Bye-Bye, Toy Chest: How to Organize for Kids Without the Clutter Traps
As an eco-friendly certified professional organizer® (CPO®) whose process is all about intentional and empowered decluttering—for individuals and families (even kids!), I am a huge fan of shopping from home first.
In this article, I’ll share some of my least favorite products for kids’ play spaces and offer better alternatives. There’s no judgment if you have/use these; maybe they even work for you (share your secrets!).
“Popular” but !! Problematic !! Organizing Products for Kids
In no particular order, here are five commonly seen and poorly functioning organizing products for kids’ play spaces. Note that these are my humble opinions based off my professional judgment as a licensed occupational therapist and CPO®, as well as personally as a parent who crashed and burned in the beginning.
The toy chest (or generally oversized large container)
This is SO commonly seen to corral allllllllllllllllllllllllllllll the toys. But here’s the problem. There is ZERO order. It’s literally an empty vessel whose only purpose is usually a quick way to “tidy” a space—but more often than not, I see tons of different categories, including random items like a remote, someone’s dirty clothes, food wrappers, mail, a screwdriver, etc. It is a catchall space that does not allow for independent play, it results in kids rarely using it versus only playing with what’s on top.If keeping the furniture is really important to you, designate it for only one category, and the items in it should be large so as to be easily seen, retrieved, and tossed back in. Think: blankets/pillows for forts, stuffed animals, large vehicles/things that go. And use the toy chest as a firm boundary; if you decide to store stuffed animals in there, then it’s an automatic limit of how many you can have. Don’t allow stuffies to also live next to it, on a shelf, in another basket as well. If you can’t fit your newest friend, one or two others need to be donated.
The fabric or opaque bins that fill cubes (especially without labels, pictured and/or text)
IKEA’s kallax and Target’s cube shelving are so popular, and I’m a huge fan and have successfully used the kallax myself. When you use the typically pared cube storage, you lose visibility, you encourage dumping, and you give a much-too-large container to become a clutter hotspot because it can hold so. much. stuff.
Instead of those adorable kids’ baskets with animals and solar systems, opt for CLEAR bins, wire bins, or mesh. They also don’t need to occupy the entire 11- or 13-inch cube space. Leave room for little hands to get in; better yet, get one with an open front for easy access.
The forward facing bookshelf (or jam-packed shelves)
Mixed feelings about this, but more often than not, I see these totally overloaded. If you are a mama who takes time to curate the library based on current interests/the season, etc., and rotates books as preferences change and to keep your kids engaged, then this works—if you leave out just enough books to fill each shelf (like 3-4 max) in a single stack, so that each cover is easily seen and has white space on each side.
Let’s be real though, most parents just don’t have time for that, and load them up with as many books as possible, which just doesn’t work, causes visual clutter, reduces the enticing appeal of those forward facing books because you can’t make out what anything is. And also smaller board books don’t even have the height needed for it. And so then books become cluttered on the sides of it, or on other shelves, or in piles on the floor around the room.
It’s normal and developmentally appropriate for babies/toddlers to want to read the same book or two over and over and over and over again. If we put every book out, it’s simply too overwhelming, leading to frustration or an aversion to even looking for a book.
The open bins shelving unit
This is really popular, and so many of my clients have it, but most admit that they don’t care for it as a storage solution and you can see its lack of organization because the bins are typically (a) overflowing, (b) mixed up, (c) not labeled.
It’s not a seamless as it looks to pull out one of the bins (without disrupting others), the opaqueness of the bins means that you can’t see what’s below that top layer.
These work when each bin’s category has only a few items. If you use one to hold 3491 dinosaurs or every single musical instrument, it just doesn’t work. They aren’t meant for that.
The plastic organizer drawers
Besides…just being plastic, this is one of the most oft used organizing containers I see in kids’ and adult spaces alike. But picture this (or maybe you don’t have to because yours looks the same); there’s lots of stuff on top so there’s bowing, making the first drawer difficult to open and close without some jiggling and patience. These drawers are usually large, deep, and wide, meaning each drawer becomes a junk drawer simply because there’s so much space. The whole unit is unstable and wobbly.
