How to Organize Your Kids Toys

Toys dominate the world! Or at least the house. It seems once you have kids, their things end up everywhere, even if they aren't big enough to move around yet. Toy trucks on the steps, rattles and stuffies on the couch . . . it never ends!

Keeping toys organized is easier said than done, I swear they jump out of the boxes on their own and take nose-dives off the shelves at midnight. But there are a few ways to contain these things!

Shelves with lips at the front are a great way to keep things from sliding off. Use them to store books or boxes of smaller toys. I don't recommend putting toys on their own on the shelves because that can get pretty cluttered very fast!

Try storing toys in groups. For example, all the stuffies could go in a bag or hammock where your child can reach them. That way, if they are in the mood to play with stuffed animals, that is the only thing that is getting taken out.

Keeping toys in see-through plastic bins with lids is a great way to contain the mess! You can have a rule that only one or two bins can be out at a time. If they want another one, they have to pick up the first one! If you can actually enforce this rule (try starting them young on picking up), you will be able to keep the disaster to a minimum.

Bins are great, too, because you only have one type of mess at a time. If your kids are going to play Legos, then only Legos are out. You don't have Legos, trucks, blocks, and Polly Pockets kicking around all over the floor! By using see-through bins, you have the advantage of being able to find everything at a glance, something that is very handy when you are dealing with kids who are more than willing to toss every other toy in the toy box on the floor, just to find the one they want!

The number one trick to keeping your kids´ toys organized is getting your children to do it themselves! This is a great habit to start when they are toddlers. Teach them that toys need to be put away immediately after playing. Show them that they should put toys into their special box or bag and you will be very pleased later on when they automatically do this.

Yup, it's hard keeping toys organized and neat, but it can be done!