Toys Toys Everywhere!!!

Hi D.,

I too had this problem (and find it happens over and over throughout life...) that the kids end up with too much STUFF. What I've found works for us is too only give them so many "things" at once. Rotating toys in and out is a perfect way to keep things new and exciting again. Otherwise they begin to expect new things all the time, and a horrible cycle begins. Each time a new toy comes in an old one goes out. If 2 new toys are brought in 1 goes to the garage (or other "hiding" spot) and 1 goes AWAY (charity, a friend, anywhere!). This allows the kiddies to get new things, keep it manageable for everyone, and no one gets bored with the toys. I find this also helps to keep all the pieces from getting lost as there aren't so many toys that keeping them together is no longer overwhelming. We also go through before Christmas to weed out any outgrown stuff to give to charity and teach the kids about the less fortunate.

Good Luck!!!

H.

A couple of things you can try.

Watch the kids to see what toys they are actually playing with, and get rid of the ones that they don't play with. And set a rule that they can only have out 1 or two toys out at a time. If they don't and leave them out, take them away for a week or so. If they don't miss them, give them away. This not only will teach them responsibility to put their things away, but it will reduce the toys they don't really play with in the first place.

Such fantastic advice!!! The only thing I thought of to add was sometimes as they get older from possible three up, they need to have some toys left out. For example maybe a Lego project or puzzle or anything they consider important. I would call it "work" "are you still working on that?" So my daughter could keep one thing out as long as she wanted. Barbie's had entire communities sometimes and she wouldn't want to pull it all apart, she wanted to go back to it and admire it. I also learned from Montessori that if you use a mat for each work area it helps them to see whats going on. You include that bit of free spirit and creativity with all that organization and everyone should be happy!

That's the way it is. LOL! You sound like me!

No, really, I try to keep a neat house, but the same things happens. Just think, that when they grow up, it WILL subside, and you can purge the "kid" toys.

I think of it this way... I keep the house neat... but it's okay if it is a toy & child haven. Well, we DO have kids and I am proud of that! No apology needed. Second, I LOVE that my kids can have toys, and be able to explore and be creative. That is important to me.

On the flip side... I have a friend that is very "anal" and a perfectionist. Wonderful woman...BUT if you go to her house (she has a 3 yr. old & a 5 yr. old), you cannot even tell that she has kids! It's sad, to me. The kids toys are all neatly placed in labeled/categorized bins... and in the closet. IF her children want to play with something, her children have to ask her... then they can only play with it on a certain table, or floor area. THEN they have to, when she feels it's time...put it away. Her children are like "robots"... meaning, they have no sense of NATURAL creativity or impulses.. and are very mundane. Nice kids, but so deprived of spontaneous fun moments. Everything is so "planned" and "neat" in her house. Her kids lack the "thinking outside of the box" ability. I find it so, so, sad and stifling. And her kids can't think on their own... because the Mom is so structured and picky about the level of "neatness" in her house. It looks like a magazine. Not a natural home with children.

So, there is that flip side as well.

Sure, I, and we teach our kids about putting away (which my kids do fine for their age level), and that's fine. But I'm not going to hold a hammer to them to do it... and expect my house to look "un-lived-in" either. It's fine. My level of tolerance and acceptability is just that. That's me. I rather my kids enjoy creativity & playing, while being courteous, and keeping the house neat as is acceptable, for what I expect.

If anything, get cute nice shelving, and put everything on it. Or those plastic "drawer" things to put the loose pieces or smaller toys. We also use hip looking woven baskets to dump everything in. But, we leave it out where the kids can get into it... I don't expect a "see but don't touch" toy room.

Good luck!
Susan

I send my kids out side with Daddy and throw toys away! They never even notice! Happy Meal toys, broken toys, baby toys, and random pieces.
Your kids are old enough to help. My twins are 2 1/2 and I have a 15 month old. My twins clean their room with our help. I kick all the toys in a pile in the middle of the room and we race. I hand them toys and they put them away. My son (15 months) helps too. The blocks are his job. he sits next to me with his bucket and I give him his blocks and he puts them in. Then he claps and yells yeah after every toy. I also reward them for being mommys "big helpers" they either get a special treat, an extra book at bed time, their favorite Dora movie after their brother is in bed, or a night snack e.g. yogurt, apple sause, a bowl of friut or sometimes a real dessert.
What helps me not be bothered, is I ingnore toys all day long, and We clean toys once a day. My husband LOVES to cook so while he cooks I take all the kids to clean, or if I cook he takes all the kids to clean. It works for us. Throughout the day it looks like a bomb went off but if I did it more nothing else would get done, I would spens all day cleaning toys. I hope this helps, just another idea.

