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Forum -> Household Management -> Organizing
Keeping toys organized



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amother
Oak


 

Post Wed, Apr 26 2017, 1:15 am
I am planning a big overhaul of our mess of toys. My plans include getting a bunch of bins in different sizes that fit on our shelves in that room. Tape a picture (and title!) so the kids and adults can figure out what goes where.

Help me with:
- where to get cheap but decent buckets/containers? Not 99 cent stuff but I can't afford $20 a box either! No amazing savings but I have Amazon, target etc.
- what brands are good?
- I thought closed boxes are best as they can stack which will be good for smaller ones for matchbox cars etc. but would open ones be good? See, lids get lost, broken etc. but at the same time open ones might collect randomness.

I am also trying to come up with possible bucket category names: Cars, magnetiles, balls... All have easy to figure out categories. But what do I do with the one light up toy piano? Or the toy phone? Can organized types help give suggestions for categories for me?
Is it normal to throw all puzzle pieces (chunky or peg type) in one small box?
Little kids here if you couldn't figure out by my toy selection. Need something foolproof for me, my kids and babysitters/family to "chap" the system. This sound ok?
Thanks!
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Raisin




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Apr 26 2017, 1:45 am
I use the trofast bins from ikea. They come in at least 4 sizes. Most of the sizes come with lids. They fit on our shelves, although you can also buy shelving to slot them into. They are $4 or $5 per large bin.

Some of my categaries are: Soft toys, lego, duplu, magnatiles, knex, DVDs, baby toys, miscellanous toys, musical toys, big cars, small cars, art supplies, pens and pencils, mentchies, animals....etc.

I do have a couple of toys that don't fit in any boxes but most stuff fits. Board games go directly on shelves, no bins.

I've been using these for years and overall it works well although I do have to periodically go through an reorganise.

I don't have the lids.
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amother
Scarlet


 

Post Wed, Apr 26 2017, 4:12 am
I recently splurged and hired a professional organizer to give my not so functional small playroom a major overhaul. We have loads and loads of toys and not so much space. I have to say I feel like I got an extra room in my house! It's amazingly functional, never a big mess anymore. Kids playing in there so much more. We bought the containers from the container store. They stack nicely, come in tons of great sizes and not too expensive especially with a coupon. I also like that they don't have clips on the side so it's easier for the little ones to open and close. Just to answer some of your questions-
With random toys what she did is combined like toys together not too many to a box. The Bins are clear so you can find the toys. Also puzzles we put in big ziploc bags and only put 2-3 puzzles to a bin so if someone dumps them out it's not too crazy to clean up. Same with small card games- only 2-3 to a box so doesn't get mixed up.

Also board games we only kept in the box if it's a very strong box. Nothing worse than those big board games with pcs falling out bec of flimsy box. We also stacked the board games side by side like books instead of a pile. This way there's no trying to take out the bottom game and the rest topple down. They slide the game out like you would a book. Works like a charm. Feel free to post any more questions!
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amother
Lilac


 

Post Wed, Apr 26 2017, 6:41 am
Buy only clear containers with easy simple lids so that the kids can see what's inside, and then you don't need to label them. If you happen to be in Brooklyn, Quickaid Pharmacy on 13 Ave and 39th Street has great containers for cheap. Always buy the same one so it stacks well in the closet. I like the shoe box size ones for smaller toy collections and a larger size for cars, playmobil etc. I find it easier to stick to just 2 sizes for easy stacking and organizing. Don't dump all puzzles in one box. It'll be too hard for kids to separate. I do as above poster wrote- each puzzle goes in its own ziplock bag and then put some ziplock bags together in a container.
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sky




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Apr 26 2017, 6:54 am
I just bought these before Pesach to organize my closets - 15 quart sterilite boxes with latches. It came out to under $4 a box.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Ste.....85809
They are a great size for most toys -
I have very large containers on the floor under the bottom shelves with bigger toys or collections (like trucks, playmobile, kitchen toys, dolls, etc).
These 15 qt containers I'm able to stack 2 high on the shelf and they hold most toys nicely.
It looks really nice and the price was fantastic.
I used shoebox size boxes to store lego sets together.
I tried to get as much as I could into some sort of box with a cover that stays on - I found it made it easier to keep it neat and if boxes fall we aren't left with a huge mess to clean up.
I also used lots of zip lock bags to organize small toys in one box. Puzzles went in a bag with the cover cut out (if there was one). dominoes and card games all went into bags in another box. Another box had wooden puzzles stacked.
I have one bigger box that is baby toys - with the piano, phones, stacking toys, etc. Another smaller one with rattles and teething rights. This way I can pull out when we have baby age and put it all in the attic when we don't need it.

