Stuffed Animal Zoo

C.,
I had to laugh when I read your post. My 18 yr old still has most of her stuffed animals in a suitcase in the attic, and another with all her dolls (all of them had names, of course). She just couldn't bear to part with them. She got rid of some, but even last summer when she got down the suitcases to get rid of more stuff, most of them went back into the suitcases and back upstairs!

And she played with them until she was about 12 or 13!

PS I had to come back and add this note: We tried the pet chain when she was little. I was the only one hanging up animals. That got old. I got smart and got a big tub for the animals. The dolls were usually lined up ready to go at all times.

I like the idea of a large tub or container to just throw them in. The tub itself becomes part of the play = Noah's ark, a car/bus/boat/airplane. Something to hide under,etc. A tub or laundry basket also is useful when the child gets older = storage or dirty laundry. Win/win!

1 mom found this helpful

I fell your pain. My daughter is the same way! I swear they multiply. :-) She loves them so much though and named every single one so i didn't know what to do. We tried the storage nets and that just didn't work b/c she inevitably wanted the ones on the top to play with. I read an ad about this itme about a week ago and just ordered one today. I think it's going to solve all my problems! It's called a "Boon Animal Bag". It's basically a bean bag chair, but uses their stuffed animals as the "stuffing". I searched & found the cheapest prices at this website.
www.justkidsstore.com It should arrive in a couple of ays and I'd be happy to give you feedback on it.

1 mom found this helpful

Hi C.! I too, understand!

Our 15 yr old adored her stuffed animals. At one time we lined them from her room to the back door and counted at least 300! Of course she loved them ALL.

In the beginning, I had a huge wicker basket where they stayed. Now that she's older, I have them put into clear strong bags and stored.

Each one has a special meaning, from the smallest won at the state fair to the largest purchased for her to enjoy.

I'll have them whenever she might want to pass them on. I'll leave that choice to her when the time comes!

In the meantime.... She's moved on to her more teen things which is all new!!

Happy new year! TF!!

We bought a little kid camo tent at Academy for $30 & threw all the animals in there. The tent is in the corner of my little boys bedroom. The kids get in there & play with the animals. Of course they drag them out all over the floor but the clean up is easy, you just throw them all in there. Very fast way to clean things up!

Safety pin/tie up the ones she rarely plays with to a chain that hangs from the ceiling. OR buy one of those corner nets and throw them up there.

Sweety, My daughter is a new mommy and referred me to this site, that's why a grandma is giving advice.. When daughter was a little girl she had a plethora of stuffed animals. At that time there was a product call 'Pet Nets". They were corner nets that hung on the wall and kept the animals nearby, yet off of floors and other surfaces. I loved them and when firemen or child protection services or police have stuffed toy drives you can teach your child compassion by choosing a 'friend' to share with children in need. That way you can find a way to cull out a few at a time to make room for new ones! Hope this helps! T. W

We use the Ikea tower posted too, but we have it hung in the closet from the clothes bar. Each of our children also have a big open bag from Ikea that is intended for gardening in which they store their animals.

C.
Mom of two - 6 and 4

Here are a couple of ideas which I have used with my kids- the first was a net we hung in the corner of the room up near the ceiling and just threw all the stuffed animals up there- we have also used a rope type thing- it was a braided legnth of yarn(a couple of inches thick) with clothes pins that attached the stuffed animals to the yarn- it hung from a hook on the ceiling. That's all I can think of for now- good luck!
~C.

I LOVED stuffed animals as a kid. They were my favorite toys by far, and I had a large number of them. My parents built a shelf that went completely around my room so that I could store them. If she plays with them all, often, then you may want to do something similar. My boys, on the other hand, like stuffed animals, but usually only play with a few at a time, so I went through and donated a bunch to charity this Christmas (and so far, they haven't even noticed).

We've used this in my girls' bedrooms. http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70115578 It hangs from a sturdy hook in the ceiling, and we placed it next to the foot of the bed, so when she stands on the bed, she can reach almost all of the animals herself.

build her a shelf or get a stuffed animal hammock.

here are a couple of options C., you can get a "pet net" or "pet chain" The net net hangs in the corner of the room elevated off the floor. the chain version basically hangs like a hanging plant would but displays the animals in a hanging manner. the other optionis to donate them. I take all of my kids stuffed animals (once i can get) and donate them to my local fire station. the firemen keep a few in their trucks at all times and this helps them comfort children when they are at their homes.

My children display their stuffed animals in a net in a corner of their room, you can puchase them at Walmart, they are great because all stuffed animals are up off the floor and beds. God bless, have a wonderful day!

If you want to get reid of some you could donate them to the local police dept. I am not sure if any of the children's hospitals would take them to do dust allergy of some kids but you could call Children's and cooks and see if they would like some. Maybe if you tell your daughter that she can pick some special animals that she thinks would make other kids feel good then she would give some up.

Hi C.,

My little sister and I were the same way so my mom bought two of those triangular toy nets that you hang on the wall in a corner. My sister was about three when we got them. You can hang them low enough that she can get to them but they will still be off the floor and out of the bed. Here is a picture of one http://www.amazon.com/Deluxe-Pet-Net-Stuffed-Organizer/dp...
You might even be able to "stack" them though we never did.

I think Ikea also has some cute wall storage that might work.

The good news is your daughter is probably very compassionate in caring for so many "animals." ;)

Good luck!
M.

I had the exact same problem with my son's room. I just bought a stuffed toy hammock on amazon.com and it is great. It get's the stuffed toys off the ground and makes his room manageable. I bought the jumbo, but it really wasn't that big, so I am ordering a 2nd one. You'll probably need 2 also. They can still reach them and play, so it's really perfect.