How I Organized my Toddler's Toys

{This post is written by my assistant, Tiffany}

This month my baby turned one.  I have learned from Becky that birthday time is organizing time!  For years now my older children have cleaned out their rooms each summer in preparation for the start of school and their September birthdays.  Now it's MY turn to get organized in preparation for the toddler years to come. 

So you know you have a toddler when your baby no longer stays where you put them, but instead, roams the house looking for trouble.  Suddenly those teethers and baby gyms that used to occupy them  only cause them to fuss.  They detest the pack 'n play and arch their backs in rebellion when you try to keep them confined to the exersaucer.  

Up until this point, you are able to corral their little toys to a basket or bin in their room or corner of the living room, and quickly put them away when they are done playing with them. Once they are on the move you realize that they think the remote control, your new iPhone 6 and the toilet brush all look like toys.  AHHHH!!!  Well, that means it's time for you to get organized and get ready to train that little one to be organized as well.  

The key to keeping my toddler's toys from taking over the house is the same as any other area of the house. Less is more.  This is a principle we don't like in our buy-buy culture, but it is so very true.   

I cleared off one lower shelf in the family room where a few select toys reside.  

You will notice there are just a few books and toys on her shelf and the rest of the shelves house Mommy and Daddy's books.  The shelves with our books are "no touch" shelves and they are right next to her shelf.  This is purposeful on my part.  I want my child to learn that not every shelf is for her. This is only learned if there are safe "no touch" zones for her to practice on.  Now I can bring my toddler to grandma's house and know she will listen and obey when I tell her "no that's not for babies," because she has been practicing at home first.    

I only offer a select amount of toys in the living room so that she learns to focus her play rather than create a giant destructive toy bomb in the family room.  When transitioning from playtime to lunch,snack or nap we put away our toys where we got them.  If there are too many things on the shelf, it makes it more difficult to put things back. Be kind to your child and yourself by keeping things simple. 

I decided she needed to have a safe place to play unattended and her room was the ideal place. Our nursery is actually a little breakfast room measuring about 60 square feet.  It is just big enough to fit a dresser, crib and rocking chair and not much else.  There is no room to put a closet system or even bookshelves, however, there is a lovely built in hutch.  I removed the bottom doors (to prevent smashed fingers) and displayed some toys for her there.  The cupboards above are filled with her linens and other items that are not baby proof.  

The open shelf in the built in is perfect to display her fabulous shoe collection (every pair handed down from a precious friend).  Seeing them makes it easier to quickly grab the ones we want as we head out the door in the morning.  The drawers are for socks and hair bows and other little items that need stowing. 

The baby piano, given to her by a friend, sits just behind her rocking chair next to her crib along with a couple of books and "friends" that she currently adores. It is fun to hear her playing in her room on her own while I help her sisters with homework in the afternoons.   She enjoys having a safe place to play that's free of that all too familiar phrase "no touch sweetie!" 

I hope you are encouraged by my less-is-more approach to organizing my toddler's toys.  Have you ever considered offering less to your child and seeing how it helps teach them to be organized too?  

 

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