If toys are taking over your house, good news, it isn’t impossible to keep your kids’ clutter under control, here are some 8 Budget Friendly Toy Storage Tips For When The Toy Box is Full:
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Before you have kids you always have all these opinions and ideas about how your kids’ toys are not going to be scattered throughout your house, and how they are ALWAYS going to have bedrooms that are neat and tidy.
Then you actually have kids and within months you’ve thrown everything you thought you knew and all those ideas out the window!
Budget Friendly Toy Storage Tips For When The Toy Box is Full
#1. Have a Dedicated Play Area
One of the easiest ways to manage the mess is to have a dedicated play area where your kids can go crazy, and even if you’re on a very tight budget and don’t have a separate playroom you can create a play area that your kids will love.
Whether you’re fortunate enough to have an entire playroom or you’re converting a small corner to a kid friendly play area combine inventive storage with creative decoration to make an area your children will be happy to play in and hopefully keep their clutter contained.
#2. Be Smart When Shopping
When you are shopping for kid friendly furniture, try to pick options that they can still use when they’re older, so think ahead to when they might be teens, could they still use this piece of furniture?
Look for double up options wherever you can. Here are some suggestions:
- benches, chairs and tables that double as storage containers
- storage options disguised as adorable decorations
- storage options that become seating or art spaces
- inventive ways to display artwork and more.
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#3. Use Clear Shoe Organizers

Image from Organizedchaosonline.com
A clear shoe organizer is an ideal solution that you can hang on a door, or on a wall. Use just one, or use a few.
Store action figures, bath toys, teddy bears, Lego blocks (sort blocks by color for easy use – or use individual storage bins/cubby’s if you have A LOT of Lego), arts and crafts supplies, and pretty much anything that fits inside each pocket.
Label the pockets if you want to keep things really organized (it won’t always work) or don’t and just repack everything once a month or so.
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#4. Drawstring Tote Bags
Tote bags that are basically just a sack with a drawstring are great for storing items that are a little bulkier than others, or when your child has a whole lot of different versions of the same thing (dolls, cars, building blocks, or farm animals).
You can hang them from hooks mounted on a wall or from hooks underneath a shelf, or line them up on a shelf. They can be cotton, patterned, vinyl, plain and labelled or unlabelled.
In other words, if you can turn it into a sack – you can use it!
#5. Hang Stuffed Toys
Stuffed toys are one of those things that tend to take up a lot of space, and don’t really fit into storage bins of any kind. So hanging them from the roof with a simple swing, or across a corner with a DIY hammock (you can buy them too) is a great way to get them out the way.
Just make sure your kids can reach their teddies when they want them, or they may try Spiderman stunts to get them!
This Prince Lionheart Jumbo Toy Hammock is available from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. (If you buy through our links we get a small commission).
#6. Double Duty
I already mentioned that having items with two purposes is a great way to save money, but it is also a great way to make smart use of a small space.
- Get an activity table with drawers, one with shelves, or get one that has space for storage underneath.
- Attach rollers to a storage crate and use it as a rolling chair or small table.
- Put a cushion on top of a crate as a storage stool.
- Mount cubby’s or crates on the wall with hooks or rails underneath for 3-in-1 storage.
- Make (or buy) a wall mounted desk that has storage space and a chalkboard on the back.
- Use a long chest as a window seat-cum-daybed reading nook.
In other words, work out what your playroom needs then figure out how to combine everything into 2- or 3-in-1’s!
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#7. Display Your Children’s Art As Decoration
If you have a playroom, it’s a good idea to choose a single shade for the walls and use colorful furniture, accessories and your child’s masterpieces for decoration.
Remember that there will be a new masterpiece every few days or so, so don’t frame everything they create.
Some budget-friendly ideas for displaying children’s art:
- make a clothes line of art with pegs to hold the drawings
- make a colorful fabric covered bulletin board
- make your own chalkboards with chalkboard paint
- create a gallery using plastic sleeves
- use a peg board for a mixed display.
Find ways that you can easily update art displays, without damaging walls or spending money on expensive frames.
#8. Keep Your Kids In Mind
You might see something or come up with something that you think is utterly adorable, but remember that this area is for your kids – whatever age they are. They need to be able to reach everything, whether it is shelves, something hanging from a rail, a hook or a door.
If you have storage bins stacked on top of each other, they need to be able to reach the top one, and lift it down on their own.
So think about step stools (with storage), and consider how you’re going to raise shelves as they grow older and their reach is extended.
You’ll find a selection of step stools for children on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.
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Now that you have some great budget friendly ideas to create a special place where your kids can play this will hopefully help keep their mess contained too!
And if you have any great toy storage tips that have worked for you, that didn’t cost too much then feel free to share them in the comments below because we just love anything that brightens up your home, but also saves you money!