Toy Boxes

I am starting to look ahead at what my girls might need this next year with Christmas and their birthday a few days later. One of my first thoughts was that that maybe I would get them a toy box. I found one I like, but when I look at it I can't tell if it will hold a lot of toys or not. I am worried I will get it and be disappointed that it can only hold a few toys. Would I be better off just using a bunch of storage baskets? Anyone have a toy box and find it useful? I would love to hear what you think. Thanks for your feedback.

Step 2 Toy Storage and Bookcase

 

We have a large fisher price toy box and love it. It holds tons of stuff. I still have to go through it periodically and get rid of stuff they don't play with, but I don't know what we would do with all of the stuff if we didn't have it.

 

We broke down and bought a toy box - the kind that with the lid closed doubles as a bench. It is adorable but the problem is, the lid never closes because we pile all the toys in there that we can! Although it does hold a decent amount of toys, it's just not enough for us. Honestly, a big storage tub works better for us and holds waaaay more (and is cheaper).

 

We have that exact toy box. I think it really depends how you want to use it. The toy box itself is sturdy and will last a long time. The shelves are nice as well to put books, etc on and it does hold quite alot of toys.
I do like it more for myself to throw a bunch of toys in when i want to clean up. The problem I find with toy boxes is the more toys you put in it, the harder it is for the kids to get them out. I found that a lot of the toys in there just get forgotten even though my twins can access it at any time. For that reason I think I prefer smaller storage baskets or bins. It just makes it easier for them to find things.

We bought a storage system with 8 cubbies when they were about a year old and we still use it. We bought 4 canvas baskets to fill some of the cubbies and left the other 4 open for books or other toys. Here is the link http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=s...asin=B0002I2490
The only other thing we added to this was padded protectors on the front corners as they are a bit pointy.

 

I like the big wooden toy boxes in terms of apperance, but I have to say they are not very practical (also quite expensive). You might find that with a big toy box like that things get lost at the bottom and bits of things get seperated/mixed up.

I think the most practical kind of toy storage is one that has lots of small compartments, preferably that the children can see into themselves. Something like this. That way you can seperate the different kinds of toys and your girls can see to choose what they want to play with.
My big girls have these which are quite good too.

 

When our twins were 6 months old we bought this Clear Side Storage Unit from One Step Ahead for the toys they would be receiving for Christmas. The toy box worked out so well that we bought a second. I like how it is divided into 3 sections and the kids (and I) can clearly see what's in each part. Good luck making your decision.

 

We have the Little Tikes Sort n' Store and it holds a ton. The lid is not on hinges though so we just leave it up. It also has 2 drawers at the bottom for my DS smaller toys (cars etc.).

 

I have that toy box that you linked to and we love it. I find it is big enough for us and I like the shelf. My kids have no troubles getting their stuff in and out...my son sometimes climbs right in and plays with toys in the toy box itself They have not realized it has a lid as it has always been up (it tucks in when open) but even with the lid closed their are gaps so no one would suffocate or anything if one twin closed another in there! (that was something I thought about when looking for one)

Edit to add: http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e395/got...ns070908001.jpg

 

QUOTE(Brenda65 @ Oct 1 2008, 08:35 PM) [snapback]1007550[/snapback]
We have that exact toy box. I think it really depends how you want to use it. The toy box itself is sturdy and will last a long time. The shelves are nice as well to put books, etc on and it does hold quite alot of toys.
I do like it more for myself to throw a bunch of toys in when i want to clean up. The problem I find with toy boxes is the more toys you put in it, the harder it is for the kids to get them out. I found that a lot of the toys in there just get forgotten even though my twins can access it at any time. For that reason I think I prefer smaller storage baskets or bins. It just makes it easier for them to find things.

We bought a storage system with 8 cubbies when they were about a year old and we still use it. We bought 4 canvas baskets to fill some of the cubbies and left the other 4 open for books or other toys. Here is the link http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=s...asin=B0002I2490
The only other thing we added to this was padded protectors on the front corners as they are a bit pointy.


I do like that storage unit at Target. Very cute. I may have to have dh stop and pick one up. Thanks for the tips about the corners.

 

We had a nice wooden toy box that had toys in it, but they would never dig in to play with any. So i got rid of it and bought a wooden rack with different colored bins from Target. It works much better. Much easier to keep the toys organized rather than thrown in the toy box.

 

QUOTE(gottagiggle&twins @ Oct 1 2008, 10:54 PM) [snapback]1007714[/snapback]
I have that toy box that you linked to and we love it. I find it is big enough for us and I like the shelf. My kids have no troubles getting their stuff in and out...my son sometimes climbs right in and plays with toys in the toy box itself They have not realized it has a lid as it has always been up (it tucks in when open) but even with the lid closed their are gaps so no one would suffocate or anything if one twin closed another in there! (that was something I thought about when looking for one)

Edit to add: http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e395/got...ns070908001.jpg


I am still tempted to get this inaddition to maybe the storage cubes. Thanks for sharing the picture, it helped me get a better idea about the size of the toy box. I figure we can also use more storage. I am using my empty dining room as a playroom but also wanted some toy storage in the family room.