My friends with toddlers rotate out toys. Every week or two, one batch gets put away away and out of access from the kids. They say it miimizes the clutter and every week its like they get all new toys.

I feel your pain! I have four children and three of them, the oldest are girls... I have more Polly Pocket, Littliest Pet Shop and American Girl paraphenelia that anyone deserves!! I bought the rubbermaid bins with different color lids and then marked each one for the appropriate toys, they pull them out and play and then when it comes time to clean up, they just put everything back in the right bin, but it can just be put in there as long as the lid closes, it does not have to be organized because the lid gets put back on and slides right back under the bed. With my youngest daughter that just turned 5, she is just starting to really help out in the cleaning up process, I tell her that if she puts 5 toys in each bin, she gets 5 stars and when she gets to 15 stars she gets a treat, a couple of M&M's or an organic lollipop, etc. You still have a while before that incentive will work with your youngest, but your youngest will eventually follow what the oldest is doing, so start there. In the mean time, filter out the toys, take out half of what you have and store them away in the garage and then every three months or so, rotate them. You will be amazed how much fun it is for the kids, they feel like they are always getting new stuff. Good luck!!

It is so hard to keep up with.... Some ideas: We have toy bins so my boys can just throw their things in them and I just get over my need to keep them organized. Sometimes it's good just to have a clear floor.
The second idea is rotating toys. Take a bunch of the toys and store them away somewhere. Then you have less toys around to make a mess and after a few months, you can swap the stored toys out for others and the kids feel like they have new toys.. Good luck!

as a mama of a 3 year old and a preschool director/teacher, i cannot imagine not having toys organized. not only for myself, but for them. how frustrating to want to play with a certain toy and have to dig to the bottom of a bin to find it. not only is it distracting from the initial focus, the task in itself lessens productive play space. certain, age appropriate limitations on play develop necessary boundries, assist in developing attention span/focus, and actually STIMULATE creative play responses. if all of the toys are dumped out and children are roaming from toy to toy, is there a need to be creative in play?

my sons toys are also stored in the closet in large, plastic, stacking drawers with labels. he is able to go to them at his will and pull out a complete drawer or whatever he chooses. he is able to play with them wherever he chooses and for how long he chooses. he then knows that they go back in their appropriate drawers. he knows where he can find all of his toys.

in a classroom setting, toys are organized on shelves in categories, labeled with words & pictures. students also assist in cleaning up and return toys to their appropriate spaces. certain toys go together to create a stimulating play experience. for example: building blocks with cars and people. these toys can be used in a variety of ways independently or together and provide an opportunity for sustained play.

i believe it is important to ensure our children are not over stimulated by the amount of stuff surrounding them. if you are feeling stressed/out of sorts because of this, perhaps they are too? do you find that your children roam from toy to toy or are they actively engaged with the toys for age appropriate lengths of time? i encourage you to foster creative, sustained play experiences for your children in a way that makes you feel GOOD!

Hi D., At 2 and 3 years old it is possible to have structured play time, I had 2 little boys, and one little girl, mt 2 boys shared a room and toys. My rule where toys were concerned first of all was no toys in the living room, my kids were to play with toys in their rooms, however, they were alloud to take out one toy at a time, when i say one I mean if they are playing with legos, only legos are out, if they were playing with Mr. Potato head, only Mr. potato head was out, Gi Joes, between the two of them they probably had over 100, and if those were out only those were out, they had to put something away before taking something else out, I taught them that at a very young age, the same with my daughter, although she was very tidy, from age 2 to age 5, her room was kept tidy, even her shoes were lined up in her closet from dres shoes to play shoes, she made her own bed, now she is 19, and you can't walk through her room, with our stepping on something, but when they were young I stayed on top of that, and I did what you do, before birthdays, especially before Christmas I would go into the rooms and do a clean sweep, and i would get rid of everything that was broken, and could not be fixed, things that had missing pieces, then what I did when they were a little older, I would tell them to clean their room, and when i would go back everyhting that was not put away, I took, for a short time, and they learned, my 25 year old is sloppy, his wife has to deal with that, and my 19 year old is messy, but my 21 year old son is very tidy. sorry I went on tangin, but I hope this helped, you know where I am if you have any questions. J.

