Toy Storage Solutions
Printed From: OHbaby!
Category: General Chat
Forum Name: General Chat
Forum Description: For mums, dads, parents-to-be, grandparents, friends -- you name it! And you name the topic you want to chat about!
URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=23439
Printed Date: 29 June 2025 at 5:51am
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Topic: Toy Storage Solutions
Posted By: .Mel
Subject: Toy Storage Solutions
Date Posted: 03 January 2009 at 7:45pm
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I spent 4.5 hours today spring cleaning our house, I threw a sh*te load of stuff out and while doing that I de-baby'd Coopers toys. DH did Nyahs at the same time.
Currently we have their toys in those plastic bins that you can get from the Plastic Box or The Warehouse. I've hidden Coopers ones in the lounge and I've put all of his books in the TV Cabinet. (He is still in with us so doesnt' have his own space). Nyah has pretty pink sparkly ones and they are in her wardrobe which doesn't leave alot of room for her shoes etc. She also has those pink plastic draws you can get from The Warehouse which hold all of her MLP's and dolls clothes etc. She has one of the big bins FULL of her Bratz and Barbies plus their clothes etc. BUT I hate them, they are so bulky and ugly. What do you girls use to store your kids toys in? Where abouts did you get them, how much? Any pros and cons about them? Any suggestions? TIA  ------------- Mr Mellow (16) Miss Attitude (8) Destructa Kid (3) 
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Replies:
Posted By: BuzzyBee
Date Posted: 03 January 2009 at 7:48pm
| Ohh I'll be keeping an eye on this thread, sorry Mel I have no advice ...I too have a good ten or so storage bins (like the ones you mentioned) full of toys ...so hideous and bulky! |
Posted By: .Mel
Date Posted: 03 January 2009 at 8:01pm
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Oh and if you've got photos, could you please post??? Pretty please?? ------------- Mr Mellow (16) Miss Attitude (8) Destructa Kid (3)
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Posted By: lilfatty
Date Posted: 03 January 2009 at 8:04pm
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We use a number of things .. but one of the things we do that can be put in any room is
Those wooden cubes that interlock together and we put the colourful drawers (that are made of canvas with a "solid" bottom) inside of the cubes. (Some we leave without drawers and those have books in them). We have black cubes in the lounge area (as they match our lounge suite) and we have white cubes in Isabelles room as they match her cot etc. We have a mixture of black and white in wombles nursery as it just looks funky. The drawers in Issys room are red .. wombles are lime green. But you can get the drawers in loads of colours. The cubes hold loads of toys .. and we can seperate them into "type" of toy and the ones on the bottom level Issy can open and take her toys out herself. And finally because they interlock with steel pins they are reasonably sturdy and dont move. ------------- Mummy to Issy (3) and Elias (18 months) I did it .. 41 kgs gone! From flab to fab in under a year  http://www.femininefitness.co.nz/category/blog - LFs weight blog
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Posted By: .Mel
Date Posted: 03 January 2009 at 8:11pm
J can you take a photo, I'm having trouble knowing what you mean  about the cube thingees------------- Mr Mellow (16) Miss Attitude (8) Destructa Kid (3)
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Posted By: lilfatty
Date Posted: 03 January 2009 at 8:19pm
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Sure .. just need to go find camera BBL ------------- Mummy to Issy (3) and Elias (18 months) I did it .. 41 kgs gone! From flab to fab in under a year http://www.femininefitness.co.nz/category/blog - LFs weight blog
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Posted By: Bubbaloo
Date Posted: 03 January 2009 at 8:19pm
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They sound cool I am also on the hunt for storage things. ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow">  Was danni-chick Mum to James My Angel 28/07/08 |
Posted By: katie1
Date Posted: 03 January 2009 at 8:35pm
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We've got the same as Lilfatty. White cubes with blue and red fabric boxes in his room as they match the cot and duvet colours etc. And then in the lounge dark wood cubes (that match our coffee table and dining table) They have baskets in some of them and some of them are left blank for books etc. We really like them for the same reasons. It is easy to sort toys into like things, you can use some for books and the best thing is that you don't see big plastic toys and mess all over your house when children have gone to bed etc. They are also good for teaching toddlers to tidy up eg the cars go in this basket, blocks in this one etc.
