How I organize my kid's toys and life

The subject of how I organize my children's toys has come up recently on Facebook and I thought I would record it here for all time and in hopes to help others......and myself! I need reminders of why I do what I do! :)

Here are some things to consider:

Materials:

1) It's best to have a system that can grow with your family without having to completely recreate it. Meaning, if there was a way to choose a company or type of container that is generic, neutral and will be around 5-10 years from now that's ideal. I originally bought a whole bunch of "shoe box" style clear plastic containers with lids from Target. I recently ditched all of those but they were pretty good while I had them. 

I opted this time around for opaque white ones called Trofast from Ikea. I like opaque!!! I always thought clear was the way to go but I discovered I HATE visual clutter, moreso as I have more kids :) They are $3-5,  and lids are $.75 each I think. They come in 3 sizes: 

Small: Length: 16 ½ "Width: 11 ¾ " Height: 4 " 
Medium:  Length: 16 ½ "Width: 11 ¾ "Height: 9 "

Large: Length: 16 ½ " Width: 11 ¾ " Height: 14 ¼ "

That size is fan-freaking-tastic for many types of kid toys. I will get into all my different categories later. 

I also have a bunch of these I use. From a different system in the older kids room but they are great. It's all a matter of what fits on your shelves!

 If you don't have a shelf already (I did - a really sturdy one that I couldn't justifying getting rid of) I would highly recommend the shelves (below) the Trofast bins were meant for. I drool to have this in my shed for the toy rotation. Drooooool. Not necessarily that exact combinations or colors of bins here - but you can create it however you want. Lots of options here.

I wouldn't use this living room though as it's too "Hello - I am a house full of kids" but if I had a playroom I would! The only downside to using the bins without the matching shelves is I wish the lids fit differently. I wish they wrapped around the outside edges of the boxes making it easier to lift off a lid of a bottom bin when they are stacked directly on top of one another (does that make sense?) but in the above style of storage that wouldn't be an issue as they would never be stacked directly on top of one another.

Bags! Some toys are just too large and bulky to be stored in a bin. So I use these bags. I love them because they zip closed and they are cheap! The clear Dimpa bag is huge Length: 25 ½ "

Depth: 8 ¾ "Height: 25 ½ "  and the Singla is medium at Length: 15 ¾ " Depth: 9 7/8 " Height: 18 ½ "

Dimpa bag $4

Singla bag $3

If you don't have an Ikea near you - pick a store or brand that is large and reputable. Don't pick containers that are too trendy or oddly shaped as this won't jive well with the area you store most likely :)

System:

Two toy areas - Everyday and Storage.

2) I think it's best to have a few areas of toys. The best system I have ever used is an Everyday area (my livingroom) 

and then an out of the way Storage Area to store the toys that I rotate in and out to keep things fresh.

System Details:

Storage Area: I use two areas but you DO NOT need to do this. I homeschool so I am a bit of a freak. For general toy storage I use a mid height shelf in my garage/laundry room (pics above). My shelf height is high enough to stack two medium Trofast bins on top of each other. You want it to be a place you go often enough but not too often and in a location that's easy enough to access - but out of the main traffic so that these toys stay fresh for the little ones. Follow me? 

I also use two drawers in my office/school room for the educational type toys/games/activites that we rotate. These house my sensory bins (what are those?) that I am obsessed with and puzzles, games, etc.

I should and will do a separate post about sensory bins soon!

Why do I store some toys out of sight??? Because I found that when all the toys are out every day they get bored of them SO quickly, they fight, act mischievous, beg for new toys, complain, etc. The goal is not to withdraw their belongings or keep them from their toys - but rather to keep things organized and sane. The overwhelm of toys hasn't hit you yet if you have one child or your children are under 2. :) Wait until you've had 3+ children or your one has had 3-5 Christmases and birthdays - oh and potty training usually yields A LOT of small prizes :) All things that need storing - AHHHHH!!!!!

But, in case you feel guilty about organizing or putting up some toys think about this.... my kids are always extremely HAPPY, cheerful, sweet, loving and eat all their vegetables when I organize for them (maybe not the last part). And when I rotate -  it feels like Christmas. Win win.

As for Everyday Storage this is so simple.....it can be many, many things but I use the Expedit TV unit with a mix of baskets for my Everyday Storage in my living room. Very cute and doesn't look like I have kid toys all over ;) I choose the living room as that's where we hang out mostly. 

For large toys I recommend storing them in large zippered plastic bags I talked about above. I only have one bag in our everyday area at a time. And it's tucked in a corner.

Labeling & Toys in General

I have used various systems over the years for labeling bins. Many have worked - but I definitely do not recommend writing directly on teh bin in permanent marker. This violates the "grow and change with me" #1 rule.

Instead I have printed out my own labels with pretty fonts, etc. but finally what has stood the test of time is just using blank Avery 8160 address labels and with my own handwriting labeling bins. THey remove easily and can be easily updated. 

My bins I keep are as follows - in no particular order:

1) Large blocks

2) Small blocks

3) Cardboard blocks

4) Action figures and movie themed toys

5) Cars, trucks, planes

6) Trains

7) Tracks

8) Stuffed animals

9) Sea Animals

10) Farm animals

11) Jungle & African animals

12) K'nex 

13) Legos

14) Lincoln logs

15) Mr. Potato Head

16) La La Loopsies (dolls)

17) Baby dolls & clothes

18) Soft balls

19) Farm house and doll house

20) Baby toys

Bins that live outside:

21) Hard or large balls

22) Chalk & Bubbles

23) Pool toys & gear

24) Guns & swords

And the bags of misc larger toys 

The Dreaded Miscellaneous Label:

Even though I think most toys should have their own bin theme (sea animals, jungle animals, blocks, cars, trucks, trains, tracks, stuffed animals) there is inevitably some misc. toys. Therefore I have an everyday misc. bin in our Living room and a long term storage misc. bin or two in the garage. I try to keep this bin small because if it gets large it becomes a clutter catchall. But it's good to have one so you don't have 563 bins (LOL) for every tiny thing!!

You will get a lot of ideas from Pinterest too!! I know I do! So many people have far better/prettier systems than me.

Life Organization:

And last but very much not least NO post on organization would be complete without mentioning Flylady. It should be the subject of many, many posts really but in a nutshell it is a system of organizing yourself, your home, your life and your very being so that you can be more effective, spend more quality time with your loves and generally happier. When I say "being" I don't mean anything voodoo or religious. I mean - basic steps to help you be more productive, therefore making you happier and therefore ......you get it. 

Her book Sink Reflections was recommended by a good family friend who has 5 kids - two sets of twins! It literally changed my life all those 10 years ago. I have done exactly the opposite of what she recommends 5 times or more resulting in total Flylady crash and burn. I was a textbook case. I kept thinking I needed to start stronger and that I wasn't as bad off as all those unorganized people out there. Muuuuuhahaha! WRONG! This past spring I decided I needed more help so I downloaded her audio book to my iphone and I hit "shuffle" and listen to whatever chapter it picks for me even if I "don't think I need it". I do this in the car on my way to church or at night while doing chores. It has been the biggest change for the better! I am slooooooowly getting all areas of my life more and more organized and finding more and more peace in our daily lives. If you have issues getting and staying organized or get sidetracked super easily - this is for you!!! (and me)

I hope this post helps you!!! Remember any change you want to see doesn't have to be drastic or "all or nothing" or like anybody else's. Do what you can afford - time and money wise. Being organized might have been some work to set up (took be 10 years to figure out this system!) but it saves me a ton of time now & brings my kids joy.