Kids Stuff - Organising Kids toys etc

Yesterday I was out and about at the shops when I saw a Mum trying to juggle three large plastic crates and a toy box with her buggy... thank fully she had someone to help her.  The occupant of the buggy looked around 9 months old, which took me on a trip down memory lane to that moment with your first child when you realise that not only are the toys (and clutter) here to stay, but that they are gradually taking over your home!!!  I wonder what we did before plastic crates??!!??

Now that my first born is six and a half, I've had plenty of time to grapple with this one, and here are some things I have learned.  Real photos from the real world mean some mess!  Styled photos just leave me feeling a bit frustrated (on a good day) or inadequate (on another day)

1.  Join a toy library.  Seriously this is the key.  This way you borrow toys, your kids get new and exciting toys, and you don't have to store them!  We don't buy many toys, and limit them to Birthday and Christmas.  The Toy Library is fantastic.  So find one and join it today!

2.  If you are lucky enough, and have the room, limit the toys to one room, and organise it.  Here are some photos of our family room toy organisation.

Plastic crates, tubs and buckets make excellent storage.

The kids soon cotton on to what goes where.

An inexpensive table with little crates can be used for lots of things.

Kids desk - note little drawers and desk organiser, along with shelves for organising desk supplies

 

 

 

Make a lego table from an old coffee table,  a raised edge helps keep little bits on the table.

Kids soon learn where things go, and will help tidy up.  You can ease this learning by making it fun, putting on music or having an incentive as to what fun thing will happen when the room is tidied.

Lego has so many little bits and costs too much for me to want to hear it rattle up the vacuum cleaner.  Hence the Lego Table which I made out of an old coffee table.  It was a glass topped coffee table.  I replaced the glass with MDF and added a shelf below as well.  I like the raised edge (reason why I chose a glass topped table) which helps keep little bits from sliding off.  An old tea tray helps with this too.  We are currently experimenting with colour coded storage... not shown in picture.

Drawing and Craft supplies - these are kept at the writing desk.  An Ikea desk organiser is great for storing paper.  We reuse paper that is only printed on one side.  The kids are used to this and think it is cool.  Pens, crayons etc are kept in little drawers which can easily be taken to the main table when bigger projects are underway.  A cardboard box on the desk is used for creations that my son wants to keep but not do anything particular with.  When the box is too full we go through it, making a pile for recycling and a pile for keeping and gluing into a scrapbook.