storage-Basket/15689266 and similar to this though mine has four flat shelves http://www.walmart.com/ip/Lexington-Shoe-Shelf-3-Tier/10975458). These baskets store small stuff like a bag of Melissa & Doug ABC blocks, small puzzles, mini dinos and bugs, musical instruments (shakers, whistles, etc). I print out a picture from the manufacturer’s site or Google Images, then use self-sealing laminator pouches http://www.amazon.com/Scotch-Self-Sealing-Laminating-Pouches-PL900G/dp/B00004TS5V. I attach the photos to the baskets with brightly colored zip-ties.
Emily says
Loved this post mostly because it reminds me of myself! We have 4 kids too – 5 1/2, 4 1/2, 2 and 1. We have a modest home also, 1500 sq ft and since 3 of my kids are girls they share one of the 3 rooms. We also only have stuffed animals in the bedrooms, and they are rarely allowed to play in the bedroom, it’s nice because then I don’t have to clean the upstairs very often. I also try to regularly go through the toys and purge the little stuff (McDonald’s toys, dollar store toys, etc). I am so excited to be done with most of my BBT’s! I also have never had a changing table and it has worked out fine. I’m pretty sure we might have been twins separated at birth 🙂
Lisa says
I love the basement storage shelf idea! This would make toy rotation so much easier. I think I’m doing a pretty good job of keeping the toys in control here, but I’m definitely going to tweak things a bit using your ideas. I was wondering if you had any ideas about birthdays and Christmas? I asked my mom (who loves to buy a lot for her grandchildren) if she would think about buying them experiences (the aquarium, zoo, etc) instead of so many gifts. She said she felt bad they wouldn’t be able to open something.
Patty-Jo says
What if, depending on their ages, she gave them a photo album or scrap book album the first time trying your idea. They could open it, knowing they will be filling it with memories. Then in future years progress to a digital camera, etc. Or if they’re still much younger, if it’s tickets to a zoo, maybe ONE small toy/stuffed animal/book that relates to the zoo (aquarium, etc). Then they’ll have something to hold, or read while looking forward to the “big day” with grandma!.
Ann Marie Heasley says
I like this idea!! Thanks for chiming in, Patty-Jo. 🙂
Holly says
AWESOME IDEA!!!! For Christmas we only do about 3 gifts so the girls won’t get over whelmed and don’t “expect”: to get more and more every year. Besides it’s what we can afford-lol. But for Birthdays we try to DO something. We give presents but don’t go crazy either. I LOVE the scrapbook idea as my parents live far away!!!!
Robin says
I know what you mean about the experiences. I encourage my in laws to do the same but they will not consider it. They are older and have difficulty picking gifts out for my son. I’ve started buying gifts for them to give him instead of them shopping. Works for everyone since they do not like to shop and my son gets things that he really wants / needs. I usually will buy a gift membership somewhere & give along with a stuffed animal or a t-shirt. That way there is a tangible gift and the membership that keeps going all year. This year for my son at Christmas we bought indoor waterpark passes and a new swim suit.
Ann Marie Heasley says
That is such a great idea combining the tangible gift with the membership, I’m going to have to remember that. I especially love the waterpark passes and suit idea, what a treat! Thanks for commenting, Robin. 🙂
Sarah says
This is what I ask of all the grandparents, too! We have 4 kids in a 3-bedroom house, they get gifts from 4 different ‘grands,’ and I started to dread Christmas/birthdays because of the influx of STUFF. So we ask for experiences, movie gift cards, etc. just to help keep us sane! 🙂 The kids love it, too.
Emily @ My Love for Words says
I love this. I too agree there’s no need for a changing table. I wish I’d known that 5 years ago! I love seeing how other large families handle things. We have four too: 11, almost 5, 2, and 9 months, but our toy situation is a little less impressive (i.e. total chaos!). I’m going to try to corral more of their stuff into our basement because the family room is all too often a total disaster. Thanks for sharing.
Holly says
I agree with not needing a changing table… We have a nice one given to us that my grandmother used as a shelf so we turned it into a toy “box”. It’s 3 shelves and we bought a whole buncha buckets (The kind that you can also use in the sink, for dishes). There are 9 on the shelf and it resembles those expensive toy bins and I only spent $10!!!! I have 2 girls and we live where everything is on one floor and we don’t have much storage space… We’ve lived here for about 5months and just did a BIG BIG BIG purge before we moved and things have been going pretty good staying organized….. Thank-you for sharing your tips and being honest! <3
Kari says
This is perfect.
I used to store diapers and wipes in hidden baskets all over the house too.
And I hate stuffies.
I know. I have no soul.
Looks beautiful.
Now tell me again how four kids and two adults are in a two bedroom house??
Monique says
Lots of great ideas. I only have 1 kid, but his toys have taken over our small house. Thanks for the great post!
Melissa says
I love to buy furniture pieces that are nice but can also double as kid stuff storage. Ottomans that have storage, table with storage, I buy woven baskets to put on shelves on my bookshelf or entertainment center. That way things go away when needed but not too far away. And my 2 year old has learned where stuff is already!
Tara says
Oh, I am SO guilty of being the garage sale deal-finding mama. “Oh look at this! It’s Playmobil – for $4!?!?!?!?”
I’m definitely cleaning house this month. All of that dollar-store crap that you speak of? It’s out. It’s just a matter of me taking a deep breath and digging in.
Great tips! And I love how you make your space work for you. It’s inspiring!
Mikaela D says
I don’t have any kids yet (not for another few weeks, at least) but this will really come in handy when I do! Lots of great tips!
Shandell P says
As a fellow resident of a 1 bathroom home, I have to say that I earned more respect for you upon finding out that you too only have 1 bathroom. Our home is just under 900 sq ft and our garage is basically our basement because the laundry is in there and my minivan won’t fit!. I’m so encouraged by your uses of small space!
Jess McGurn says
Thanks for sharing your method! I love how honest and real you are about it. What about when you have playdates or a big group of kids over? I feel like thats when all my systems fall apart and everything becomes chaos!
Ann Marie Heasley says
great question, and thank you Jess! That is a big compliment. 🙂
Umm, I let chaos reign and all hell break loose. 😉 Sometimes we bring up only one bin, sometimes we’ll bring up a few, sometimes the basement gets trashed. Sometimes the family needs to go right away or sometimes they’ll help us straighten up a bit. Actually, as I type this, we have three bins all over the place in the basement because we had family members over, haha!
I’m not stressing because they had fun, we had fun, and it all has a place so when I get the energy to go help them (since they’re still little), we’ll “sort” it. As long as we get down there and get it back in shape eventually, I’m fine with them playing. If we had play dates more regularly, I might pay more attention to the one bin at a time rule when they’re over.
Hope that helped!!