Toy Storage Ideas...

[EntropyControlSpecialist]

We have the birch shelves you can buy at Discount School Supply that have 3 levels of shelving (not the low toddler kind, the kind meant for Preschoolers). They work fantastically.

We also have 2 of the stands with the tilted, plastic bins in them. One of them holds most of the Home Center items and the other holds Lego Duplos sorted by color.

[ABCDaycareMN]

Does ikea ever offer any discounts? Like spend so much get 15% off? Lol I like to save whenever I can

[LK5kids]

One thing is for sure....kids don't play well from a toy box. If everything is thrown in and mixed up it becomes a problem. Kids play sooooo much better if toys are kept in separate bins.

[LK5kids]

I have cubby storage in my playroom and clear containers from Walmart. See my post "finally moved into the basement"

I got the cubbies with drawers last week from Sams Club for our front area. Each child has a cubby for their belongings and yet it still looks nice. I wasn't liking the plastic drawer units we had been using. We bought three units. Loving it.

This unit is from Sam's? LOVE it!

[Michael]

https://www.daycare.com/forum/tags.php?tag=toy+storage

[heather]

I live in a 2 bedroom apartment. I keep most of the toys in the living room in I think you would call it a cube unit? It is a cubed shelf with colored boxes that fit in each cube and it reaches nearly to the ceiling. Then I line up big toys on top of the shelf. I organize the toys so that for ex all the Little People are in 1 box, all the dolls and doll clothes in another box, etc then all I have to do is take 1 box down (2 if you have a big group) and the kids have something to play with. I like it that I can control how many of the toys come out at once--before this system ALL the toys were child height and it was not good... I got the shelf at IKea but I'm sure you could also just use a normal shelf and tubs. I like this one because it looks nice for our living room and we got mirror doors to go on some of the cubes.
Other than that I have little hiding places... the piano mat goes under the couch... dress up stuff hung on the back of the bedroom door.. we have more shelves in the kitchen where the art supplies, play dough etc go.
And another smaller shelf with tubs for blocks in the kids room. Basically every room has a shelf and what doesn't fit on the shelves gets thrown out. It is a challenge to keep everything neat and orderly!

[coolconfidentme]

Stack & mount milk crates on the wall. Mix & match colors...

[melilley]

I agree, plastic drawers look junky. The storage cubes that you can buy in 6, 8, or 9 cubes look nice and are functional and you can get the fabric drawers in many colors to hold some of the toys. Also, the toy storage units that you buy that are wooden and have plastic bins in are useful too. Try doing a search of "pictures of in home daycares" this is where I got some of my storage ideas. I am using my front living room for the main play space and too have a limited amount of space to put toys and things.

[Meeko]

My Sams Club cubbies have worked out great. I got rid of the plastic. The bins are large and hold a lot and keep it hidden. My entry looks better now I think.

The pot holding the pens at the entrance says "Ashes of Problem Clients" One of my awesome DCM's bought it for me!!!! Next to that is the dreaded "red folder" that is open at 6PM and late fees apply!

[ABCDaycareMN]

My Sams Club cubbies have worked out great. I got rid of the plastic. The bins are large and hold a lot and keep it hidden. My entry looks better now I think.

The pot holding the pens at the entrance says "Ashes of Problem Clients" One of my awesome DCM's bought it for me!!!! Next to that is the dreaded "red folder" that is open at 6PM and late fees apply!

Are you sure you operate a daycare? LOL J/k!!!

I love those SAMs club cubbies. I'm debating on getting rid of my fish tank to create more space for storage. I am not going to purchase anything until I actually get my license and get kids in and have an income. All these suggestions are great! Hopefully when I move I will have a much larger daycare space!

[Meeko]

Are you sure you operate a daycare? LOL J/k!!!

I love those SAMs club cubbies. I'm debating on getting rid of my fish tank to create more space for storage. I am not going to purchase anything until I actually get my license and get kids in and have an income. All these suggestions are great! Hopefully when I move I will have a much larger daycare space!

Over the years I have learned to "think storage". In my photos, the room doesn't scream "daycare". But we use the room all day and it's packed with daycare stuff. I have another playroom too, but we use this room for quieter activities. The parents sign in by the door and put coats etc in the cubbies. I didn't label them as I didn't want to and the parents know which one is their's anyway. Shoes are removed and placed in bins under the bench by the cubbies.

The couches are skirted. Board games and puzzles are stored in under-bed containers than wheel out.

The coffee table is huge (perfect for our family for snacks etc while watching TV) and has two huge drawers. These contain more games and books. Between the couch and loveseat is a wicker ottoman. This holds daycare storage too.

The lateral file you see (with the "family" decor on it) holds all my daycare info....art project ideas, calendars, blank contracts etc...all filed neatly. I chose this cabinet because it looks more like furniture than a metal filing cabinet.

I want a functional daycare. And I have areas designated JUST to daycare, but I wanted my family room to still look like a family room at the end of the day, so the "kid" part is more hidden.