It is way strange that today I sat onthe floor in the play room almost in tears and completly defeated and down right tired of cleaning up toys upon toys. My daughter will be 3 next month, most days my house and her room looks like a bomb went off in her toy chests and bins. while somedays she will pick up, but only after I am a raging lunatic. Other days she will just pick it up..though not to my standards but she still cleans up and I love those days. I am a true sufferer of OCD I have the tiered shelving system with color coded bins with pictures on the front of what belongs in them, but honestly I think they are more for my own reference sometimes. I also switch toys out put stuff away when she looses interest and vice versa. I also sit and fill up bag after bag of toys every few months and take to goodwill..yet they are everywhere, sometimes you can barely walk through her room with out hurting yourself. I think at this age it is hard cause they know it isnt fun to clean up and they will protest. Days are gone of singing the clean up song and little angels singing along putting away toy after toy..LOL. I have tried threatening to throw away her toys , and well my little spoiled brat took the toys and put them in the rubbish can herself cause to her it was easier to throw them out then pick them up and put them away. So, today I came up with a new plan. Because now she is turning 3 in a few weeks I am removing all toys for under 2. I have a 6 month old so if they are in good shape and good toys they will get put up for him, but if not they are off to goodwill. I am going to make her help me sort so she knows where the toys are going. I am also going to use the toy bin shelf that I have and only that. No more containers everywhere filled. I am dwindling it ALL down.The toy shelves in her play room and a small toy box and book shelf in her room. The worst toys of all are the happy meal and cheapy toys you pick up at the store to say shoosh have this or heres your toy for being good..LOL. So they are all going, they pile up so quickly. She will get to play with them after her meal, but as soon as it gets put down, it's out. I'm hoping that when the number of toys are down, we can work more on putting toys back and in the right places. I'm going to make a treat board, everytime she is asked to put away her toys and she does she will get a star. If she does the cleaning up on her own without me saying so, she will get two stars. We will prolly trade the stars for an ice cream trip or something fun. So these are my goals..I will keep reading peoples posts to see if there are anymore good tips. I guess we all struggle through this at some point or another. So good luck to you and the toy struggle. :)

I would bet you money that if you took out 50% of your kids' toys, they wouldn't even notice!

I have done this several times and it always works great for me. I send my two little ones to play at Grandma's house for the afternoon and use the time to "organize" their rooms for them. In reality, I remove about half of their toys. I throw away the broken ones, put aside the ones they've outgrown to be sold on Craigslist or at a garage sale and bag up the ones they didn't seem interested in to be (possibly) pulled out at a later date.

When they get home and see their "new" rooms, they're so excited! They have SO MUCH SPACE to play and it's a lot easier for them to clean up their remaining toys at the end of the day. On the rare occasion they came to me and asked for a specific toy that I had removed, I would just play dumb and say I wasn't sure where it was and then sneak it back into their room when they weren't looking.

Major sanity saver for me, because I can't stand cleaning/straightening!!

Good luck!

I have a tip that really works for me. I have a 3 year old boy and I limit his toy amount. After a birthday or Christmas- he opens all the presents but I only put in his room the ones he started playing with right away. The rest I store in the closet. I take one out at a time over the course of the year Some stay available all the time but the rest I rotate out- they can't really play with all of them and they just make a mess. Good luck!

