Organizing toys question

docmay25

Best way to organize toys with small pieces?

This year we have a lot of toys that came with small pieces.  Legos, Strawberry shortcake accessories, dollhouse etc.

What is the best way to keep the small pieces organized?  I have space in their playroom or in a closet.  I want the kids to be able to get them on their own.  Any ideas that haev worked for you?

MamiH

I don't know how small you are talking about, but we have Barbie shoes, Polly pocket shoes, etc. and this is our system.

I keep the little pieces separate from the big pieces.  I put them all in an old Pampers wipes box and they ask for the little things when they want them (my kids don't have access to them).  I did use zip lock baggies for a while, but that got to be too much.

jettagurl

I use shoebox size containers by Sterilite with latch handles.  They are $1.74 at Walmart.  Easy for kids to get themselves and easy to open/close. Also having all the same size makes it easy to stack/store, and is somewhat appealing-looking for my OCD tendencies in the playroom.

 

 

shouldbworkin

Legos are in plastic shoe boxes, as are other things with small/lots of pieces.  I have one of those shelves that holds all of those plastic containers and displays them open so kids can get into them.  Some get the tops on them and are stacked on shelves, especially things that tend to get dumped and not cleaned up a lot.

belle204

What Jettagurl said.

Bellisimo

DS's toys (as of this year) have started having smaller and smaller pieces.  In fact, as I write this I am up in the playroom organizing (or trying to) all of the fifty million toys!  Currently, I group each toy set and put the pieces in a LARGE ziplock bag and I use a label maker that I have to print labels for the bags so that once they're dumped out we'll know which bag to put it all back in.  I also have the large bins from Land of Nod for the bigger toys and books.  We have a train table in the middle of the room that always has a ton of trains, helicopters, cars, etc. on it and I just leave that alone.  And then we have the stupid plastic Trackmaster tracks and trains all in the floor....I have a big canvas storage bin from PBK's for that stuff and one for duplo blocks.  Ahhhh, it's all too much!!!