How to Find Room for New Toys

Christmas means one thing for little kids. Toys! It is so fun to give them a lot of toys on Christmas morning. The wonder and excitement in their eyes is so fun to witness. Christmas day can give you and your family memories that last a lifetime. But, after a while, the reality will set in that you have nowhere to put all of these new things! Unless you can find space for them, the parts and pieces will soon be scattered around the house with everything else. You need to prepare by making space ahead of time, so that you don't spend Christmas worrying about where you're going to put everything.

1) Start by taking an inventory of what you have purchased. You will need to prepare a special place for things that have pieces and parts so that they don't get lost. For example, if you are giving your kids board games, then you might want to install a shelf in their room specifically for board games. This way, they have somewhere to go. They'll be easy to find when the kids are ready to play, and it will be easy to toss in game pieces as you find them around the house, as you inevitably will! You may even decide to put in a small game table next to the shelves so that the kids have somewhere to sit and play. This way the games never make it far from the shelf.

2) Get rid of the old before the new comes in. Kids outgrow toys so quickly. Find toys that they have outgrown and pack them up. If you are saving them for younger or future children, you need to have a storage plan. Designate a shelf in the garage or a spot in the attic for these toys. If you keep them out, they are likely to get broken and they just take up so much space. Take all the toys in the house and separate them into piles. If something is missing too many pieces, get rid of it. If something just never caught your kids' attention, give it to a child who will enjoy it. Take this opportunity to teach your children about sharing and charity.

3) The toy box can be a real challenge. Most are just a big container that can be useful for organization, but is most often used as a receptacle for quick room clean-ups. Designate these bigger containers for big items, like stuffed animals that won't get lost at the bottom. Place containers like baskets and bins around the house for containing and organizing toys.

4) Get the rest of the kids' rooms in order by getting their closet really organized. Hang their clothes on infant hangers or children's hangers whenever possible. Baby hangers help save space in the closet that can be used for other things, like shelves, drawers, bins and buckets. The closet is a great place to make room for toys that need to be stored.