Welcome to day two of our organizing week. Today we’re focusing on how we manage Clara’s toys and gear — not a step-by-step makeover (that’s in this afternoon’s post), but a practical system we use to keep toddler clutter under control. We get asked all the time how we organize Clara’s things, so here’s a clear rundown of what works for us.
When Clara was a baby it was simple: a small ottoman, a basket with a few rattles and balls, a swing, and a blanket for tummy time. Those early days of minimal baby gear are easy to manage, but as soon as she became a mobile toddler our house filled with more and more things: books, crayons, play food, blocks, cars, dolls, musical instruments and more. Hand-me-downs and gifts only added to the pile.
For almost a year I was terrible at keeping a system. Toys ended up in seven different baskets and ottomans, mixed together with books, blocks and random parts. I’d drop things into whatever container was nearby, and sometimes toys just stayed on the floor because I was too exhausted to put them away. Our ottoman that started out neat eventually became a catchall — until it led to an organizational revelation.
That ottoman became what I now call our “toy store.” Instead of leaving every toy out all the time, I sorted through everything and kept only Clara’s current favorites within reach. The rest went into the big white ottoman to be rotated in later. Limiting what’s available at one time makes play more focused and interesting for her.
After the sort, we were left with just one manageable basket of her everyday toys — a small victory. That one basket lives in the room and can be cleaned up in a couple of minutes at bedtime. The rest of the toys are stored in a large bin or under-bed container and rotated in periodically. This limited selection encourages longer, more independent play sessions and reduces overwhelm.
In Clara’s basket right now are a few stuffed animals, a wooden pull toy, balls, a small purse, baby dolls, a dress-up skirt, and a pot she uses to move small items in and out. Her absolute favorites live in a small fabric pouch we gave her as an Easter treat — she loves opening and closing the zipper almost as much as the toys inside.
Inside that pouch are a handful of favorite cars, a pretend phone (and John’s old disconnected phone), a wooden train, a small ball, plastic animals, a plane from a trip, a shaker, two rhythm sticks and a scarf from music class. This tiny collection is used multiple times a day and is perfect for quick bursts of play or outings.
Books are another big category, so we keep two dedicated book baskets: one in the office and one in the living room. Having specific spots for books keeps them from getting mixed up with toys and makes it easy to find and return them. Someday we’ll get a bookcase, but for now baskets work because they’re easy to use and hard for her to completely empty into chaos.
We also set up zones around the house so each activity has a home. Clara has a little coloring desk for markers and crayons (crayons stay in a small zippered pouch and stickers in another pouch), a rocker in the hallway she uses for quiet time, and a play kitchen where all the kitchen toys live in the cabinet underneath. Designating storage for each zone makes nightly tidy-up a single quick trip down the hall instead of a scavenger hunt through every room.
One small productivity trick we borrowed from our neighbor: keep puzzles in a shallow basket so the boards and pieces stay together. We used to find puzzle pieces scattered around the house; now they have their basket and it’s obvious where pieces belong. Under Clara’s dresser we keep two baskets — one for blocks and one for puzzles — which keeps those sets contained and easier to restore to their place at night.
We also maintain a small drawer of supervised activities — special projects and materials we’ll bring out when we want to change things up. Because they’re not always available, these activities stay exciting and feel special when they appear.
Outdoors, the rock box is another play zone that keeps things fun and contained. We’re considering adding an outdoor storage bin for larger items like buckets and trucks that don’t fit under the covered rock box, but that’s a small next step.
This approach — pick a few favorites to keep out, store the rest, create zones with specific homes for toys and books, and rotate frequently — has helped Clara play more independently and made cleanups quicker for us. It’s simple, flexible, and changes as she grows. What organizational tricks do you rely on for kids’ stuff? We’d love to hear different methods and ideas.
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