9 Tips to Keep Toy Organization Simple

We've talked about the dangers of toys before. Now it's time for toy organization. I'm terrible at it. Or I was terrible at it. Keeping some type of organization for all the toys in my house was like a thorn in my side until I figured it out. It was like the never-ending mess lived in my body, and I carried it with me everywhere. It raised my baseline stress level by just being in my playroom at all times. I'm hoping what I learned can help you out too:

1. Baby steps

It's nearly impossible to tackle everything at once. Choose one small area to work on in 1-2 hour segments and go for it. The idea of an entire room or entire closet can be daunting and prohibit you from even starting. It doesn't all have to be done at once.

2. Storage bins

These are key! Our closets and drawers are not suited to hold all of our stuff and keep it orderly. We must separate toys and give them their own place. This was the biggest part of the learning curve for me. As long as everything has a home, there is no struggling to figure out where to put it once it's out on the floor. It's good to get all kinds of sizes because some toys need large bins, like legos and train tracks, whereas some other toys need smaller bins, such as figurines and little characters.

3. Labels

These will help your kids remember where everything goes. If they are little, you can draw a picture instead of using words. Eventually, they will get it and know by heart where everything belongs.

4. Sorting through it all

You need 3 garbage bags: 1 for stuff you want to keep and put in storage, 1 for toys you will donate, and 1 for garbage. Once you are set up with that, you are ready to sort through the mess.

5. Do it when kids are not there

It's so difficult to manage a clean-up with the kids around. They will continue to take out things you already put away. Inevitably, they will declare their undying love for a toy they haven't played with for a year that you have designated to give away.

6. Make rules around toys and clean up

Once it is all organized, you want to keep it that way! Make the rules around toy organization realistic. If your kids can follow the "one toy at a time" and "once you are done, it goes back before you take out the next one" rules, then great. This is hard, though, especially if friends come over and want to test out every single item in the closet. Reserving television time for after the playroom is cleaned is a good way to manage the mess. Any positive motivator may help. First comes clean up, then comes whatever the reward.

7. Don't hoard

If the kids have not been interested in the toy for a while and won't even know it's gone, get rid of it. This is where donation is the best because it not only helps those who receive the item, but it alleviates your guilt of getting rid of it. Declutter and pass it on.

8. Have a place for things that don't belong anywhere

You can put it all in one bin together and call it miscellaneous. When cleaning up, it's hard to figure out exactly where everything should belong. A toy may not belong to any special grouping. The miscellaneous bin will help to give homeless toys a home.

9. If you have closet space, use it!

Shelves are much more helpful than a rod that hangs 2 dresses you will never wear. Put up shelves, buy the bins, and use the space. It's so much nicer to be able to close the closet doors with everything hiding behind it than letting it hang out in the general play space. Plus, if the kids are messy about cleaning up, you don't have to see it.Alright, you have the tools. Now it's time to organize those toys!