As a home organizer, I’ve found that Toys and the clutter caused by them is one of the most difficult things for parents to deal with.

It is hard because:

1. Kids get attached to things and have a hard time giving things away, they won’t have played with it for a year but the second you mention donating it, it's the only thing they want. 

2. Guilt,  you feel guilty giving away toys they’ve been given as gifts, not to mention the guilt you feel when you’re in a store and they desperately ask for something new (just me?).

3. They are bright, loud, and have a million little pieces so it's just darn overwhelming when you do try to organize and go through them.

Let me tell you a little secret, I don’t have a playroom. We bought our house just over a year ago and though we technically have the space we quickly realized that our daughter (now 4) wouldn’t go to another floor on her own so the best place for her toys was in the living room. Talk about my worst nightmare!  I imagined a tidy playroom out of the way just like I organize for other people. While my husband and I aim for a cozy comfortable living room, toy clutter and all its effects is something that we both wanted to avoid. So, here is how we made it work in our home. 

**I want to acknowledge a couple of things that make it a little easier for us to keep the mess down. My daughter is only 4 and has only had one birthday with friends (fewer gifts) We both have small families and they are all very respectful of our boundaries around gifting, (I understand that not everyone is so lucky). I only have one child so we don’t have to worry about having toys for multiple ages or have duplicates to avoid fights.

1. Furniture with built-in storage

My one regret is not getting the TV stand that had doors all across. Having furniture that helps hide the toys away means that you can at least have clutter-free evenings. 

2. Add Baskets or Bins

Group the toys into categories and put each grouping into bins or small baskets to make it easy for kids to see what they have and clean up after they’re done playing. For toys with lots of small parts or accessories put smaller bins inside larger ones for the small stuff. Have one basket for other toys, these might come down from a bedroom, or don’t fit into the other groupings. It acts as a catch-all so that things are out of the way. 

3. Label with Pictures

Using pictures helps kids who can’t read yet put things away in the right place. 

4. Remove the packaging

Boxes for puzzles and games take up so much space, not to mention they break down over time and almost always end up ripped and broken so I suggest zippered bags instead. Put them on a shelf or in a drawer to save a lot of space. 

5. Make space for art supplies

Art supplies are the bane of many parents’ existence. We added a sideboard beside our dining table and half of it contains art supplies and play-doh accessories. I’ve separated everything into bins added labels and now have a tidy art zone. 

6. Weekly Reset

Instead of trying to keep everything perfect every day focus on minor clean-ups daily and do a weekly reset on a Sunday. This is where you make sure everything that belongs upstairs goes back, everything that belongs downstairs is placed in the right bin and you can even switch out some toys that have lost interest

7. Toy rotation

I’ve talked about toy rotations many times but this really is important for a tidy play space. Kids get overwhelmed when there are too many options so this helps keep things reasonable. It doesn’t have to be fancy but just put things on a shelf in a basement or a closet to keep it out of sight for a little while. 

8. Embrace imperfection

Yes toys will be out, and you won’t have an immaculate space but these steps will help you keep that overwhelming toy clutter at bay. 

If you need help getting that playroom under control book a complimentary consultation today 

Happy Organizing

Jocelyn