Home & Garden, Parenting & Family

The No-Tears Guide to Toy Organization

Briana Hernandez · Published on 2017-01-11

Children's toys and items of clothing strewn on floor near open cupboard door in bedroom

After every birthday and holiday season, every parent of young children comes face to face with a giant toy pile that threatens to swallow the room whole. Although your kids may find it impressive, all you can think about is how to make it manageable. Thankfully, organizing toys does not have to be an arduous process. Let us break it down with a few basic tips to get you started. Satisfy all your toy organization needs with Cash Back at Ebates, and get a discount with a home-goods promo code. Your child’s bedroom or playroom can be clutter-free even on a budget.

Lighten the Load

Before you shop for toy organization bins or shelves, it’s crucial to assess your storage needs. Keep in mind that you may have many toys your child has outgrown, and there are probably quite a few broken items and random pieces of junk in that toy mountain. Start by picking out the items you want to trash, recycle or donate. If you have school-age children, get them involved in the process. Not only will they feel a sense of control in choosing which possessions to let go, but they’ll also learn what to do with items that are no longer useful.

Divide and Conquer

Now that you know exactly what you are keeping, you can get a better idea of which toy organization ideas will work for you. Group the toys in a way that is conducive to how your child plays. For example, put trains, tracks and cars in one pile and games and puzzles in another. Imagine each pile is a toy bin and your child is allowed to take out only one bin at a time. This guideline will help you create groups that make sense to your little one.

Compartments Are Key

It’s time to select your storage solutions. Choose bins that can accommodate each of your toy piles, and create a system with room to grow. We love these stackable cubes from Overstock.com, which require little assembly. You can add more cubes or rearrange them as your needs change, getting more bang for your buck. And for those pesky small toys that can get lost in even the most organized system, sandwich bags are an affordable solution you probably already have.

As an added touch, label the bins so your kids know exactly where everything goes. You can even use picture labels for kids learning to read by printing out online clip art.

Play Then Display

If your kids have toys that require a ton of assembly, consider getting a small shelving unit or just clearing off the bottom book shelves in your living room. That way these toys can remain assembled without taking up floor space. Plus, that Thomas the Tank Engine track system does add to the decor in its own way.

Bucket List

After putting these ideas for organizing toys into practice, you may be tempted to ditch that giant toy bucket. Not so fast! Toy chests and buckets are great for big, soft items like stuffed animals. Or you can encourage dress-up time by making your kids’ costumes more accessible, rather than hanging them high in the closet.

Briana Hernandez

Briana is a shopaholic whose newest obsession is matching top-and-skirt sets (but she also can’t resist a good jumpsuit). She loves rock music, horror movies and is an all-around pop culture junkie. She is, without fail, always down for karaoke. Her blog, Mamafierce, is a chronicle of personal fashion, body positivity and the adventures of motherhood. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, three-year-old son and tortoiseshell cat, Divvy.