Need Recommendations for Best Toy Organization System!

We just got some Sterilite plastic drawers from Meijer for about $22 to control our Christmas gifts. I got the one that has 7 drawers - 3 deep and 4 shallow. And it's working great! It's easy for the kids to see and access. We have baby doll clothes, kitchen stuff and balls in the 3 deep ones and then little figures (separated by kid) and a kind of track/puzzle in another.

We also have those bins from Toys R Us, the ones that are multicolored and sit on a rail. I like them, but find that they don't work so well for all toys and sometimes the kids have a hard time getting everything they want out of them. And the bins periodically become toys themselves, which means that the toy bins are completely emptied all over the room!

I love IKEA for storage solutions. Look into the TROFAST system, there are many different combos you can do. With these units, you can do shelves, or various size bins. You can look on their website too. I recommend also you get a taller unit (we got a tall Trofast white unit for $50, not on website) so you can put art supplies, play-doh or other messy toys on a high shelf so they cannot reach, if they want to play, you have to get it down for them (makes it easier to supervise these activities). They come with anti-tipping brackets, very important if you have young children. Ikea also has nice bookshelf units (nice for bigger toys that don't fit in a bin). Happy shopping!

L.

We have the rack with the pastel organizing bins and I agree with the other mom that said they're hard for the kids to take toys out of and awkward for some size toys. Stay away from a large toy boxe as things just get dumped in there and toys don't get played with. I just read an organizational article that recommended shallow, clear bins for toys. That way your child can see what is in them and it's not too deep for toys to get lost. Have fun! I'm interested to read your other responses as we just did a purge of old toys in preparation for Christmas and now need some organization as well.

We just bought an Expedit bookcase from Ikea $70. 8 cubes that you can buy baskets for (we bought 3 Drona boxes for $4.99 each)and you can have it horizontal or vertical. Seems very sturdy and looks great.

We used to have the storage thing that someone mentioned that has the bins and they sit on a rail. Outgrew that about 1.5 years ago. We have had the Trofast system from Ikea, and I love it. They have different size bins you can buy, and it is pretty sturdy. So I agree with the others, try Ikea. In fact I am probably going back up there soon to look for more storage options for other stuff.

I also have stackable bins, they are not clear but mine are 3 different colors. I just bought what was on sale at the time. I think mine were originally intended for recycling (although for recycling bins they would be a bit small).

Right now would be a great time to shop around (Meijers, Target, K-mart, Wal-mart etc) and see whats out there and what the best price is. Be flexable and when looking at the plastic containers don't get locked in by what the tag says the purpose of the tub is...think outside the box.

I have 5 boys so we have a ton of stuff. I took one wall in our toyroom and went with stackable bins 3 high and 6 across. Then above the bins I installed adjustable shelving (the kind where the metal strips screw into the wall and then you can slip the brackets in where you want them and then just lay the shelf over top of the brackets) all the way to the ceiling. I did this in 3 "columns" along the wall.

That way my older boys can put their "treasures" on the top shelves. Like Lego creations they don't want disassembled just yet, board games they don't want the pieces lost to, etc. That way the littler boys don't have access to them. The shelving works out well for their bigger toy trucks, tractors, tonka type toys, and books.

I use the clear stackable bins... not from Walmart, because I have issues with how Walmart as a company dries up the communities, but that's a different topic. Kids don't necessarily like systems. I have my son use a Thomas backpack on wheels to put all his cars in... that way he does it himself!!! if you get something the kids are on board with, they will clean up. He likes throwing them into Thomas!

I have been using clear plastic bins and I absolutely hate them. They look awful and I don't like the way they stack and my kids have broken several of the lids so they won't stack anymore. I still have some but only because I can't bring myself to throw them away. I am going with shelves that I can put baskets in.

We have a whole room outfitted with the IKEA "bin" system. LOVE IT! I have three boys and a million HotWheels and other toys with lots of parts (think blocks, Legos, etc.). The bins work great because we labeled them and the boys can just toss their stuff in the correct bin. Works great! Good luck!

Clear plastic bins from walmart, that are stackable. Then put like with like.

i second the trofast system from ikea....i just bought it last weekend & it holds way more than i thought....they also have different configuring ideas to help make the most out of organizing.

I use this one: http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2904288 It has 16 bins, while the normal size one only has 12 bins. It holds alot! If you have alot of the bigger sized toys, this might not be so good. The large bins fits about 6 Barbie's and all their accesories. If you're using them for matchbox cars and things like that, this is perfect! Another good point for this is if one bin breaks, you can buy another from the company and have it shipped to you. It does wiggle a bit if you bump it but it's not in any danger of falling or anything like that. I just love my toy bin. Good luck in your search!

am just useing a book shelf and samll totes for the small thing like paints, crayons,cars ect. then one a little bigger ones for the bigger things its working very well and cheeper the most of the things Ive seen that do the some thing> good luck

Hi L.,
I use to use the colorful bins that sit in the wooden rack they come with. I'm sorry, I don't have a name for it, but they sell them @ Target. Primary colors for boys and pastels for the girls if you prefer. There were 2-4 large bins and 8 maybe more bins that were the size of shoe boxes.I loved them. Larger toys such as balls and any outdoor toys, I used the huge toy boxes by Little Tike and kept it in the garage since I didn't allow him to play w/ bats and balls in the house anyway.