Toy Storage Ideas and Reviews of currently available toy storage systems.

What are the best toy storage ideas you can easily use? How do current commercial products stack up?

Elsewhere in this site you can learn about my quest to help my children with their own grandchildren and the mess that often goes along with children playing. I was frustrated that none of the toy storage products on the market looked at the toy storage problem from the child's point of view. All these products seemed to be setting the child up for failure in learning to keep their room orderly or pleasing their parents.

Rather than just following my own hunches (from the new perspective of a grandparent) I sought out some child psychology research that indicated what might be going on in the child's mind. This research gave a hint of how we could design a toy storage product that would be more useful to children and to their parents.

The key criteria I found for good toy storage ideas would be:

1. Not too many toys/choices available to the child (3-6 items seemed ideal, else the child becomes anxious or confused)

2. Child can see all the choices (no toys buried under others, leaving doubt about what else might be available and distracting from the chosen toy)

3. A place or "home" for every toy (making it easier for the child to understand what to do with the toy when done playing with it)

4. The "discipline" to put back each toy BEFORE going on to the next one (this discipline normally comes from the parent, the eventual goal being an internal discipline in the child)

5. All the "parents" criteria (decor, safety, durability, cost, etc.)

Not finding much in the market place, I designed several prototypes for my grandchildren. An example is shown in this video:

Unfortunately, I haven't started manufacturing these One at a Time Toy Cabinets yet. (Click here to vote your support.) Currently One at a Time Toy Cabinets are only available at Art and Craft shows in the South East USA.

So what can you do right now to improve toy storage in your child's room? Your basic toy storage system doesn't require new furniture. In all cases, it is the parents who are responsible for creating the childs play room environment.

Excellent! So after making some of those changes, what are the most useful toy storage ideas in the market place and how do they stack up against my 5 criteria above?

Here I'm showing a couple of what could be toy storage ideas that seem to best meet my criteria above.

This inexpensive and good looking Expedit bookcase from Ikea can be turned on its side. I then has 8 large open compartments available for toy storage, the compartments are at the child's height and the cabinet is not likely to tip over. The discipline required on the parents part is to only have one toy (or toy set) per compartment (in this case, 8 total). You might try taking a photo of each of the 8 toys and tape each photo to one of the compartments, so the child knows exactly where to store each toy and will be more cooperative in keeping them in place when not playing with them.

Here is an Early Childhood Resources 3 Tier Toy Storage set. Although 12 storage bins is a lot, if the parents can limit themselves to 12 toys it might work. This toy storage idea gives each toy a space and the child can see each toy, so the temptation to simply pick everything out and scatter it around is minimized.

I haven't yet found anything interesting from Pottery Barn, Rosenberry Rooms or Petit Tresor. Theirs as well as those above all have the same limitations: eventually the child can remove all the toys at once and have a challenging mess to clean up. That is why limiting to 3-6 toys makes the clean up less overwhelming. The simple toy storage ideas found in this web site can make a big difference in your household.

The one at a time feature shown in the video not only makes the parents happy by eliminating the mess, but it also provides a focus on the individual toy and its merits. The children also feel secure that each toy has a "home" and the child knows exactly where to expect to find it.

Once you've taken the steps to avoid the daily discussion of picking up toys you can spend some of the free time playing with your children. Show your child that each toy has value by showing them each toy's features and how to play with it. This would also be a good time to determine whether the toy actually has any play value. If not, get rid of it!

THE TOY CABINETS IN THE VIDEO ARE AVAILABLE NOW!

You can Purchase a One at a time Toy Cabinet here

These unique toy cabinets provide a specific storage space or compartment for each toy or toy set. In addition a One at a Time Toy Cabinet provides the two key requirements to help your child value their toys:

First, the child must MAKE A CHOICE when selecting a new toy

Second the child must MAKE A SMALL SACRIFICE of giving up the first toy in order to play with the chosen toy. This exchange is fully automatic and easily understood by toddlers or even by children that are still crawling.

Remember, the One at a time toy chest itself can't make all the difference. The parents must help in creating the whole environment including not having too many toys in the first place. Limiting the number of toys and having a "home" for each may make a big improvement in your household and getting a new piece of kids furniture might just be just icing on the cake.

However you choose to do it, improving your child's toy environment will not only benefit your child in may ways, but as parents you gain time, eliminate hassles and enjoy the benefits of a better mannered child and a more orderly environment. This is truly a win-win for everyone.

The best baby closet organizer grows with your child. See how kids furniture can help your child pick up their toys.

The one at a time Toy Cabinet and other toy storage ideas are covered for grandparents and parents of young children.

See how to maintain an orderly playroom from the child's or the parent's point of view along with other toy storage ideas.

With a kid storage system the toys are automatically put away one at a time. The child can't get the next one until the first toy is put back.

See how children's storage furniture gets kids to pick up their own toys. Free up parent's time with this toy storage system.

Toy car storage protects your child's valuable models by allowing only one model out at a time. Toy cabinet will actually teach your kids to put away their own toys.

How to use closet toy storage as a back up before you donate toys. With fewer toys out you have less toy clutter. How to get organized with best bedroom ideas.

For your children toy storage actually becomes automatic! See how to keep your playroom neat, from the child's or the parent's point of view.