Where do you store all their toys if you live in a tiny house?

[Marne]

I'm trying to sort out the masses of toys that have been collected/bought for over the past couple of years as they are taking over the house. I have 2 dd's (one that is in to collecting things) and a tiny 2 bed house. I'm fed up with the living room looking like a play room and having to pack all the tiny little toys away every day.

Dd1 is 6 and has been collecting playmobil for 3 years and it is all over her bedroom (set out and in boxes), most of it she can't play with as there is not enough room in her room (small single bed room). Dd2 sleeps downstairs so the living room is taken up with her small bed and her collection of Happy land (along with lots of other little toys which she scatters across the floor each day). They also have piles of books and puzzles on the top of the landing and dd1's arty bits stored under the stairs.

I have just filled 2 black bags with things to throw away (mainly dd1's art work).

Most of the things get played with daily or weekly so i don't want to get rid of too much (just the tiny bits that i keep treading on) but i have no where to store them.

Ideally dd1 would just have her playmobil in her room and dd2 have her happy land (nothing else) and when they get fed up with it i can swap it for something else but i have no idea where to store all the other bits .

I get to the point where i just want to get rid of it all or take it to a car boot sale but this seems a shame when they play with it all).

Where do you store it all?

Our loft is full off all dh's rubbish .

Boxes, lots of boxes. You can get some clear boxes with lids from the £ shop. Then enforce a strict only one box out at a time policy.

Then you have the problem about where to put the boxes! Can you put up any shelves anywhere, it might be easier to buy wide bits of wood etc and some shelving brackets. You can then adjust the height of the shelves to fit the boxes.

Worst case at least boxes stack neatly.

i have the big flat plastic boxes with lids from ikea. they slide under the beds and i fit loads in them

fit 3 under a single bed

Not really any room for shelves , i think i will have to just pack things in boxes and rotate/swap them every so often. Hopefully we will be moving a a few months (looking for a house) and then we will have an extra room to put all dd2's toys in. I want my living room back .

In storage boxes in what should be the linen closet.

Smaller items are in under bed storage boxes under their bunk beds.

Linen is kept in the top of DH's wardrobe instead.

When floor space is at a premium you need to go up! Dd has a very tall narrow chest of drawers for all her little bits and bobs of playmobil etc, houses etc live on top.
We have a declutter every couple of months. I'm pretty ruthless! I tell DD to find 10 things to give to another child (ie charity shop!) and she likes to go one better and find 11.
Have you tried the "Riley challenges" on the Flylady website? Mine enjoy those, even if the writing is a bit twee!

I went out before Christmas and bought shedloads of these. They're just the right size to hold a Happyland set or pots and pans etc, stack nicely and come in nice bright colours.

Marmaduke, thanks for the photos of artwork idea!

i have one of those wardrobes, lotsof shelving and covered with the canvas, from Argos. it hides everything.

I just try to go though dd's stuff every 6 months or so.

Can't do bunk beds, both dd's have ASD, dd1 can't climb a ladder and dd2 is likely to jump out (this is why we are looking for a 3 bed house).

I wish we had an Ikea near us , we have got some colourful draw's from B&Q but you can only fit the little toys in them and dd2 just empties them out on the flour, i have managed to find some big tubs upstairs which i have managed to empty (into rubbish bags) so i can put the colourful draws in dd1's room and put big tubs in the living room.

I must get a move on before dd1 gets home and notices some of her toys have gone.

I store a load under my sons bed and then put a load into the attic. I just have to keep popping up to the attic to get them, that's the only thing - it's not ideal but better than not having any attic space I guess!