I had the same problem with our son. I finally started storing his tubs of toys up in the top of the closet in the playroom and kept the larger toys on shelves for easy access. That way, if he wants to play with something else he has to clean up what he was playing with before I will get it down for him. I feel that is it teaching him not only to clean up after himself but to finish what he starts before he moves on to something else. Another thought if you have too many toys is to store 1/2 of them somewhere else and switch toys out so they don't get bored with their toys. Sometimes when they have a ton of toys they get overwhelmed themselves and end up only playing with a toy for a few minutes before moving on to another and then you have a huge mess. Best wishes!

housefairy.org and flylady.net

My kids are 4.5 and 2.75 years old, oh, and #3 is 8 weeks old!
Our rule is that they may take out one toy and play with it. When they want another toy, they must first put the initial toy away.
You need to monitor and remind them a lot until it sinks in and it will, but you must be consistent.
This rule applies to adults too... If you take something out, put it away.
good luck

It sounds like you're on the right track. However, you could try rotating the toys as well. Get a big bin, fill it with toys and put it somewhere to stor for about a month. Every month, dump out the bin and put different toys in. That way, the kids think that they're getting new toys every month, and you get to cut down on the clutter. (Maybe I'll take my own advice. Our playroom is a MESS!) Hope this helps. :)

D.,
I am so getting you on this. I have four boys (ages four and under) and we live in a two bedroom apartment. I was completly overwhelmed with toys.
This past weekend I sent the boys to grandma and grandpas for the day and took the entire day to get rid of all the toys I thought that they needed. I only kept balls, trucks, books and legos (large kind.) They didn't even notice the missing toys. Now their room is under control again and I've already decided that we are going to impliment the "toy in - toy out" rule. If they get another toy (for a gift or something) they will have to choose to take one toy out to donate.
This has worked for us. My husband came home to a transformed house and that was really motivating for me.
P.

Both of my 3 yr olds have been cleaning their toys up we clap our hands to start and sing clean up clean up (simple I know but it works!) since they were about 2 yrs old. They also would help with putting clothes in dryer one piece at a time since 2 1/2 yrs old and they also started to mop with me with those swifter simple mops or now libman washable mop since they were 2 yrs old. So just try and find things you do you'd enjoy them to help with and turn off all tvs, and turn on some Disney tunes. I listen to the tv one and we all clean up. Make it fun you'll see they do enjoy it.

Also for toys get a book case or a cube's (they got some wire ones at walmart for not to bad of a price), also get some sort of bins, I got a bunch at the 99 cent only store. We got a cube with 9 cubbys from target for about $45.00 we also have some on the top of it for the bigger toys. Also we have limited the toys outside their closet, I also added appliance latchs to each side and then nailed them in to secure them. Works perfect for my toddler who thinks shes should play in the closet. :)

I hope this helps.

My son is also two and a half and I know what you're going through. The last couple months I've been making him pick up his toys before he moves on to anything else (story time, movie time, drawing time, etc.). The toys all have designated areas and even if they don't end up exactly where I had them, he's getting the hang of putting them back where they go.
Occasionally, I'll make him stop playing if he's got too many things out and put everything away except the last one or two he was playing with. We live in a fairly small apartment so it's as much for safety so my roommate or I don't trip and break our necks as anything else.
I think the key really is consistency. His room and our living room has to look the same every night before he gets his story. That's just what works for us. Good luck!

Dear D.,
I read the other mom's advice - WOW! There are some organized ladies out there! I had 7 kids and it was hard for me to be THAT organized, but when it came time to clean up, a great tip for getting them to help clean up is on this page of my website:
http://www.gomommygo.com/consequenses.html#cleanroom
Also, I know a woman who just kept a huge box in her garage for all the toys the kids were tired of or not playing with actively, then when they'd get bored of the ones they WERE playing with she would go out to the garage and select a few 'new' ones, and they'd have fun with the 'old' toys again!
I hope it helps! In any case, YOU ARE BLESSED! And you are so kind to share them with others as you do too. My kids are all grown up now, and my oldest is a 1st grade school teacher. She uses any old toys that still work for her prize box, to use as rewards for end of the week. Maybe if you start now, you'll collect enough that you won't need to buy any, ever, when YOU'RE a teacher!
Best,
R.

take 1/2 or more of the toys and put them up and away so they cant get to them, when they are bored with the ones you left for them to play with, get the other box of toys out, put the ones they were playing with in the box and put those ones up. The kids will think they have new toys to play with. Actully in my opinion and I have read many places to many choices isnt good for kids, its hard on the attention span. Kids really dont need a huge amount of toys, its us parents grandparents who spoil them with them.

