Toy Storage for Children Under Five

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Parents are often left inundated as toys pile up around them once birthdays and holidays subside. Likewise, new parents and early childhood teachers can also experience this sense of overwhelm when it comes to toy storage. Where are all of these playthings going to go?

From a chuck-it-all-in toy box to an organizers dream, here are some of my favorite ways to store those toys.

Toy Storage by Age

To start, let’s have a crash course in age appropriateness.

Think about storage as part of the play experience. What may be appealing, may not be functional or safe. For instance, tall shelving systems may seem like a great way to keep everything in place. Instead, it may end up causing more of a headache while you are the one getting things out and putting them away.

0-1 Years

Baby toys like rattles, stroller/highchair items, and teethers are small and don’t really work well thrown of a shelf. A few soft bins placed directly on the floor allow infants to see their toys and be motivated to move toward them – whether by scooting or crawling. Equally important, bins made of roping won’t hurt babies when they inevitably are explored or bumped into.

My Favorite Picks

1-2 Years

As crawlers turn into walkers, toys become geared toward different milestones. They become bigger as toddlers begin to pretend and many have wheels to encourage walking and building those gross motor muscles. Some type of shelving becomes a necessity. Toddlers are still small and learning vertical balance. Therefore, tall shelves aren’t recommended.

Using a square shelf on its side brings the toys lower and within reach. In return, it gives you options on having lots of flat shelf space or using bins for smaller, loose toys.

Place large or heavy items on the lowest shelves or the floor so they are not pulled down onto the child, causing injury. This also applies to wheeled items that can easily roll off.

3-5 Years

Preschool toys start to become specific, purposeful, and small. While shelving is still essential for wooden puzzle boards, playhouse sets, or other larger toys, bins becomes more of a need. Trofast storage from IKEA fit the bill for both. They are customizable to have different sized bins or even shelves based on your needs.

My Favorite Picks

If you find that the primary need is bin storage, consider this style of shelving. The bins are removable and can be rearranged to suit your needs.

My Favorite Picks

I love that both the Trofast and KidKraft bins are removable. Preschoolers have the independence to take the toys to the play area and easily fill them back up to return to the shelf.

General Storage

As a kid, my brother and I shared a wooden toy box for our toys. It has stood the test of time and now my children use it in their playroom for those random, character toys that don’t really fit anywhere else. Additionally, toy boxes make good dress up trunks.

You might find a toy box to be suitable in your child’s room if space is limited.

Any box you choose should have sufficient gapping to prevent pinching and allow for children to breathe, should they discover this makes a neat hiding space.

My Favorite Picks

Some toy boxes come with a built in shelf for books. However, young children can’t read the spines and tend to recognize books by their cover art. To make this easier and avoid the clearing of the shelves, use baskets or sling shelves.

My Favorite Picks

If you want to keep art supplies readily available for whenever the creative bug strikes, having them stored well can avoid chaos. A single Trofast can work for this. Try a cabinet that can be organized with coloring supplies, paints and brushes, paper, glue, and other tidbits if you want them available, but not always within sight.

We keep the play dough in a closet near the kitchen. As a result, when it gets played with, it can be easily supervised and decreases the chances of having to scrape it out of carpet or hair.

To keep it from becoming a hot mess, consider using stackable storage bins with an opening in the front. This allows for easy access, but keeps it together. Keep tools in a shoe box size bin with a lid to keep them organized. Or, as with this option from The Container Store, use a divider to separate tools from dough. Add and stack more bins as additional sets are acquired.

Unique Toy Storage

As the name suggests, Creative IQ has a few products that are unique ways to store toys.

One of my favorites is the Stuff ‘n Sit storage cover. It is basically a bean bag shell, without the beans. Instead, fill it with stuffed animals, blankets, and other soft toys. Now, not only is there a place to store all those stuffies, but there is also some cozy seating for book reading!

The covers can be used in kids’ rooms or in common spaces like family rooms because of the great fun and neutral patterns!

Another product by Creative IQ is the SlideAway storage bin. These are perfect for Legos, blocks, Barbies and doll accessories, and more! It has an attached mat that collects all the pieces of whatever the children are playing with. This allows them to see everything, but keeps it contained.

Lift the mat and spill the toys back into the bin when playtime is finished! It really makes clean up a breeze!

My Favorite Picks

While this may not be a complete list of storage opportunities, hopefully this is just what is needed to get started.

Need more guidance? Check out the next post in this series: Toy Storage for the Home