Becoming a parent means that, little by little, kids’ toys start taking over your home. I won’t say it’s the biggest challenge of parenthood, but when you have little ones, it can definitely feel overwhelming! From Pikler climbers to bounce houses (yep, I went there) and even toddler trampolines (don’t pretend you don’t have one too), you’ll find yourself surrounded by toys that keep your kids busy. It takes time to figure out what toys your kids actually need and which ones they’ll play with over and over. Trust me, it took me three years to finally feel like I had a handle on it! Let’s dive into some toy organization tips and the best storage solutions to help you out.
Easy Toy Organization: The Best Playroom Storage Ideas
I’ve organized our toys a few times, and after having a second baby, I think I’ve finally found the best way to do it! I’ve learned a lot about how toddlers play—especially my own little one. It turns out that open-ended toys are the way to go. For example, if your 2-year-old loves Frozen, grab a few figurines instead of the giant castle. Small toys are much easier to store! Those larger toys can be fun, but they take up so much space and are often unnecessary. Instead, get some blocks that your child can use to build their own Frozen castle or even a whole city! Here’s how I simplified everything and set up a toy storage system that really works.
Figure out what toys you actually need
Step one is to reduce the number of toys in your home. Kids’ toys can quickly take over every corner! We all have limited storage space, and kids really don’t need that many toys. After two years of being at home and receiving gifts, our play areas were overflowing, and I knew I had to find better toy storage ideas. So, I explored different options and realized the best thing I could do was declutter and get rid of some of the bigger toys. I went through our whole house, sorted out random toys, set up a toy rotation system, and organized toy bins. Now, I have a great toy storage system that works well for small spaces!
Declutter and Donate
Let’s be honest—there’s probably some toy clutter in your home! The first step to tackling it is to limit the number of toys around. Think about all those action figures, board games, and little toys (especially the ones with missing pieces). A great starting point? Less toys mean less clutter. Sounds simple, right? Go through everything—yes, everything—but make sure you do it when your kids aren’t watching. Group similar items together; how many cupcake sets do you really need? Keep one and set the others aside to donate, sell, or recycle.
I decided to keep the toys my girls play with the most, especially ones they can use in different ways. For example, I held on to the figurines and the little Peppa car, but the Peppa treehouse? That one had to go! And guess what? Margot didn’t even notice. I listed a few things on Facebook Marketplace for free and donated the rest. Here’s another tip: when new toys come in, make it a habit to donate something. This will help stop the toys from taking over your home!
Toy Organization
Start by sorting everything by type. Little kids have tons of toys, so it can take some time to go through them all. Honestly, this step was pretty easy for me because my kids’ toys were already organized. I’m almost a professional organizer at this point! I simply put the toys I wanted to keep into baskets in the playroom and living room. Having a designated spot for each type of toy makes a big difference. Just a heads up: try not to do this in front of your kids—they definitely won’t want to let go of anything!
Toy Storage
First, decide where you want to store most of the toys. Is it in a playroom, a closet, or the family room? We have an IKEA cabinet in our playroom filled with labeled bins and boxes for things like art supplies, figurines, and Duplo blocks. I use all sorts of containers—baskets, a big bin, boxes, canvas pouches, fabric bins, and even shoe organizers—to sort the toys by type. I had this grand idea to make iron-on labels for the canvas pouches, but that project keeps getting pushed down my to-do list. Maybe I’ll get to it someday! For now, I just keep the toys the girls use most often in baskets and bins on the floor.
Playroom Storage
We’re lucky to have a basement and some awesome storage for our kids’ toys in the playroom. If we didn’t have these shelves, we’d definitely need a cabinet or some other way to keep everything organized. Honestly, we’d probably need to own fewer toys too! I recommend following some professional organizers online for fresh ideas on products and ways to stay organized.
Our toy storage shelving
As you can see, our playroom shelving unit is pretty organized, although I’ve actually revamped it since this picture was taken. On the bottom, I have fabric bins and clear plastic bins that make it super easy for my kids to grab their favorite toys. When everything has its own spot, you won’t find small toys scattered everywhere, and cleaning up becomes a breeze! I store art supplies on the higher shelves, and at the end of the day, we just toss in the dress-up clothes and other big toys into plastic tubs and larger bins.
I really like this system because it has doors that close, so we don’t have to see all the clutter. The open bins at the bottom let the kids reach what they want while keeping things organized by type of toy. I also keep a few of our favorite books and toys on a low shelf in the playroom. Just remember, tiny toys with small pieces should be kept up high to keep toddlers and babies safe!
Floor baskets
I have these cute baskets all over the playroom and a few in our cozy living room play area. They look nice and help keep the toys organized without making everything feel cluttered. I really love using these in small spaces where you might not have closed cabinets to hide toys. I like to change up what’s inside the baskets and keep just a few out with my girls’ favorite toys.
Different types of storage
First, decide where everything will go. I use a big floor basket for our larger wooden toys because it’s a great way to store the toys my kids use most. I have a small basket for puzzle pieces, another for wooden toys, and others for books, food toys, and baby toys. Clear bins in different sizes are perfect for seeing what’s inside—like for art supplies, blocks, LEGO, and even dress-up clothes. I also use a label maker to clearly mark what’s in each container. Mesh bags work well, too, and you can label them easily with a label maker. If you want to get creative, a Cricut Joy can add a nice touch. This system has been amazing; not one puzzle piece has gone missing!
I keep the smaller pieces in IKEA bins in our toy closet. Anything that Kate is too young to play with goes up high, and I even put most of Margot’s smaller toys away for now. We still have a few she can use during nap time, but honestly, it gives me so much anxiety!
Organization ideas for the play room
Rotating toys really helps keep everything organized. I’ll admit I’m not the best at this, but I’m working on it! I have a few baskets in the living room and the rest in the playroom. Each of the girls has a lidded basket on our console, and I keep shared toys in floor baskets. Right now, I have baskets for wooden toys, Magna-Tiles, and books. I try to switch out what’s in those baskets, even if it’s just changing the types of wooden toys, books, or food toys (which Margot loves). This is a great way to make old toys feel new again, encourage your child to be creative, and see which toys your child might have outgrown or lost interest in.
Storing craft supplies
I store my craft supplies in some great bins from IKEA (linked below). It’s a good idea to keep the number of different paints and markers to a minimum because art supplies can really add up! Make sure to use what you have and check for any old, dried-up markers regularly.
Also Read: How can you organize plastic toys in small spaces?
Stuffed animal storage ideas
I like to keep stuffed animals to a minimum, and I usually go for smaller ones. We have one basket for stuffed animals and another for dolls, and that’s it! Kids don’t need a million stuffed animals—they just pile up, collect dust, and often get ignored. Honestly, they should be one of the first things to go when you’re decluttering.
