As the little one grows, so do the toys. Sometimes we can’t resist buying that gigantic stuffed animal at Cracker Barrel for her, you know, since she’s already claimed it and is hugging it oh so tightly with her little paws carrying it around the store. Yea, we are those parents…sometimes.
But this little basket I was using for all of her toys wasn’t getting the job done any longer.
And don’t let that picture fool you. She has a plethora of more toys usually scattered about like this…
And no, I didn’t line up those animals/babies and shoe on the floor like that. Maybe she is type A personality? Oh, and I’ve made a few minor changes to the living room which I’ll show you soon.
So I invested in a storage trunk from Hobby Lobby for $40 that houses all of the toys.
I love that it conceals them all rather than the exposed basket, and that it’s stylish!
And once it gets too full…
it doesn’t mean we need to buy another trunk to store more toys. It means we need to rotate them out and hide a few in the closet. Then that Elmo that is a few months old will seem like a brand new toy to your little one. Works like a charm. :) But I don’t think I could do that with Elmo. She loves her “Mo-Mo’s.” I’m a sucker, I know.
So at the end of the day we do a quick clean up and put all of the toys back in the trunk, to get them ready for the next day to be scattered abroad. It’s the little things that keep me sane.
What are your storage solutions for toys? If you are using regular baskets like I was I’d highly recommend something like this. It really made a big difference to me, I guess because they are all hidden and looks good. And Hobby Lobby even has a smaller and larger size of the same trunk I got. They have some cute storage things right now! This would also be great to store pillows and blankets too. :)
Sharing this post at Sarah’s Organize It Party.
xxoo,
Decorchick!
I currently have a basket. I will have to make a trip to HL soon! That is a great idea =) I’m loving that my oldest is now helping with clean up. Although she is telling me “mommy, this is hard work” Ha, ha!
We had a cedar chest in the hallway (1st house, no storage) that we used when our girls were little. In the house we are currently in, they had their own playroom and most toys stayed there. You can buy safety hinges at Home Depot/Lowes if you are worried about her fingers!!
I completely understand the phenomenon of toys appearing in every room of the house! What a great solution!
I feel compelled to share with you the warnings from the consumer product safety council regarding toy chests. Because your storage trunk was probably not designed for toys it may not have the required safety hinge.
link:
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/5099.html
Toys are my nemesis! I am currently undertaking some projects to hopefully get them under control!! After three kids, it is like they are EVERYWHERE. I think they multiply at night….
We are in the process of building a playroom to house all the toys because I.CAN’T.TAKE.IT!!! I am so sick of train tracks being set up all through my living room, hot wheels all over my kitchen floor, etc. The plan is once the playroom is built, I can just shut the door & walk away…we’ll see!
I love it and I love that you took the time to look for one that isn’t too heavy. My mother-in-law bought us one (that WAS meant for use as a toy chest) and it PINCHED my son’s finger! It HAD the safety hinges and everything. I feel that if you are actually supervising your children then you have nothing to worry about. Kudos to you for finding one that suits your style AND is safe. (Besides- like the previous commenter said- you can buy the safety hinges if it really really bugs YOU-but only if it bugs you)
:)
The lid on the chest doesn’t look heavy enough to be a safety issue.
I agree with wanting to corral toys. In my case they are dog toys! My dog likes to line up his toys in the living room and our bed room. Not to mention hide a few toys behind curtains and under chairs for ??? I have a shallow dish that I use for his toys so he can pull them out and play with them as needed. he has several throughout the house because um, I’m that kind of mom too :)
We rotate out toys too! Sometimes they just have to forget about a toy to appreciate it again. I have a question for you, does your little one leave those blinds alone? We have windows that goto the floor like yours and before baby we installed natural woven blinds. We can’t close them now because of the cords, and was thinking of the type you have.
Hey Kendra, yea she leaves them alone for the most part. She doesn’t like yank them or anything :)
Love the storage bin you have! In this house there is know toy storage, toys are everywhere. We have a toy box but there are too many toys in it. But all of them are being packed away because we are moving to a new house. The new house has a whole 3rd floor that will be their toy room!! YAY
Thanks everyone! I promise the lid isn’t heavy. :)
A nice and stylish idea. I have a three year old and a twelve year old. I have been trying to get my little one to play in my husband’s office as we are in the midst of transitioning it into a playroom. It never fails each day she drags all of her toys out to the family room!!!
Be prepared the older little girls get the more they play and the more “stuff” this entails.
Enjoy all the little toys laying around when you can, they grow so fast.
Debbie
I was looking for one like that! Thanks for mentioning that you find it at HL! I have 2 like yours but not that pretty and not the same color, they totally don’t go with the rest of the living room. With small kids, toys are everywhere ALWAYS, so if they have to stay around the living room is nice to have a storage to keep there that is also nice to see and that you can’t tell is a toy storage!
Veronica
What a nice idea to hide the toys, I NEED a Hobby Lobby near me! And I smiled when I saw all the stuffed toys lined up in a row, all three of my kids have always done this. Right now my 2 year is obsessed with lining up all the little kid chairs and doll strollers in our family room. :)
Cheers to everything being put away before bedtime! I have to have them all tucked away in baskets, bins, and built ins. I find that if hey have a spot to hide them away, they are better with cleaning up as well. During the day it looks like a toy store . . but by the end of the day I can have a nice clean space. Ahhhh. {would go crazy otherwise!}
I have 2 small brown leather storage ottomans that I use. However I’ve had them for almost 5 years and they look it, so that trunk you just bought is looking pretty good to me right about now : )
Aww! I love the ottoman!!! Oh how I wish we had Hobby Lobby here in Oregon! We have a train table in the living/family room area. Toys are usually up there. It looks soo messy all the time though! I might use your awesome idea and get myself an ottoman!!! Thanks so much for your posts! I really enjoy them!
Vicky
If I remember correctly (my baby is now 38), I used a covered container. I started my kiddoes early-on, helping to clean up the toy mess by singing a little song with them as we picked up stuff. It worked pretty well most of the time.
CAS
I wanted to say that I think that is a wonderful Idea and I ned to get me one of these… I have a big sofa table in front of a window in the living room but need the storage space so this could double as a seat under the window as well!! Kudos to you for the input and thanks!! Sofa table gets moved out:)
It looks great. I love the look of the “toy box” too! Great job.
I would love for you to share this with my readers on Organizing Mission link party.
I found you on Thrify Decor Chick.
That’s cute, I had never heard of Hobby Lobby! I’ll have to check and see if I have one nearby, I’m sure they have tons of goodies! Thanks for sharing.
Hey there! Do you know if there is a special name to it or something? I’ve been looking EVERYWHERE for this piece (or something like it), and just ordered one from target, but it doesnt have the hinged/leather lid like this one. That is EXACTLY what I have been looking for. I need to be able to order it online though (since we don’t have a HL near us). THANKS SO MUCH!!! I’ve been looking on line for weeks for this one, and can’t seem to find it. :(