Some of my Box Groups:

Very Large Boxes:
Trucks and Cars and Car mats and associated toys
Kitchen Toys
Dolls and Clothing
Playmobil (its all dumped in one box - if it was organized I'd probably use shobox or small box)
Thomas The Train Set
Large Baby Toys
Large set of Toddler Sized Lego

Regular Boxes:
Wood Train Set
Mr Potato Head
Clics (I use 2 boxes)
Magna tiles
Wooden Puzzles
toddler puzzles
Harder Puzzles
Small games (like cards, spot it, dominos)
Playstics
Duplo
Building Toys
Small Baby Toys

Smaller Boxes:
Jenga Blocks
Small Building Toy Sets
Lego sets


Last edited by sky on Wed, Apr 26 2017, 7:05 am; edited 1 time in total
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Coffee Addict




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Apr 26 2017, 7:04 am
Sky I also have these boxes. They are excellent. I also have it in the bigger size. I have more from the bigger.
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amother
Cerulean


 

Post Wed, Apr 26 2017, 7:07 am
If you have a large open space, sterilite clear drawers are awsome. (Credit for abmom)

They come out easily.
There are two sizes in the width and flat and regular drawers.
I around $60 for everything.

The drawer that's missing has some doctor toys, stacking toys. A mesh bag of animals. A mesh bag with mr. Potato head stuff. Shape sorter toys....

What I love about thisis that I taught my kids who to take it out themselves. But I need to put is back for them.
Here's a picture of my closet.



This we got from ikea on sale for $50 amd the bins are from target. Around $10 a bin.
It needs to be reorganized but we'll iyh be moving soon. It has worked wonderfully for a year now. This is in my kids room as there is no playroom in this apt.


Right side is stuffed animals, puppets, soft books and other random soft toys. The rop right has comparments so there is a tissue box, a few exta diapers for a midnight chamge, wipes and random pcs of puzzles and toys that need to be put away/fixed.
Center you can see. The top comanagement has some flower pillows and teddys that are not put up now foe decoration. But we kept more books there till we got dd another media rack in her own room with her books.

Right side the two bottom ones have musical amd /or battery operated toys. The butterfly bin has dds ramdom junk. Stuff from her friends birthday parties and stuff. If it gets to full some stuff has to go.
The top is a shabbos lamp and the cd player.




I also have a large open bin with baby toys. Like old vitamin bottles and covers. Teethers. Rattles. Oballs. Jack in the box.... it matches the room and is very accessible when we have baby guests.
My kids are both toddler now. And I only have girls ao far.
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amother
Taupe


 

Post Wed, Apr 26 2017, 7:32 am
amother wrote:
I recently splurged and hired a professional organizer to give my not so functional small playroom a major overhaul. We have loads and loads of toys and not so much space. I have to say I feel like I got an extra room in my house! It's amazingly functional, never a big mess anymore. Kids playing in there so much more. We bought the containers from the container store. They stack nicely, come in tons of great sizes and not too expensive especially with a coupon. I also like that they don't have clips on the side so it's easier for the little ones to open and close. Just to answer some of your questions-
With random toys what she did is combined like toys together not too many to a box. The Bins are clear so you can find the toys. Also puzzles we put in big ziploc bags and only put 2-3 puzzles to a bin so if someone dumps them out it's not too crazy to clean up. Same with small card games- only 2-3 to a box so doesn't get mixed up.

Also board games we only kept in the box if it's a very strong box. Nothing worse than those big board games with pcs falling out bec of flimsy box. We also stacked the board games side by side like books instead of a pile. This way there's no trying to take out the bottom game and the rest topple down. They slide the game out like you would a book. Works like a charm. Feel free to post any more questions!

This sounds amazing! Is there a good size container for games that fit boards? Is it possible to put one game per container so that they don't get messed up (similar to your puzzle idea)?
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amother
Oak


 

Post Wed, Apr 26 2017, 7:58 am
Thanks all! Gives me things to think about...

