I wish I had a way of quantifying the sheer volume of LEGO bricks that have taken up residence in my home the past several years. After each and every birthday or holiday, I think to myself that we can’t possibly absorb the weight of one more set. The sets cover my son’s dresser, bookshelf, and LEGO table; they live in bins and are stashed away in our TV cabinet and end table; they’re displayed on shelves in the basement and fill plastic containers placed sporadically around his bedroom; they loom recklessly in a teetering mountain on top of his toy chest.
I am truly baffled about where we’re going to put the massive new Razor Crest he put together on Christmas Day, or the “Rathtar Escape” scene he’s building as I write this. (So far, rather than come up with actual solutions, I’ve been mostly sighing a lot whenever I come within sight of my dining room table.)
I know I’m not alone: Your kids probably already had too many toys and now a fresh shipment of stuff has entered your home, and you’re looking around wondering where on Earth to put it all. We’ve got several ideas to help get you organized—starting with what is probably a counterintuitive idea.
Ditch the storage bins
I love a good storage bin; a quick peek into my basement will prove that. But when it comes to storing toys kids are actively playing with, those giant bins, toy boxes, and baskets are probably making things worse. Sure, they hold a lot, which is good. But what they also do is bury the majority of what’s inside, making it impossible for kids to find what they want until eventually they forget it even exists.
Instead, we offer a solution that involves shelving and the intentional rotation of toys.
Next, I’m coming for all those stuffed animals.
Storing stuffed animals
The best way to store stuffed animals is in the garbage.
I kid, I kid (sort of). Stuffed animals are cute, but by the time a child is approximately six months old, they already have way too many. Luckily, we have several solutions for this problem, involving such MacGuyver-esque materials as curtain rods and hanging planters.
Now that those are out of the way, what are we going to do with all those board games?
Store games vertically
You are going to be tempted to find an empty shelf and stack all of your kid’s board games from the largest on the bottom to the smallest on top, in an effort to prevent toppling. They’re still going to topple, though, the first time Sammy tries to pull Candy Land out from underneath Monopoly Junior, which is why we offer this solution: Store games vertically.
Get a toy chest or a storage coffee table that opens up and store them as pictured. You can easily see your options, and they’re low to the ground so little kids can pull out a game on their own without knocking over five others and risking injury to them or the games.
But what about puzzles?
Envelopes are a puzzle’s best friend
If your puzzles are in boxes, store them vertically like we did with the games. But if you have a slew of those chunky wooden puzzles for toddlers, you’re going to lose the pieces in about three minutes—especially if you’re still using the big toy bins that I suggested you get rid of. What you need is a supply of clear poly envelopes.
Ready for bath toys?
Storing wet bath toys
Ahhhh, bath toys...so key to a young child’s happiness, yet so wet and perpetually in the way of your own routine bathing. What is one to do? One should get a hanging fruit basket, obviously. Allow me to explain.
There’s also still plenty of time to hide extra toys in the back of the closet.
Hide the toys away
Just because Aunt Julie went absolutely bonkers buying your one-year-old more toys than they could ever possible want or need doesn’t mean you have to put it all out for them to play with right now. If they’re still pretty young, chances are that the holiday passed in a total blur and they will not remember that they should have four new puzzles, not merely one; or ten new loud, plastic contraptions, not just two.
Pack up some of the excess now and bring it out later in the year when they really do need something fresh to entertain them.
On the other hand, if your children are older...
Hide the kids away
Hiding toys from them is only going to work for so long—by the time they’re a bit older, they’re not going to put up with you hiding their new stuff on a high shelf in the closet. That’s when I suggest you hide the actual children away. What I mean is: Get creative with under-utilized space in your home.
After my basement got waterlogged during a storm, I took a look around and realized I hadn’t been using the space to its full potential anyway. What was once a fairly creepy unfinished East Coast basement then became the Kid Cave, which housed video game consoles, board games, and other assorted toys. It now doubles as toy storage and a space for my 10-year-old to hang out with his friends.
Maybe you, too, have a room or space in your home that isn’t used very often, such as a formal dining room, a guest bedroom, or a garage. You may be able to turn it into a play area, creating another location with which to store both the toys and your children.
Okay, your turn: What the hell do I do with all these LEGO bricks?