How to Organize Those Bulky Toys?

I had this same issue. I found a hanging clothes organizer (hangs from the closet rod) @ Ikea that has shelves that fit most of his large toys (like his Little People garage, Imaginext sets). The bottom bin also has a small front on it so he can put things there that might otherwise roll out. It was only $6 and it works great for us! Maybe you could hang it from the ceiling if there isn't enough closet space. Here’s a link to it on Ikea’s website:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50188957

What about a pantry-type cabinet with adjustable shelves and doors?

I used large decorative baskets. Funny though...now there are no more toys like that and I miss those days...stressing that the room was a mess with toys everywhere! Seemed like it would always be like that and then at some point, I couldn't even say when, they all disappeared-replaced by video games that take up no space at all.

Hello G., You could use those plastic bins. One big one for all the pieces of track. You can decorate it any way you want to or buy a color that matches the room it will be in. That is the best I can come up with at this time.

D. P.

I was using bins and toy boxes to store the kids toys in and it was not working. They could not see the toys so they did not play with them. Just before Christmas, I bought rolling (optional) 3 Drawer Storage containers from Walmart. I got small ones for $11 and wider ones for $17. I started out buying 2 of each size. Loved them, so I went back for more. I think I ended up with 9 total. I have small one for all arts and crafts stuff. I have a large one for separated race track pieces. I use a small one for action figures and a large on for puzzles and games. Since I organized all the toys in these drawers, they boys have played with nearly every toy that we own. I kept two toy box style for the super bulky items. It has made a world of difference! I sat in the toy room for two days just smiling and in awe. But not only that, it still looks that great a month later. The kids have been putting things back exactly where they found them. Good luck!

I think that one of those big double door wardrobes with adjustable shelves would probably work and if you need big baskets for the race tracks to sit in (don't they come apart as road pieces?) you can put them in the wardrobe.

Wow, S.H. that's a cool idea your friend did up to the part where she sounds OCD about keeping her house way too unlived in with the permission asking thing lol, but to each its own. I like seeing my daughters bean bag lion chair-thing in the living room.

I have a playroom area for my 2 year old so her big toys, like that stand toy with the dancing bear on top or the train table, can just be positioned somewhere in the room against the wall to look neat... it's hard to hide those because they're as tall as her or just big. I understand what ya mean though, when it gets cluttered it starts wearing on you pretty hard.

Put them in a closet.
Or, buy a shelving piece of furniture... with doors on it.

I know a woman... who... when you go to her house you cannot even tell she has kids. NO kid things anywhere. She... puts all her kids toys, in a closet... or in cubby type shelves, with a 'curtain' on it to 'hide' it.
Her kids, cannot take anything out.... unless they ask her permission first, and as soon as they are done playing with it, she puts it away again.
I don't know how... she keeps her house, looking un-lived in.
But that is her. But that was what she did.

Or, you just CONFINE the kids things/toys.... ONLY in 1 room in the house.

A wooden toy chest or cedar/hope chest. We have one in our living room for all our kid's board games and it doubles as a place to sit. It just looks like a piece of furniture. I actually bought ours at Babies R Us with a 40 percent off coupon so it wasn't very expensive.

I decided in my house less was best.We no longer have a play room so now, the kids can only have one bulky toy (which they must keep in their bedrooms), one shelf with toys and one bin of toys in each of their rooms. No toys allowed in my livingroom. When they accumulate too many toys, they end up not playing or using them. So when they get a new toy, they must donate or throw away an old one.

We have shelves in the garage. We then have a bins with train tracks, another for Play Doh stuff, another for legos etc. The castles and doll houses are a bit of a problem... But I have two large wicker type baskets with lids in my family room. The one is angled so I can hide quite a few toys behind it. I also have a bin down the basement and I rotate toys up to the family room. All toys must be able to be contained in the wicker chests or else they go down the basement. I really dislike clutter:)

I hear ya on the garage. And I wonder WHY in the world more houses here don't have basements?!?!!!! (it IS possible, builders just don't want to deal with digging & foundations.)

My son's bulky toys go on the shelf (and the ones too bulky to fit on the shelf do sit along the wall by the shelf - but they're in the upstairs room, not our living room....)

If there are too many, take half and put away (ie, closet top shelf or somewhere suitable to you) and every month or few, rotate them out. Kids appreciate playing with toys better when they've had a rest from them. That way you don't have all the bulky toys out along the wall in the room, but just a few.

We have a bin for trains, the FP toys (mostly) fit on the shelf with books up above and DVD's on the top shelf. Stuffed animals and blankets are what I have a mess of, mostly!