Toy storage sitting room

Millem

Hi guys,
I am sure this is a problem for everyone with small children! My house is taken over with toys! I have storage boxes and have them in an alcove but it doesn't look very neat. I have megabloks in 2, toot toot things in one, Duplo in one, train tracks in one and then miscellaneous in another not to mention big huge soft toys, sweeping brush, ride on, scuttlebugs, garage, rocking moose, etc etc. toys are taking over my house!!!!!

My friend has a big huge Kallax unit with boxes, which looks amazing but I think the squares are a bit small and the boxes are fabric and not that sturdy.

I was in ikea yesterday and saw the trofast units. I actually had these in my classroom and found them good but you can't have heavy things in them.

What does everyone do? We were contemplating building an extension for a playroom but our son just wants all his toys wherever we are so I don't think there is a point!!!

would love to hear what everyone uses? Thanks a mil

beauf

Move into the shed (or extension) and leave them the house. It inevitable anyway. It just takes 40yrs or so to realise it.

The Kallax units can be got in all sizes, the boxes are pretty study and so cheap so it doesn't really matter if a box gets wrecked. They look a bit industrial but you'll be past caring in a few years. Function over fashion will be king

Glitzgirl

I'm in the same boat here !

my kitchen dining are open plan and I have double doors which are usually open in between the sitting room and dining room so toys are everywhere.

I got the kallax unit (8 squares ) and use it as a sideboard put some little legs on it in the din in room and it has drawers and doors on it in marching black same as the unit so it looks quiet neat and not child like. In it all board games are kept and extra school supplies in the drawer for the eldest boy.

There are also 2 fabric black boxes filled with lego and one with blocks.

I find the best thing to do is alternate thsee weekly with other toys so your limiting how many toys are in the adult spaces downstairs but LO isn't getting bored of the same toys.

Also we have an ottoman that opens up with larger toys like toot toot drivers etc. I hate hate hate seeing kids toys all over the house so it's important that I can clean them up quickly and my child can access them easily and safely to play with them.

Ikea do a kids seat storage bench could be a good alternative for downstairs living areas and give the child somewhere to sit. Alternatively if you go on pinterest or Google ikea table hacks for kids you'll get some really good ideas there esp with lego and arts and crafts tables.

The tofrost units are good they are in toddlers bedroom however when your toddler gets comfortable with them you will find they use the units as a climbing space which makes things very interesting .. :eek:

Millem

Beauf I laughed so much when I read your response :D
We are getting a Porch as one of our dogs has a tendency to bolt out front door in bad weather or with fireworks etc. and then we were going to build an extension for our toddler's toys!!!!!

The porch is just a "storm porch" but I can put his trike and scuttlebugs in it!

Glitzgal our houses sound a similar layout! We have doubke doors into kitchen/diner which toddler and 1 dog know how to open :rolleyes:

What legs do you put on Kallax?

Glitzgirl

Hi Millem I'm not sure what the name of the legs is but I got them in ikea too but any good diy store should have some for putting on presses etc.

cyning

We built a little house in the alcove under the stairs and a floor to ceiling cupboard. So they play in there during the day and I fire all the toys in there in the evening. Cheaper than an extension! But might not be an option depending on your house!

Glitzgirl

cyning wrote: »

We built a little house in the alcove under the stairs and a floor to ceiling cupboard. So they play in there during the day and I fire all the toys in there in the evening. Cheaper than an extension! But might not be an option depending on your house!

I'd love to this for my dogs I seen some very creative ideas on pinterest ! but we rent at the moment ... sigh .. maybe when we own our own home

beauf

Do the legs give you enough clearance to hoover under?

The Kallax are a lifesaver. Toys, school bags, console games. They work for a load of other uses too. The other ones with the trays a little less versatile. Bit everyone will have different needs.

Glitzgirl

beauf wrote: »

Do the legs give you enough clearance to hoover under?

The Kallax are a lifesaver. Toys, school bags, console games. They work for a load of other uses too. The other ones with the trays a little less versatile. Bit everyone will have different needs.

The ones I picked are a solid silver effect leg and unfortunately my hoover head doesn't fit under it but I can get the brush in there and sweep it out before I hoover !

Ikea do extendable legs too so you could get some that would be height adjustable ! I love the kallax units

Millem

cyning wrote: »

We built a little house in the alcove under the stairs and a floor to ceiling cupboard. So they play in there during the day and I fire all the toys in there in the evening. Cheaper than an extension! But might not be an option depending on your house!

Cyning is it where the toilet is in a lot of houses? If so we have a toilet there

nikpmup

I bought this in homestore and more, doubles as extra seating. Going to get another one for duvet covers etc for the end of the bed:


https://www.homestoreandmore.ie/ottomans/faux-leather-storage-bench-ottoman-large-brown/invt/049303

cyning

Millem wrote: »

Cyning is it where the toilet is in a lot of houses? If so we have a toilet there

No good to you so we just had hall there!