Don't have a photo as away on holiday sorry. |
Posted By: SuperDaddy
Date Posted: 03 January 2009 at 8:49pm
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Lilfatty here (on SDs computer)
Couldnt find the camera .. so have snapped a shot of the couple that we have near the couch with my phone (they double as a coffee table lol) 
The ones in Isabelles room are three high and are four long. Issy can reach to the second level, but she is not yet tall enough to open the drawers. The top row we use to store blankets etc in. We also have another row in the lounge on another wall which is the same configuration as in Issys room, but you can get the gist from the couple we have by the couch. Hope that helps  -------------  
 
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Posted By: busymum
Date Posted: 03 January 2009 at 9:05pm
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We have some coloured bins from The Warehouse which are long and flat (they are under the bed type), it means the toys don't "sink to the bottom" so badly and they can be put away - or rotated - as they have lids. We have about three times that amount of toys, plus the odd big thing (doll stroller etc) as well but we only keep a third in circulation at any one time. This keeps the kids' interests as well as making things easier to tidy.
What DH wants to get is some of the storage drawers you can get from Warehouse. We have one set so far, it's a set of four drawers (vertical) with clear bins and the girls have their drawing/colouring stuff in them. What I love about them is having everything sorted: paper, colouring books, pencils/stensils etc. -------------  |
Posted By: jaz
Date Posted: 03 January 2009 at 9:13pm
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Our toys are in the big plastic bins but they fit under the bed so are out of sight so it doesn't worry me. The good thing is that you can pull out just one box (say polly pockets) when kids come over to play. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: SuperDaddy
Date Posted: 03 January 2009 at 9:16pm
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We have the underbed storage as well. We rotate her toys so she doesnt get bored. -------------
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Posted By: .Mel
Date Posted: 03 January 2009 at 9:28pm
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Oh J I like those! They would be perfect for our lounge!! Where did you get them from? ------------- Mr Mellow (16) Miss Attitude (8) Destructa Kid (3)
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Posted By: MissCandice
Date Posted: 03 January 2009 at 9:37pm
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I lke them too! They would be perfect.. ------------- ~ Mummy to a beautiful girl ~ |
Posted By: SuperDaddy
Date Posted: 03 January 2009 at 9:47pm
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The cubes came from Payless Plastics (yep strange I know) and the coloured inserts come from the Plastic Box.
The cubes are flatpacked but REALLY easy to put together. I think that the plastic box also do the cubes now too, but we have had our cubes for eons and they didnt when we bought them. -------------
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Posted By: Daizy
Date Posted: 03 January 2009 at 11:14pm
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They are cool. We have done something similiar but have seagrass baskets (about 6) and just made our own shelves for them. We also got some pink plastic cubes (another 6) from the warehouse which fit perfectly into our shelves in the lounge. They arent too big which make it perfect for sorting (Maddi's toys, Soft toys, Keira's Toys etc) and we just pull out one box at a time. Makes cleaning up so easy and there always different boxes to pull out. ------------- 
 
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Posted By: linda
Date Posted: 04 January 2009 at 7:47am
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I've just been looking at the seagrass baskets, where can you get them for a reasonable price, I looked at the storage box and they were so expensive!
I'm also decluttering the kids toys. There are some toys that they haven't played with for a while so I'm goingto put them a way for a couple of months to give them some more space. Did it with DS who is 5 but it would be so much quicker if I did it myself! ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
Alex 6 and Harry 8 |
Posted By: peanut butter
Date Posted: 04 January 2009 at 8:00am
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We have some cubes too...but dont use them as Tom's stuff is all in plastic bins....or the cupboard on the outside of the kitchen bench....you know the one....wouldnt put anything else in it as Tom can get to it.