 

We have this toy chest and I LOOOVE it.

We also have these storage bins and LOOOOVE them too.

 

I would love to get one of the bins with little buckets, but I just don't have the money right now. I have just a big tub with handles in the living room for misc toys & a basket for baby dolls. In the bedroom, I have 2 bookshelves & a plastic basket that fits on the bottom shelf for misc toys & another basket for dolls. Other things like legos, puzzles, Mr Potato Head, etc, all have their own Rubbermaid boxes with lids & I keep them up high in the closet. That way I can pull them down 1 at a time & keep things *somewhat* organized. I actually really need to go through the toys right now & sort them again.

 

We dont have a toybox though i would love one and now you mention it i like the idea a lot...we use a uhaul box and a laundry hamper.

 

We don't have a toy box, but FWIW, I find it a lot more useful to have things sorted by type into smaller containers. We used to use a milk crate, but things would fall to the bottom of it and never be seen again. Now we use a variety of smaller things (tupperwares, bags that zipper or velcro shut, etc.) and it's much easier to keep track of things.

 

View attachment 4487 View attachment 4488 Got the kids room clean today (though they're destroying it as I speak ) so I took a pic to show what I meant

 

QUOTE(Brenda65 @ Oct 1 2008, 08:35 PM) [snapback]1007550[/snapback]
We bought a storage system with 8 cubbies when they were about a year old and we still use it. We bought 4 canvas baskets to fill some of the cubbies and left the other 4 open for books or other toys. Here is the link http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=s...asin=B0002I2490
The only other thing we added to this was padded protectors on the front corners as they are a bit pointy.


We also have a cubbie like this from Target except mine is 3 rows of 3 cubes. The 2 top rows are books and puzzles and the bottom row has the pull out drawers filled with cars and stuff. There is also stuff on the very top. My boys are 3 and we are still using it. It's held up really well. We did secure ours to the wall since it's a little taller and because Ethan is our little bulldozer that can move big heavy recliners around the floor

Mendy

 

QUOTE(naomi02 @ Oct 2 2008, 07:21 PM) [snapback]1008663[/snapback]
View attachment 4487 View attachment 4488 Got the kids room clean today (though they're destroying it as I speak ) so I took a pic to show what I meant


I love your organization.. Can you come over??

I have toy boxes for my 2 older girls and they do not go in them. Oldest DD's functions as a bench so at least that's getting use.
In the twins' room, I have bins where they can see the toys and I think this helps them be more encouraged to use them.

 

I have that exact toy box and love it for the bigger toys and single items. It holds an amazing amount of toys.
We also have the box in the bedroom that is the bench, it doesn't hold as much as the first.

We also have storage drawers (like these) that I have removed the casters from and strapped to the wall. They hold the different toys that have "pieces" and my kids can pull out the specific drawer they want and play with the toys. They can then also put the drawer back in (usually by themselves) when they are done or its clean up time. These drawers were cheap and are flimsy, so I don't mind if something happens to them, but so far no problems with them at all- though they aren't the nicest looking things to see each day.

 

I actually got a great deal on a 7 foot kitchen cabinet from a high end cabinet line. Baskets inside and doors keep everything stored nicely.

 

QUOTE(Twin nanny @ Oct 1 2008, 08:44 PM) [snapback]1007556[/snapback]
I think the most practical kind of toy storage is one that has lots of small compartments, preferably that the children can see into themselves. Something like this. That way you can seperate the different kinds of toys and your girls can see to choose what they want to play with.
My big girls have these which are quite good too.


I completely agree! We have a toy box and storage drawers (see quote below). The toy box is basically filled with toys they don't use often. It rarely gets opened and, when it does, they have to dig everything out to find the one toy they want that is, of course, on the bottom.

With the storage drawers, I can organize their toys by categories (cars, dress-up, dolls, etc) and put like-toys together. I also printed out labels that say "Dolls" and such and has a clip-art picture to represent the type of toy. I used clear contact paper to laminate the label on the front of each drawer. This way I can say, "Put this in your puzzle box," (which says "Puzzles" and has a picture of puzzle pieces on it) and they can easily see what I am talking about.


QUOTE(SarahH @ Oct 3 2008, 03:05 PM) [snapback]1010422[/snapback]
We also have storage drawers (like these) that I have removed the casters from and strapped to the wall. They hold the different toys that have "pieces" and my kids can pull out the specific drawer they want and play with the toys. They can then also put the drawer back in (usually by themselves) when they are done or its clean up time. These drawers were cheap and are flimsy, so I don't mind if something happens to them, but so far no problems with them at all- though they aren't the nicest looking things to see each day.