Pottery Barn Kids Furniture just doesn't have the best toy storage ideas.

I like the pictures at Pottery Barn kids furniture stores. The child models are adorable and the toys are all in order. Sometimes a little unrealistic. In one picture in particular they have two white beds, each with a white toy chest at the foot. The toy chests are "neatly" filled to just overflowing with dolls and other toys.

What would a real child do in that room? Well, first grab the pretty doll in the top of the chest. Look at it for 5 seconds then think "what else is underneath?" I'd give that child about 45 seconds to have EVERY toy from that pretty white toy chest on the floor and scraping their fingers on the bottom. (I hope they don't get any splinters!)

This looked like furniture for parents with a lot of time on their hands. I didn't find any functions that consider the needs of busy parents.

Nor did I see much that was designed from the child's point of view. Beds, tables, benches, bookcases, traditional storage, that's about it. Once in a while I would find a raised bed with an area to play area underneath. Perhaps a table strong enough that your child could also crawl around on.

For my first grandson, I created the prototype shown in this video.

This toy cabinet is based on thinking like a child. Parents toys storage is described in more detail here. The "One at a Time" feature may be the first new idea in childrens furniture this century.

Helping the child avoid a mess on the floor helps the parents as well. I think it goes without saying, anything that helps the kids will certainly help the adults around them. I call this a win-win situation at its best.

Pottery Barn Kids furniture has wonderful designs for your child's room. Someday they may even add features that make the furniture more useful to the children and parents.

When it comes to toy storage here are my five key criteria:

1. Children need only a few, high quality toys available at one time.
2. Children should SEE where the toys are when they go looking for a toy.
3. After playing with each toy, it should have a specific place or "home" where it belongs.
4. Avoid the overwhelming task of picking up a pile of toys at once.
5. A toy should have "value" in exchange for a new toy. Even small kids understand that.

After watching this video, how about letting Potter Barn Kids Furniture know that better ideas are available.

link from Pottery Barn Kids Furniture to Kids Furniture Stores.