I got the cubes from Bunnings but I have also seen them at Ezibuy (although I bet they are more expensive there) |
Posted By: Neeks
Date Posted: 04 January 2009 at 8:31am
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Those cubes are a great idea... and the drawers are not to hard to open by little fingers
I'm going to get some cause Keziah's toys are EVERYWHERE  Don't know how she accumulated so many in such a short time LOL-------------  
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Posted By: lilfatty
Date Posted: 04 January 2009 at 8:40am
I know how Issy did .. its called grandparents  ------------- Mummy to Issy (3) and Elias (18 months) I did it .. 41 kgs gone! From flab to fab in under a year http://www.femininefitness.co.nz/category/blog - LFs weight blog
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Neeks wrote:Posted By: LeahandJoel
Date Posted: 04 January 2009 at 9:08am
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Ooh they look cool, were they very much?? -------------  
 
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Posted By: lilfatty
Date Posted: 04 January 2009 at 9:59am
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I dont think they are cheap .. off the top of my head its about $30 for a cube? ------------- Mummy to Issy (3) and Elias (18 months) I did it .. 41 kgs gone! From flab to fab in under a year http://www.femininefitness.co.nz/category/blog - LFs weight blog
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Posted By: weegee
Date Posted: 04 January 2009 at 11:31am
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I've been coveting some similar thingums from http://www.thedeal.co.nz/brand.aspx?bid=3843 - thedeal.co.nz , they're less than half price on there, luckily I have resisted the urge to click 'Add to Cart' so far ------------- 
Mum to JJ, 4 July 2008 & Addie, 28 July 2010 |
Posted By: lilfatty
Date Posted: 04 January 2009 at 11:42am
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weegee we have the white multibox four cube unit.
The cubes on it are quite alot smaller than the individual cubes though (but we got these cool wooden boxes with star cutouts to go in it so it looks gorgy). Alas its not big enough to hold much so we just have bits and pieces in it and it sits in Issys room looking cute 
(Its the unit with the flower sitting on it in the pic, oh thats our old house .. she now has a big room so we can fit the full size cubes along one of the walls) ------------- Mummy to Issy (3) and Elias (18 months) I did it .. 41 kgs gone! From flab to fab in under a year http://www.femininefitness.co.nz/category/blog - LFs weight blog
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Posted By: MrsMojo
Date Posted: 04 January 2009 at 8:05pm
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I really like those too. They look really smart and they'd be quite easy to make (might have to search the net for measurements and material suggestions). -------------  
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Posted By: concernedmum
Date Posted: 04 January 2009 at 8:17pm
| lilfatty where did you get the rest of the bedroom furniture, i like the look of it! |
Posted By: jack_&_charli
Date Posted: 04 January 2009 at 8:20pm
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we went to payless plastics today and the cubes are $30 each...fold up material boxes to put in them are $5.50 each
bunnings have cubes the same for $9 and $15....the $15 ones will fit the material cubes, but the $9 ones are smaller so they don't fit but you might be able to get smaller material boxes from somewhere else ------------- http://www.alternatickers.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: lilfatty
Date Posted: 04 January 2009 at 8:34pm
Apart from the 4 unit with the star boxes EVERYTHING is second hand and off TM. We just put new handles on all of the furniture so it matched. ------------- Mummy to Issy (3) and Elias (18 months) I did it .. 41 kgs gone! From flab to fab in under a year http://www.femininefitness.co.nz/category/blog - LFs weight blog
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Posted By: pomikiwi
Date Posted: 04 January 2009 at 9:23pm
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^^ looks awesome!
I've just purchased something like this from spotlight (when they had 20% off everything) http://cgi.ebay.com/Dora-Toy-Organizer-Wooden-Frame-w-8-Cloth-Bins-NEW_W0QQitemZ150317484319QQcategoryZ134651QQcmdZViewItem but DD's are just plain white wooden sides with pink smaller canvas totes. It's great, but just been reading ont the net that they got recalled as they can tip over and injure or even suffocate a child, aarrgghh! Ours came with a strap that can be fitted to the wall to stop it being pulled over. I've also got those wooden cubes from plastic box that DD keeps her books in. ETA - not sure why the link didnt work, grrr! ------------- http://lilypie.com">  
DD-Carys Amelia 17.03.06 |
Posted By: .Mel
Date Posted: 04 January 2009 at 9:39pm
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I went to The Warehouse today and found a couple of units that I liked and you could definitely fit the little boxes into them.
