7 Ways to Store an Overwhelming Amount of Toys

I love a good storage bin; a quick peek into my basement will prove that. But when it comes to storing toys kids are actively playing with, those giant bins, toy boxes, and baskets are probably making things worse. Sure, they hold a lot, which is good. But what they also do is bury the majority of what’s inside, making it impossible for kids to find what they want until eventually they forget it even exists.

Instead, we offer a solution that involves shelving and the intentional rotation of toys.

Next, I’m coming for all those stuffed animals.

The best way to store stuffed animals is in the garbage.

I kid, I kid (sort of). Stuffed animals are cute, but by the time a child is approximately six months old, they already have way too many. Luckily, we have several solutions for this problem, involving such MacGuyver-esque materials as curtain rods and hanging planters.

Now that those are out of the way, what are we going to do with all those board games?

You are going to be tempted to find an empty shelf and stack all of your kid’s board games from the largest on the bottom to the smallest on top, in an effort to prevent toppling. They’re still going to topple, though, the first time Sammy tries to pull Candy Land out from underneath Monopoly Junior, which is why we offer this solution: Store games vertically.

Get a toy chest or a storage coffee table that opens up and store them as pictured. You can easily see your options, and they’re low to the ground so little kids can pull out a game on their own without knocking over five others and risking injury to them or the games.

But what about puzzles?

If your puzzles are in boxes, store them vertically like we did with the games. But if you have a slew of those chunky wooden puzzles for toddlers, you’re going to lose the pieces in about three minutes—especially if you’re still using the big toy bins that I suggested you get rid of. What you need is a supply of clear poly envelopes.

Ready for bath toys?

Ahhhh, bath toys...so key to a young child’s happiness, yet so wet and perpetually in the way of your own routine bathing. What is one to do? One should get a hanging fruit basket, obviously. Allow me to explain.

There’s also still plenty of time to hide extra toys in the back of the closet.

Just because Aunt Julie went absolutely bonkers buying your one-year-old more toys than they could ever possible want or need doesn’t mean you have to put it all out for them to play with right now. If they’re still pretty young, chances are that the holiday passed in a total blur and they will not remember that they should have four new puzzles, not merely one; or ten new loud, plastic contraptions, not just two.

Pack up some of the excess now and bring it out later in the year when they really do need something fresh to entertain them.

On the other hand, if your children are older...

Hiding toys from them is only going to work for so long—by the time they’re a bit older, they’re not going to put up with you hiding their new stuff on a high shelf in the closet. That’s when I suggest you hide the actual children away. What I mean is: Get creative with under-utilized space in your home.

After my basement got waterlogged during a storm, I took a look around and realized I hadn’t been using the space to its full potential anyway. What was once a fairly creepy unfinished East Coast basement then became the Kid Cave, which housed video game consoles, board games, and other assorted toys. It now doubles as toy storage and a space for my 10-year-old to hang out with his friends.

Maybe you, too, have a room or space in your home that isn’t used very often, such as a formal dining room, a guest bedroom, or a garage. You may be able to turn it into a play area, creating another location with which to store both the toys and your children.

Okay, your turn: What the hell do I do with all these LEGO bricks?