where the heck do you store all your dcs toys and stuff

[robinredbreast]

we have a 3 bedroomed house and one dd 6 months and our house is packed full

wondering how you lot cope with more than one and all there stuff ?

where do you keep it all?

Big storage boxes, those with the lids on that you can stack, keep the boxes for stuff if poss cos again, it will stack easier, and then accept that oh bugger, the stuff is taking over and there's nothing you can do!!!
It gets easier as they get older! My ds is now 12 and it's the first xmas where we haven't had to find a space for a great lump of plastic!! I can vividly remember the xmas where he got lots of action man stuff inc the jeep, the helicopter, the car and the animals, and to really take the wotsit, he also got a replica dustbin lorry complete with two little wheelie bins as at the time he was obsessed with the binmen!!! oh the joy of that one.... We lived in a 3bed terrace at the time!!

pmsl at play dustmen
ive never heard of them before

Agree with ladymariner's ideas. Also be absolutely ruthless re decluttering. Get rid of broken stuff, duplicates, things that never get played with etc. When my dd1 was tiny I was especially ruthless with cuddly toys. (I know, I'm horrible!)

I am going to get some tupperware type small containers with lids to put all those tiny toys they get. You won't have many of those yet but dd1 is now 4 years and has all kinds of little bits...

Morrisons sell underbed boxes for £3.99 which are fab.

Oh yes, the "little bits", aren't they just wonderful?? Add to that the crappy plasticy tat they ask for and gp's buy them (you know the stuff, the sort of thing we say don't be ridiculous to!) when they take them out and you soon have a boxfull!
Those cake boxes are really useful, the ones you buy in supermarkets with 12 little sponge cakes in for a quid, the cakes aren't actually very nice but the boxes are really sturdy!
The dustbin lorry was from Index, he absolutely loved it, carted all sorts of things about in it. Usually the little bits out of all the cake boxes......

In a massive chaotic heap space behind the sofa.

I'm wondering about this too. Have just totally cleared out DD1s room, except for bed, this afternoon in preparation to decorate it tomorrow and then DD2 will be moving in . I cannot believe how much stuff came out of there Five, I kid you not, bin bags full of soft toys, one full of her handbag type things, her books and two big boxes of tat. What I really need to cut down on are her soft toys, which she loves dearly but we are getting burried under. Do you think it's mean to get her to trade some of them in with me for one toy she would really like from the shop? I'm not sure she'll be able to let any of them go.

put in stackable boxes with lids, circulate between living room, bedroom, spare wardrobe and loft every month or so. chuck used plastic tat bits in a smaller box and get off my wardrobe shelf when it's rainy and they are bored...throw unused tat into another box for being good treats/ party prizes/party bags

every year or so weed out and give bits to friends then do an NCT sale

that's a good idea to circulate the boxes funny how they play with something like it's new when they haven't seen it for a while

boxes, under their beds.
good idea to hide them and bring them out occasoinally.
bring them out in a bid to chuck out, but normally then renewed interest.

www.bloomingmarvellous.co.uk/product.aspx?CategoryID=n-storage&ProductID=BB724_BB767&language=en-GB
we have one of these in the living room but with clear plastic boxes, a bit expensive but i'd won on the premium bonds and was fed up of the stack...extra boxes were just 2.99 from wilkinsons

make the child do it.....they actually quite like the big sort oot as stuff appears they ahd forgotten about and it then amuses them for a couple of weeks
they then sort out broken for the bin, for other children (meaning the charity shop) or as new stuff for selling or for school toy fair

ds twin very bad at parting with stuff but ddtwin ruthless and i feel said about some of her 'want to get rid of this mummy' so dissuade her for a while but then we do it again a few weeks later and if she still says no then it goes...soft toys are culled pretty ruthlessly

the problem is people always want to buy something big, regardless if there is room or not gonna get some storage boxes

so much for my lovely clutter free minimal sylish house

its now a bomb site lol

ps thanks for the link polly i love the alaphabet book shelf i might actually order that for dd

we do have one of those shelfs in the spare room but its full of mine and dh stuff

im gonna board some more of the loft and take some crap stuff out of the way

Playroom.

Hmm I think you need an extension

crap

outta the way
sorry that wasnt directed at you quattro
im just using strike out for the last first time

I did wonder at first

the worrying thing is if we had an extension, which we prob will i bet we will fill it in days

In their room and in their room only. I do let them bring things down to play with but it always lives in their rooms.

They soon realise that if they need space they have to part with some things.

I also remove stuff after a yr if they've not played with it and pass it on!

in boxes under their beds.

In boxes in their rooms.

In big piles all over the floor (sigh).

At least because of renovations chez Clary for the last 12 months there have been no boxes in the living rooms which is deffo an improvement.

As long as they can get to their beds it's OK

BTW toys get smaller as they get older. A 6mo's stuff is all HUGE plastic things isn't it.

Forkhandles offer her a Build a Bear if she dumps four out of the five bags. B-a-B newly opened here and I swear DD would trade her entire toy collection for one if I suggested it

I have a huge basket under the coffee table to put all sorts in.
I've also made a rule that everytime a new toy comes in, an old one goes out to the charity shop.
Sometimes they have so much, they don't even know what to play with!
I also recommend joining a toy library as you can take stuff back after the week is over!
P

Havnt read all the threads but the great boxes from staples is what we have started using. They are fantastic. Have the bril lids and do every size imaginable. Fits most cupboards/nooks and cranny ect. Can buy online but obviously postage is not ideal. Have a look on www.reallyusefulbox.com

When we went abroad for 6 months, we put toys in the loft and FIL's garage. We've only taken down a few things from the loft, and what with Christmas and very indulgent grandparents, his bedroom & the sitting room are full again.

I've tried to organise according to type of toy, but I feel I'm fighting a losing battle.
He's got 2 chests of drawers for toys/bedding/dressing up clothes, a wooden toy box, 3 plastic crates (1 for playmobil, 1 for crappy free toys that I want to bin and he wants to keep & 1 for wooden train set) and 2 backpacks (one for Disney cars, one for other cars/trains). Massive noisy monster trucks, noisy buses, noisy Lighting McQueens get parked next to armchairs/tv/side tables
The other day DH went into the loft and found the road carpet. DS couldn't remember it at all and was sooo excited. So that's now rolled up next to an armchair. Oh, and he got a mini scalextric which I have to tidy into its box every evening and lean against the bookcase. His art box is in the utility room.

FIL keeps asking when we're going to empty his garage again (mainly ride-on toys) just before I wander off muttering vaguely...