organizing toys...

aboulhos

I have a 19 month old toddler and we are starting to accumulate quite a few toys.  He's not "into" any specific kind of thing, so we don't have a lot of one type of toy (like Legos or cars).  Right now we just have everything in one large Rubbermaid bin.  I would like to organize his toys so that he can find things better and so that things with parts will stay together.  How do you organize toys?  Ideas on how to "categorize" them?  Thanks!  Also, if it can be a system that will grow with him, that would be a bonus!

stephm0188

I have a Closetmaid 9 cube organizer from Target. I have canvas bins for all the smaller toys.... cars, legos, Potatohead pieces, ect ect ect. Bigger toys like Little People playsets sit on top. Other bigger toys are in a big plastic basket with wheels, also from Target.

Trains... omg the trains. It's an obsession. I have a hige wicker basket in the living room for trains. 

Art supplies and play-doh are in plastic shoeboxes stored out of reach.

The biggest thing is getting rid of what he has outgrown or doesn't play with. I like to store toys in his closet and rotate them from time to time as well. It keeps things interesting for him.

C&H

I have a few large open stackable plastic toy boxes from Target. We also have bins tucked away in the rooms he frequents the most and some smaller rubbermaid totes. I categorized them when he was too little to clean up on his own but he is 3 1/2 now so that has gone out the window and as long as the toys make it into a designated toy bin I am happy! I also found rotating toys every few weeks or once a month helps because they get bored with them.

Dcubed

stephm0188:

I have a Closetmaid 9 cube organizer from Target. I have canvas bins for all the smaller toys.... cars, legos, Potatohead pieces, ect ect ect. Bigger toys like Little People playsets sit on top. Other bigger toys are in a big plastic basket with wheels, also from Target.

Trains... omg the trains. It's an obsession. I have a hige wicker basket in the living room for trains. 

Art supplies and play-doh are in plastic shoeboxes stored out of reach.

The biggest thing is getting rid of what he has outgrown or doesn't play with. I like to store toys in his closet and rotate them from time to time as well. It keeps things interesting for him.

This is what I use and really like it.  Since we have moved the 9 cube thing is in DS's room and I am getting another one for DD1 room for her stuff.  The fabric bins are easy - you can organize what goes into which bin or for a quick clean up just throw them in.  I second the getting rid of outgrown stuff.  We go through the toys every few months.  The kids are really good at getting rid of things now.  One thing I haven't done that I keep thinking about is taking pictures of what items are to go in the bins and putting them on the front so when the kids are cleaning up it makes it a bit easier to keep them seperated.