To help declutter your home, we researched the most convenient toy storage options, considering the type, material, size, and safety features of each. Our best overall option, Squared Away’s Six-Cube Organizer, is a sturdy and versatile pick that you can customize for your space and toy collection. Here are the best toy storage solutions for your living room, playroom, and beyond. Once it’s set up, you can use the cubbies for 13-inch storage bins, books, or larger standalone items like a dump truck or small dollhouse. Later, you can repurpose it as storage in your mudroom or family room, or a teen can fill it with records and plants. The backing on this product can be flimsy, but you can stack the units or line them up to create the look of built-in shelving. Plus, the cubby bookshelves come in oak, gray, or espresso so you can match them to your aesthetic, which happy customers love. Overall, the versatility and sleek look of this pick make it our favorite, despite the relatively high price tag. Price at time of publish: $80 The basket is also a sustainable choice for your home, as it’s made with seagrass, a renewable material. When it comes time to clean it, simply wipe this basket with just a dry cloth. Price at time of publish: $10 These particular baskets will look very wrinkly at first since they’re shipped flat and made of 100 percent cotton canvas. However, they’ll take shape after you’ve put items inside and can be purchased in multiple different colors. Price at time of publish: $30 “Even if the kids can only reach the bottom three bins, you can keep things like messy art supplies up high, so only adults have access to them,” says Home organizing expert and coach Shira Gill. You can also put toys with small parts up high, so you can pull them down when you’re able to supervise your child playing with them. Price at time of publish: $399 When setting them up, though, you might want to find a floor-level home for these baskets. The steel material may be heavy for little kids, but will prove to be easy to clean with just a damp or dry cloth. In the future, you can use them for gardening supplies, mail, pantry storage, and so much more as they can hold up to 9 pounds of items at one time. Price at time of publish: $15 “Tell your kids, if it’s important and you love it, it’s got to be in this bin at the end of the day, otherwise it’s going to get lost or stepped on,” says Gill. This will help your space stay organized, and put the treasure chest to good use on a daily basis. Price at time of publish: $13 Not to mention, the caddy can be repurposed in several ways. Think storage for tools, cleaning supplies, or kitchen condiments. You can also easily clean it by dusting it off with a soft, dry cloth, and don’t need to assemble it upon arrival. “I love these for a train set or Magna-Tiles or a big collection of things that you could have in your living room,” says Gill. She notes that you could repurpose them later on for coffee table books or firewood. It’s certainly an expensive purchase, but one you can feel good about since Connected Goods is committed to paying their artisans fair wages, investing in community development, and using sustainable materials. Just know: these baskets ship flat and you will need to reshape them with water upon arrival. Price at time of publish: $370 You’ll want to be careful with how many heavy items you put inside as to not put too much pressure on the wheel. Nonetheless, it is tall enough to comfortably hold deflated tubes, noodles, and other pool toys. You can also comfortably use it indoors as a laundry hamper or to store umbrellas. Price at time of publish: $70 The entire product is made of power-coated metal, so it’s quite durable. Each shelf can also hold up to six pounds of crafting or school supplies and you can choose from tons of fun colors to match your playroom decor. Gill notes that this storage solution can be limiting in space, but helpful in cutting down your stash. “You can rotate in and out whatever materials they’re currently excited about,” she says. Price at time of publish: $30 Take Gill’s tip about limiting volume into account, and decide where you want those items to live in your home. If your child loves to set up trains in the family room, for example, think about a large, good-looking container to hold cars and track pieces that might fit under a coffee table or in a low-sitting bookshelf. If you have wall space in your kids’ room, add a shelving unit with baskets.
Size and Material
Kids do best with storage items that aren’t too heavy or cumbersome. You might love the look of stackable walnut boxes, but in the hands of an exuberant toddler, they could become dangerous projectiles. If your children are on the younger side, stick to lightweight and soft materials like canvas or woven options like rattan. Also, making sure that you can fit all of the items you would like to in one container can be helpful in creating a storage system that works. Check the dimensions of your items and the storage container you’re considering to ensure you’ll have an ample amount of space. “I always like to pick things that are practical, meaning they’re big and open and easy for kids to tote around the house, but that also fit in with my aesthetic,” says Gill. “So maybe instead of a fluorescent plastic bin, you’re getting a beautiful woven basket that you could later repurpose for blankets.” In doing so, your toys become a seamless and stylish part of your home.
Safety Features
When shopping, you’ll want to steer clear of anything with sharp corners or pieces that could easily pop off and become choking hazards. If you opt for a shelving unit, it should always be bolted to the wall so it doesn’t accidentally tip over and fall on someone. Many units come with anti-tip brackets or straps, but you can also purchase these kits separately at hardware stores if need be.
Why Trust The Spruce?
Lexi Dwyer is a mom of two living in a New York City apartment, and has been a parenting and lifestyle writer for The Spruce since 2019. For this roundup, she looked at many toy storage options, including bins, boxes, baskets, carts, and several different styles of furniture. She considered size, shape, potential safety concerns, and reports of durability. For additional insight, she spoke to Shira Gill, home organizing expert, coach, and author of Minimalista: Your Step-by-Step Guide to a Better Home, Wardrobe, and Life. Gill is also a mom and former preschool teacher. The majority of the products on this list can be repurposed in different ways once they are no longer needed as toy storage. If you have a lot of small parts across a broad category, you can use a small parts organizer, such as the type intended for screws or fishing gear. (If it’s from the hardware store, just make sure it’s not too heavy or difficult to open.) Of course, if you’re worried about the small pieces becoming choking hazards, always store them separately and out of reach from children until you can supervise them. Some parents have a “toys for the future” bin stashed away just for these kinds of items. You can adopt a similar method, or try a zippered storage bin that can fit under the bed, a flexible laundry basket, a hammock designed for stuffed animals, or even a bean bag that keeps them hidden. If you have more items than five categories, you can create a “lending library” and allow kids to swap toys in and out. “This is really just a storage closet or high shelf, so if they get, say, bored of their Magna-Tiles, they can put those back in the library and ‘check out,’ a new toy,” says Gill. “You’re always keeping that equilibrium.” Additional reporting was done by Julia Fields, a lifestyle writer for The Spruce covering all things surrounding toys, gifts, and the holidays. She’s also covered similar topics in other roles, including toy reviews, product round-ups, lifestyle articles, and more.