These are a low-quality item and the added (albeit small) step of needing to open and close the drawers to retrieve items gives just one more barrier to completion of the putting away task.
Final note on organizing products (and decor in kids’ spaces in general): To save money, reduce waste, and be able to generously donate what you no longer need:
consider skipping the personalization of an item (as it’s way less likely to be regifted to another child)
aim for neutrals and not items that are specifically designed to be for babies/very little kids (especially themed items like Paw Patrol shelves or pink Barbie bins)—they won’t grow with your child
Main Takeaways for Organizing with Kids
They need WAY LESS STUFF to play creatively and independently. If you, as the parent, are overwhelmed, they are; they just don’t know how to express it. Decluttering is powerful and empowering, and giving your kids a voice in the decision making increases their buy in. Your approach and your words matter; avoid these common mistakes when decluttering with kids.
They don’t need all the things, all the time. Consider toy rotation (check back soon for a new post on this awesome organizing hack for kids).
3. Know the purpose of the room and create zones for optimal usage of the space and based on your kids’ interests; have a reading nook, an art corner, a gross motor area, etc. This creates clear visual boundaries and helps reinforce that items have homes so picking up toys is quicker and painless.
4. Consider storage of each category in a zone with the folllowing goals:
increase visibility
simplify accessibility (remove steps)
reduce visual clutter by increasing white space
use the shelf or bin as the limit—if you designate a specific container for Barbies, maintain that quantity by not overfilling/spilling out of the bin (this is where the one-in/one-out rule works!)
Strategies and Products that Promote Independence & Tidiness
There is great flexibility of cube shelves and/or open shelving at age-appropriate levels, noting that kids will grow into taller units and parents can utilize the upper area for decor, display items of built Lego sets or kids’ artwork. Aim for white space between toys or bins, ensuring that you can easily pull items out without knocking over others.
Safety note: be sure to secure furniture to the wall.
Increase visibility by stacking items forward facing, upright, with space to flip through
Take advantage of vertical space by using simple hooks or pegs within reach
Bins: we want them to be able to see what’s inside and not forget or have to dig/dump
acrylic
mesh
wire
clear plastic
or shallow bins with firm edges
Note: avoid flimsy/floppy bins that don’t hold their shape
Labels
Older kids can handwrite their own using very inexpensive blank stickers
For younger kids, Etsy sells some adorable printables with pictures and words
Consider contrast of color so that the label pops against the container
Finetune, Maintain, and Stay Intentional
Now that you’ve significantly pared down, curated a space based on your kid’s unique needs and interests, and intentionally organized and contained the chosen items for use, take some time to simply…observe.
What is your child playing with? How are they playing differently? Do you see a category or toy that was deemed KEEP but is being ignored? That’s one you can rotate out.
If clutter is accumulating particularly in one spot, dig into it: what keeps landing here, why, how can I prevent that? And tweak your systems, involving your kids in the problem solving so they are a part of the solution.
Note that as their needs and development changes, the space (and what’s in it needs to change too). Do seasonal purges. Do a decluttering pass before birthdays and holidays. Have a donation bin in a family-centric spot that everyone can add to, normalizing it as an everyday activity. Get them involved in the donation process.
Make a reset part of the daily routine. Just 10-15 minutes. Not trying to get the playroom to be Instagram-ready, but toys off the floor, surfaces cleared, as much as you can back in its home. It’s much quicker for you to just knock it out after they go to bed, but this is an important life skill, and if they cannot manage to put away what they take out, it’s a sign that there still may be too much. Of course, we model this behavior, but also we can help, we can break it down and give them smaller tasks. We can be encouraging, make it a game, play music, set a timer, get competitive, personify the toys to help them “get to bed,” etc. You know your kids best.
Family-Focused Help is Here
No shame in the game if you want to call in a pro. As an occupational therapist, I love working with kids and engaging them in age- and developmentally-appropriate ways with all aspects of the organizing process—and I also have a specialty certificate in working with people with brain-based conditions like ADHD.
Maybe for you they’re messy and won’t let go of anything, but I promise you that with me they’ll be into it, they’ll get it, they will gain confidence in their decision making and make steady choices about decluttering. Book a free call to learn more.