http://www.thewarehouse.co.nz/red/catalog/for-the-home/kids/1030549.html - Linky http://www.thewarehouse.co.nz/red/catalog/for-the-home/home-office/1057984.html - Cube Decisions, Decisions!!! ------------- Mr Mellow (16) Miss Attitude (8) Destructa Kid (3)
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Posted By: concernedmum
Date Posted: 04 January 2009 at 10:52pm
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ive been looking into bedroom furniture and i found these cool looking storage things that doubles as a table.
http://www.twinkle-star.co.nz/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=shop.flypage&product_id=33&category_id=4&manufacturer_id=0&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1 - link |
Posted By: lilfatty
Date Posted: 05 January 2009 at 8:03am
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Mel, I like the look of the cubes, only because the cute kiddies one doesnt have a back on it .. although your kids are older and would have better hand eye co-ordination than Issy .. she would knock everything behind it
That table is cute. ------------- Mummy to Issy (3) and Elias (18 months) I did it .. 41 kgs gone! From flab to fab in under a year http://www.femininefitness.co.nz/category/blog - LFs weight blog
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Posted By: Katherine
Date Posted: 05 January 2009 at 12:29pm
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In the latest issue of OHbaby! Magazine we've got an Our Favourite Things dedicated to storage solutions like these -- there is some pretty cool stuff out there. It's on pages 98-99! |
Posted By: Kellygirl
Date Posted: 05 January 2009 at 2:11pm
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We have stacking cubes from the Plastic Box.
Mel - of the two you showed I would probably go with the stacking cubes (with flat bottom) rather than the ones with the legs as they might be a tipping hazard. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: .Mel
Date Posted: 05 January 2009 at 2:20pm
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I think we like the cubes too, DH reckons he could jiggy it so he makes them screw together. ------------- Mr Mellow (16) Miss Attitude (8) Destructa Kid (3)
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Posted By: lilfatty
Date Posted: 05 January 2009 at 2:33pm
Do they not come with little steel prongs that secure them together? ------------- Mummy to Issy (3) and Elias (18 months) I did it .. 41 kgs gone! From flab to fab in under a year http://www.femininefitness.co.nz/category/blog - LFs weight blog
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Posted By: Kellygirl
Date Posted: 05 January 2009 at 2:38pm
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I wish we had an IKEA in NZ, it would make things so much easier. They always have great stuff for kids rooms and at a decent price. ------------- http://lilypie.com">
http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: .Mel
Date Posted: 05 January 2009 at 4:29pm
No idea - we're going to go and look tomorrow. I wish Ikea would hurry up and get here too!!! ------------- Mr Mellow (16) Miss Attitude (8) Destructa Kid (3)
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Posted By: lilfatty
Date Posted: 05 January 2009 at 4:32pm
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My DH doesn't do Ikea .. English snob ------------- Mummy to Issy (3) and Elias (18 months) I did it .. 41 kgs gone! From flab to fab in under a year http://www.femininefitness.co.nz/category/blog - LFs weight blog
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Posted By: monkey33
Date Posted: 05 January 2009 at 8:50pm
| lilfatty was the white chair from TM aswell? |
Posted By: lizzle
Date Posted: 05 January 2009 at 9:28pm
| I would love to know if anyone has bright ideas for OUTDOOR toys? we have tennis rackets, soccer balls, cricket sets, pool toys, sprinkler sets, basketballs, tractors, sandpit toys, etc. |
Posted By: caliandjack
Date Posted: 05 January 2009 at 9:35pm
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Have you thought of getting one of those storage things from Mitre 10 usually for storing outdoor chair squabs etc.
You can get plastic ones or fancy wooden ones. Do you have a garage? or garden shed? ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow">   [/url] Angel June 2012 |
Posted By: lilfatty
Date Posted: 05 January 2009 at 9:57pm
Yep .. although I had our marine spraypainting company respray it for me ------------- Mummy to Issy (3) and Elias (18 months) I did it .. 41 kgs gone! From flab to fab in under a year http://www.femininefitness.co.nz/category/blog - LFs weight blog
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Posted By: jack_&_charli
Date Posted: 06 January 2009 at 8:57am
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urgh liz we have the same problem!! jack now has 2 bikes, a tractor and trailer, charli has a bike, various bats and balls and 3 or 4 ride ons!!!
probably should just TM it all but i can't be bothered  ------------- http://www.alternatickers.com">
http://lilypie.com">
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