And how do you teach your toddlers the new system? Right now it's just random stuff in huge bins...
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Rosemarie




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Apr 26 2017, 8:27 am
http://www.shopworldkitchen.co.....art=6

These snapware containers are similar to sterilite containers. One major difference, these have a lifetime warranty! You call them up and they send you new ones. They are really good about it. I did my whole closet with sterilite and many cracked within half a year. These are cracking much less, and those that did crack, they just sent me new ones.
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SingALong




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Apr 26 2017, 9:09 am
Scarlet imother...what did you do with the games that the boxes weren't strong? What type of buns did u but that fit game boards? Also how did you keep the game pieces organized/separated? Many of the games come with plastic inserts with sections for pieces/cards...did you keep that and place into a different stronger box?
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amother
Taupe


 

Post Wed, Apr 26 2017, 11:11 am
amother wrote:
Thanks all! Gives me things to think about...

And how do you teach your toddlers the new system? Right now it's just random stuff in huge bins...

Sit with them during cleanup to do together and teach system.
Enforce one box at a time rule. (They will ask for the next box as they shouldn't be able to get to them on their own. At that point enforce clean up before taking down next box).
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amother
Scarlet


 

Post Wed, Apr 26 2017, 12:27 pm
Any board games that don't have a good box we put in a larger size bin. I got sweater boxes that are bigger but no so deep so it's not a waste or room. Games like monopoly that have a very long board we put the board by itself and have the pcs separated nicely in a small bin. Money goes in a ziploc.
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imeinu




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Apr 26 2017, 6:38 pm
I got assorted sterlite sizes in Walmart and ran back to the store a couple of times when I saw what sizes I was short on.

For smaller things and card games, I bought square food storage containers. They were very reasonable priced, and just the right size.

Go with clear boxes that you can see, AND label them so when it is time to cleanup there is no guesswork involved.
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seeker




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Apr 26 2017, 8:20 pm
So I am hardly an organization guru as you would know if you've read any of my desperate cries for help on this forum in the past... but here's what I've learned so far about games:

1. Sterilite fans on a budget: Target has the best prices on the shoebox size ones. 5 for $6 when NOT on sale. They also have frequent sales on larger sizes. I use the shoebox size ones for a lot of things and have had no quality issues.

2. Whoever said about sticking to 1-2 box sizes and brand loyalty - YES THAT. Pretty much every single place and time my organization falls apart it's because something wasn't in a sterilite shoebox. My legos are in a different type of container because the sterilites were too small and I happened to have something perfect. Guess which toy is most frequently out of place, not put away, or has a mess on top of it? I'm going to have to start a new category of larger boxes. I was trying to avoid that because I have a shortage of space. But my zoobs are also bulging out of their shoebox.

3. Board games - it's a little more complicated nowadays because lots of games have more complicated paraphernalia. But classic normal games that have a classic normal board and some pieces, you put the pieces for each game in its own ziploc bag, and keep all those bags in one of the sterilite shoeboxes or whatever container you're using for everything. Then the boards just stack up, or you can slot them vertically along the side of the shelf the way you'd stand up books.

4. Person who said to stand up game boxes like books - I tried that and it was the nicest my game shelf ever got BUT as things were taken out and put back the boxes didn't stay closed nicely standing up! I gave up because I didn't want things spilling all the time, it was hard for my kids to manage holding the box closed and sliding it back onto the shelf at the same time. So I went back to stacking which is a little annoying to the inner perfectionist because of the odd sizes, but what can you do.

5. All card games (uno, set, etc) go in a snack bag apiece which all go into a sterilite shoebox.

6. Puzzles that have nice boxes I stack. Puzzles that have wimpy boxes, cut the picture out of the top of the box, slide it into a ziploc bag that can hold it, and pour the pieces in behind that. Put them all in...I don't need to say it again, right? For this I use the shoebox with the cover off and I put the bags standing up. They wouldn't fit in a box anyway. That shoebox is just alone on the shelf without a stack so the puzzles have room to stick up.
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cinnabuns




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Apr 26 2017, 9:59 pm
I saw a brilliant idea online- frame board games and Velcro a bag with the pieces to the back, and hang in on the wall. Easy decor, easy games to play, easy clean up
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