Baby about to crawl so what do we do with DS' teeny tiny toys?

[fadingfast]

DD will soon be on the move and I am having kittens about the prospect of her discovering the delights of DS' huge pile of tiny Playmobil choking hazards.

I know this is all my fault for (a) letting DS have Playmobil in the first place and (b) being careless enough to have a 3.5 year age gap between children, but what on earth am I meant to do now? Not really keen on the idea of a playpen. DS' bedroom is too small for lots of toys, and I really cannot deprive him of his absolute favourite toys completely.

What have you done in this situation? Sensible suggestions for how to avoid disaster would be appreciated.

Our playmobil is in a box with a lid that the baby and the 3yo can't undo. When dd or ds1 want to play with it, they get it out on the kitchen table. And put it away when finished.

I have been through all the other toy boxes and removed all the really small items (like the chicks from the farm toys box) and hidden them away in a small box in my wardrobe.

And I have refused to buy a marble run until my youngest is about 3. Which is a shame for my eldest, but hey, she'll live.

Under bed storage or boxes with lids and kept in a place where neither child can get at it without your knowledge. Maybe have Playmobil play time when the baby sleeps?

Have some toys that are for when the baby sleeps. We had a box of "tiny things" that came out when ds was napping and that made them special. Or have a rule that baby-inappropriate toys (scissors in our case) are played with at the dining table.

Though it's hard to avoid them creeping out. Sadly, a year or so of extreme vigilance is needed, and I wouldn't be confident that even despite that he hasn't swallowed the occasional tiny toy.

I have over a 4 year age gap and have just bought one of those babydan room dividers from ebay - our living room will now look a bit like a prison but am worried about the choking so we will have lego one side and baby toys the other...

But the older child might throw the small toys over.

arrgh dont say that...he wont actually but its a good point generally - he's 5 and doesnt like the baby anywhere near his toys

when DS3 started crawling, the playmobil all went upstairs into DS1 & 2's room