Day 27: TOYS

Yesterday I went out to the garage to look for the extra Jumpster I thought I had stashed there.  Of course I couldn't find it, but I did manage to locate all of Alex's old baby toys.  In theory, this was a good thing, since I probably would've gone out and bought a bunch of the same stuff for Genoa for Christmas this year and now I don't have to.

Instead, our apartment looks like a plastic toy bomb went off.  I have no idea where to hide all the shrapnel.  I HATE HATE HATE WITH THE FIRE OF A THOUSAND SUNS when the first thing you notice EVERYWHERE when you walk in to our house is that we have kids.  And with the toys, toys and more toys all over the place, our kids are the ONLY thing you notice.

Eventually we'll have enough space for a play room (I hope), but until then we're stuck in this two-bedroom apartment with two kids, two adults, a dog and enough toys to fill a mack truck.  And Santa is coming in less than a month!  How do you people store your toys?  I've thrown out and/or donated just about all the extra toys we have, but I still have more toys than we have room for.  Any ideas?

And to anyone who may be in the market to buy Alex stuff for Christmas: NO MORE MATCHBOX CARS.  We are officially at Matchbox capacity: the garages are all full; the streets are packed; the mechanics are about to go on strike.  Enough already!

Comments

[Heatherg]

I took most of my christmas gifts to my moms house to store in her spare bedroom. As for your home looking like kids live there........ they do. lol

I suppose you could move them out (The kids i mean) but then who would you snuggle? lol

We had steak one year for T-day and i loved it!!

[Salome Ellen]

Sort the toys into 3 or 4 groups. Put each group into a big tote box. Have ONE (and only one) box where the kids can get at it. Rotate every two weeks. Always something "new" to play with, and a third or quarter of the mess.

[Wendy Mac]

I have different boxes of the same brand that I've labelled with a professional labeller (is that a word?)

Anyway, she's got a Barbie box, an art supplies box, a My Little Pony box (you get the picture). When she is done playing, she has to sort all of her toys back, and an adult stacks the boxes in her closet.

We also live in California, and have the same problem for space. This does not entirely solve the problem. Usually before her birthday (which is in November), I do a thorough cleaning of the toys, and we donate a ton away. I have to do this if I have any hope of surviving the birthday- Christmas- Hanukkah toy bonanza.

Her books are another thing that get out of control- but I suppose these are good problems to have. Ditto for her clothes.

Space is just a premium around here! I wish you good luck!

[Laura]

I feel your pain. Trust me on this one though: even when you have a playroom, the toys migrate to other areas of the house, no matter how much hollering you do!

[Sally]

I use lots of small transparent plastic storage bins with lids. I guess I kind of do the same thing Wendy Mac (above) does. Tommy has one box for all his small vehicles, one box for Little People, one box for blocks, one large laundry basket for puppets/stuffed animals etc. Stackable ones don't work as well for us since I always end up needing different sized bins for different categories of toys.

I think it's the librarian in me that feels the need to organize his toys into genres like this, but it does make clean up easier. Tommy's really into the idea that different toys go in different places, and just like me he gets a bit huffy when my husband just dumps toys willy-nilly into the nearest bin.

We also have one moderately sized canvas box that holds all the random toys that don't fit into a particular category. We also do the rotation thing to a certain extent. If there aren't enough logical places for all the toys when organized and put away, then some get stored in a closet or the garage to be rotated back in later.

[Gillian]

You can get 3 or 4 big tubs. Put toys that would be better later on in one or two and label. The other one or two would hold overflow and similar toys to be rotated. Those can stay in the garage in a neat tower. In the play area you can have storage that is pretty discrete, like well anchored shelves with sliding doors with bins of toys or a drawer unit that is not transparent. It helps in clean up if you can put away everything that goes in the red bin or in the number 3 bin before you bring out the next. When ever you want you can swap out toys from the garage bins. There will be some sacred toys that cannot be cycled but a different stacking ring set is usually greeted with renewed interest.

[Jamie]

I just have a big toy basket in every room. Nice baskets that look good with my decor. that way, I can throw all the toys in there and it actually looks nice, instead of having plastic tubs everywhere. We use our den as a playroom, but the toys all manage to get scattered throughout the house anyway.

[V.W.]

Kids have too many toys.
They seem to play with the same 5 over and over again.
Cull regularly and aggressively, and give them to the children's shelter.

[Briana]

We have one of these in our front room, and everything else stays in our boy's room (of course, he's not old enough to move things from room to room...yet.) Ours is a little different, but same concept.
http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/sr=1-3/qid=1164754419/ref=sr_1_3/602-9042133-6097450?ie=UTF8&asin=B000E8DFL4

[Briana]

Dang the link got cut off. Basically, its a nice looking ottoman with storage and the lid flips open and has a little tray on the other side you can use for a coffee table. We love it.

[Jenny H.]

Plastic bins... I too have smallish children! The bins are the only way to go!!

I have given up being crazy about their toys every-frickin'-where...they are just there. Let it go and you will feel SO MUCH BETTER!!