Glitzgirl

nikpmup wrote: »

I bought this in homestore and more, doubles as extra seating. Going to get another one for duvet covers etc for the end of the bed:


https://www.homestoreandmore.ie/ottomans/faux-leather-storage-bench-ottoman-large-brown/invt/049303

I love these I have one at my vanity table as a seat (also conveniently holds all my clean bedlinen )

Miss Merry Berry

I got one of these storage drawers from IKEA and put it in an alcove. I put the same cushion from IKEA on top and my daughter can sit on it when she's older and read books etc. It's quite deep and fits lots of smaller toys. I might get another one and put it in the living room. It's so handy as my daughter is now at an age when she can pull the drawer out herself and pick out her toys and tidy them back up in the evening. I'm also not buying her any more toys until her birthday in August, the best of intentions of course

http://www.ikea.com/ie/en/products/childrens-ikea-products/children-3-7/childrens-storage-system/stuva-storage-bench-white-blue-spr-99876662/

http://www.ikea.com/ie/en/products/childrens-ikea-products/children-3-7/childrens-textiles/vissla-bench-pad-art-50243789/

LegacyUser

What did we do before IKEA?!!!
Interesting ideas here, we are in a similar situation.I can sort a unit for boxes of toys, it's the big stuff....her kitchen,toy buggy, trike etc that are a bit of a problem.We have a big hall so the trike is parked there for now, and her other bits fit in the living room, but no. 2 is on the way and for the life of me I don't know how we'll work it.Any and all ideas are welcome but I really think an extension will be needed at some point.

fro9etb8j5qsl2

I am hoping for a playroom extension too! A house went on sale recently around the corner from us with an extension already built on it and we are half tempted to have a look at it even though we only moved in here 6 months ago :pac:

Have you got a stira/floored attic? It is a godsend. We keep our toys on rotation between the attic, kids bedrooms and sitting room. The ikea kitchen and little tikes table and chairs live in the sitting room full time. Luckily, they both fit perfectly into alcoves where they are not in the way or an eyesore.

We keep one bigger toy in the sittingroom too, at the moment it is the fisher price crawl through door. All the small cars/plastic animals/wooden blocks are sorted into plastic see through boxes by category and stored on top of or inside the ikea kitchen. I only allow 3 stuffed animals downstairs at one time so they get rotated regularly. Same with books. Then we have a trunki which is stored under the little tikes table and the toys in that get rotated regularly too.

Mega bloks and toot toot sets live in my little boys bedroom and are brought down for a day and put back up in the evening. All of the smaller stuff we keep out has a place in a box so can be hidden away at the end of the day no bother. I find that I am forever lugging stuff up and down the stairs but it is worth it. I'm fairly anal about mess so couldn't be looking at bits and pieces thrown around after the kids go to bed. Also, I find that rotating the toys helps to keep them interested.

Eta- I recently got the 8 kallax unit for his bedroom and find it great, I don't have boxes for it so just use it as it is. We have it on it's side and use it as a little seat too. Must get a cushion for it. There are great ikea hacks on pinterest!

Millem

So I think I am going to get an 8 Kallax (standing up tall) for inside the double doors in my kitchen/dining. I may put trofast boxes in it.

We are getting Hemnes sideboard in one alcove in sitting room and another one in other alcove. Basically pretty much no toys in sitting room.

Market stall and kitchen stay in kitchen.

yellow hen

This is not directed at the OP here but do you ever think that kids have actually just got too many toys? I'm incredulous when I go into some of my siblings houses and see how much toys there are. There is no way in gods earth that a child can play with that much stuff. We don't buy our son that much as he gets enough for birthdays and christmas. We spend alot of time in the garden so this year, we're thinking about investing in a wooden playhouse and swing/slide set.

Or maybe I'm I just really scabby?!

lazygal

yellow hen wrote: »

This is not directed at the OP here but do you ever think that kids have actually just got too many toys? I'm incredulous when I go into some of my siblings houses and see how much toys there are. There is no way in gods earth that a child can play with that much stuff. We don't buy our son that much as he gets enough for birthdays and christmas. We spend alot of time in the garden so this year, we're thinking about investing in a wooden playhouse and swing/slide set.

Or maybe I'm I just really scabby?!

We keep the bare minimum. Our children have to share our living room with us and everything for them toys wise has to fit under our stairs, in a 2x2 kallax and a few other baskets. We regularly declutter and what we buy must fit into the designated toy area. Some houses are full to the brim with kids stuff in every room. I could not live with masses of toys when they play with the same stuff over and over.

iguana

yellow hen wrote: »

This is not directed at the OP here but do you ever think that kids have actually just got too many toys? I'm incredulous when I go into some of my siblings houses and see how much toys there are. There is no way in gods earth that a child can play with that much stuff. We don't buy our son that much as he gets enough for birthdays and christmas. We spend alot of time in the garden so this year, we're thinking about investing in a wooden playhouse and swing/slide set.

Or maybe I'm I just really scabby?!

It depends on the child. S is just really, really into his toys and plays with everything he has and he has an unbelievable amount of toys as my dad is a car boot junkie and I'm a charity shop junkie. S plays the most complicated and all encompassing games with his toys and is actually very strict that each item is returned to the exact right part of the shelf it lives on when he is done with it as he doesn't want to waste his play time looking for the exact figure he suddenly needs mid-game.

As such our toy storage is the opposite of most people's and all the toys are organised on display on open shelves. We do have a playroom so most of his toys are on shelves in there, while all the things with small pieces like his Imaginext/Playskool Heroes, board games and jigsaws are in his bedroom. All his books, play dough, easel and art supplies are in the livingroom. As are his bike, scooter, car and skates as he uses them in there if it's too wet to go outside. It's funny but I love having the house full of toys. Over Christmas we moved most of his stuff from the livingroom so we could fit the decorations. And I'd planned to leave them where I'd put them from then on. But the first thing we did when the tree came down was put his toys back because the room looked empty without them.