Can you imagine a toy cabinet that keeps all the other toys until your child puts one back?

Click here to see a video of how this works!

Why might you want such a toy cabinet?

The need for this kind of toy cabinet exists primarily because most families simply have too many toys. There might be lots of reasons for too many toys, but this overabundance is the root cause of a great many family conflicts.

One frequent family conflict is about "toy clutter". This is when the child or children don't have the same idea or ethic of orderliness that at least one of the parents has.

The parents can continue to deal with this conflict on a daily basis, or they can solve the root problem. The choice is theirs.

The parents can deal with this conflict in several ways including:

a) demanding compliance b) trying to be a good example c) trying to reason with the child as an adult d) first visualizing this problem from the child's point of view.

This (and many other problems) often change completely by visualizing the conflict from the child's point of view. That is not as easily said as done. It doesn't mean "giving in" to the child, but rather having an understanding of what the child is seeing or dealing with. Sometimes a solution to the problem becomes obvious when the conflict is seen from both sides.

In the case of "toy clutter" here are three insights from using the child's point of view:

1. Children don't see the "clutter". After all, it becomes the environment they are growing up in. This is partially caused simply by having too many toys in the house. Especially young children see all the toys as what psychologists call "background", like a pattern in the rug.

2. Other behavior problems can stem from simple frustration:

Frustration at not being able to do what the parents are asking.

Frustration at not being able to find their own toys in the clutter.

Frustration at thinking there might be a better toy at the bottom of the toy chest.

If the parents are aware of it, they can easily create an environment where these frustrations never even come up. Proper use of a toy cabinet can solve all these frustrations.

3. At the end of play time, most children are quite willing to "start" to put their toys away. But between the first polite request and the nth parental threat the child runs into three big problems:

The first is that with SO MANY toys to put away, it becomes a project for them. They often willingly start to put away their toys but, remember, kids have shorter attention spans. When the child comes across a toy they haven't seen for a while they get interested in it again. They forget all about the "project" until the parent calls it to their attention once again.

The second is that each toy usually doesn't have a "home" or a specific place for it. Just tossing it into a box, bin, chest or whatever is not only "cruel" to the toy, but it further devalues each individual toy. (A toy cabinet is a much better alternative.) Also, very young children may wonder about any toys that are "hidden" at the bottom of a chest or box or out of sight.

Third, the child thinks that if tossing a toy in a box is OK, they why not just toss it in the general direction of the box? This soon becomes a game, leading to another family conflict.

Designing a toy "environment" and a toy storage "system" with the child's point of view can change things drastically from what you are used to. You can do a lot even with what is already available in your child's room.

CONSIDER:

You, the parent, are completely in charge of your child's upbringing and their environment, at least inside the home. This includes the number and kind of toys your children have. It also includes how, when and where they can be stored and/or displayed. In fact, the way you do this will have an impact on how your child values not only specific toys but how they value objects in general.

Unfortunately, traditional toy storage furniture doesn't help much. (There is a toy cabinet that CAN help. More on this later.)

What can you do to change your child's toy storage environment? Should you do anything about it?

Here are a few things you can consider RIGHT NOW!

1. Just have fewer toys!

Stop buying "junk" toys. Tell the grandparents and aunts to stop buying "junk" toys. Cheap plastic toys do NOT hold your child's interest for more than a few seconds, and soon just become more clutter and confusion in your children's environment.

Get rid of broken and less "worthy" toys. Whatever your criteria for "best" toys (educational, entertaining, aesthetic, durable, non-violent, etc.) take a little time and go through all your child's toys and simply get rid of those that you are keeping "just in case". Be brutal about this. You will probably find quite a few that make you wonder "what was I thinking?" You probably already know what toys or kinds of toys your child regularly ignores.

2. Put some (most) of the toys "away".

Don't have all the toys out and available. Three or four toys are enough for an afternoon of play. If your child can't find something interesting in your best pick of 3 or 4 toys, they won't find anything interesting in 10 or 20 or 50. In fact studies show that over choice leads people not only to be irritated, but to be LESS SATISFIED with whatever they end up choosing. Keep the rest in another room or better yet in a locked closet.

Then get a good toy cabinet that can provide a place for each toy.

3. Have a "home" for each toy in your child's room.

Here is an idea of how toys in a room might be set up for a small child when looked at from the child's point of view:

1 favorite stuffed animal on the bed

1 toy cabinet with specific spaces for 4 toys. Each toy has a specific home and each toy is always visible.

1 book shelf with child's books

and 1 locked closet with "overflow" toys, preferably in another room. Don't confuse the child with these toys, today.

With this set-up, the child knows where each toy in their current "inventory" is at, they can see it in the toy cabinet and they can get to it when they want.

Too many toys leads to too much storage. If the storage isn't "convenient" the toys often end up on the floor. You may have toy chests, benches, boxes, bags, closets, shelves, totes, bins under the bed, a designated corner and STILL have toys on the floor. Even a toy cabinet doesn't solve the problem if there are too many toys.

Actually few children (or adults for that matter) really want to store anything. (Although it is interesting the makers of toy storage furniture and warehouses will gladly fill this "imagined" need.) What children want is to RETRIEVE their toy when and where they want it. Putting it away is a bother and while it is "in storage" it just takes up space, grows old and mildews.

Current toy storage "systems" are the best way vendors have come up with to make a toy available for retrieval when the child wants to play with it. But these systems apparently were not designed with the childs viewpoint in mind.

Of course, consciously or not, toy vendors and children's toy storage furniture vendors generally want to sell more toys and more furniture. They are not interested in showing you how to keep your children educated and entertained with LESS stuff!

INTERESTED IN PURCHASING A TOY CABINET IN THE VIDEO?

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Find out more about toy cabinets and childrens furniture!

Ideas for parents (and grandparents). Parenting education for how to help children keep toys in order. Includes child psychology references.

Consider safety, durability, cleaning, hardness and appearance.

Picking up toys one at a time makes it easy. See video of kids furniture that keeps the other toys until the child puts one back.

See how you can reduce the clutter and still keep your child content.

Ever heard of toy storage that gets kids to automatically put away their own toys? The one at a time Toy Chest and other toy storage ideas are covered for grandparents and parents of young children.

Your child will put their toys back into the One at a time Toy Cabinet if they want another toy. They do it willingly to get another one. Imagine, the kids furniture gets them to do it automatically!