Good luck

You have too many of them in circulation. Remove half of them (yes HALF) and put them in a box in the garage. I bet nobody will even notice. If they do notice, switch boxes and put the toys in the house into the garage. Do this once every couple of months.

If they are pulling them all out in 1/2 hour, then they aren't really playing with them, they are just moving them out of the way to get what is underneath!!

We are trying to sell our house and I packed about 70 percent of the toys into the garage and then my kids and I went on vacation. When we came back, they played with what they had available and occasionally asked for a specific toy. I would unpack only the toy the asked for and so far, we still have a stack of boxes in the garage, untouched (it has been almost 2 months since we came home). My kids are 6 and 3, so they will remember lots more than your kids. Really, they DON'T need all the toys, they would probably be just as happy to play with an empty cardboard box (and it is probably a better creativity exercise for them to do so!)

They are getting big enough to help clean up. Take pictures of the toys and put those pictures on the tub you want it in. It will help with their matching and clean up skills. We do this at our preschool and it really helps the kids. It's Ok to limit them to 1 or 2 tubs at a time, clean it up, then get out other tubs. It will take a few weeks but they can master a new playing routine. Anything that you notice that is regularly dumped out and not played with, get rid of.

I run a home daycare mainly for children of teachers. From the age of 2 and up they must help us clean because we can not move on to anything else until it is all done. I also have lot's of toys but have bins and areas where certain toys go. I let them pick it all up then about once a week after they have cleaned I go through the areas and take out what is put in the wrong place.(that helps to keep it organized) They never know when I am going to check so they tend to put thing in place not knowing when I will be checking. If I have anybody that is not doing their part toward the end I have all the other kids who have been cleaning come out for a treat or start a new activity and that child can do the rest by themselves if they were not helping. That doesn't happen very much after the first time. It is a routine, when I get new children it takes time to teach them. Trust me with alittle bit of work it will happen. Sometimes you can not see the floor and when it is clean up time it does not take more then 5 minutes. I could have up to 8 at one time so I just seperate any under 2 then everyone pitches in. I also stop every so often have them clean then start playing again so it doesn't get totally out of control. Also try to keep play in one area. Ours is the playroom they try to take toys to the family or dining room but I tell them those toys are for the play room and they head right back. Also I have closed bins that we do pull out to play in the Family room that have more small pieces (legos-trains-puzzles-ect) It is worth the work you put in to set a routine. Your 2 year old may be ready just around the corner and your 3 year old should be ready. Good luck

Hi, I'm D. too. One strategy that worked for me was to rotate the bins of toys. Put an assortment of toys in each bin, put the bins in a closet, and then only get out one or two bins a day (or week). Makes clean up easier when there's not as many toys to clean up and when the kids see different toys every few days, it's like getting new toys. Another bit of advice that I considered the best advice I ever received as a mom of little kids is: "Lower your standards"!!!!!! Sounds funny, but don't drive yourself crazy trying to clean up ALL the time. Let the kids play and be messy, just step over the toys and enjoy playing along with the kids. Then at set intervals such as nap time, dinner, and bed time, play the clean up games and clear the clutter then. Good Luck!

My son has been helping to put his toys away since he was just shy of two. Some days are harder then others. We, personally, use the time out method...so if he whines or cries he goes to time out. WE do NOT put them away for him. It may take two hours the first day to get them to pick up, but the next day it will be slightly less and the next day less more! After a week it will not be such a battle. As far as getting rid of, I tell him other kids need them...we fill a box or whatever amount I want to get rid of and then we go and buy ONE special new toy. A new car or something. I think TOO many toys can send kids a wrong message that material things are to be had and they are expected. I dunno....about the ages, maybe you are never too young to learn! The younger you start the more it is of a habit and the less battle you would have when teaching.

I have tried the pick it up or I'm taking it away aproach....then take the toys away and put them out of sight. But, out of sight out of mind and then he got away with not picking up...I DID it for him. So, that didn't work for my son!

What we have done. Is put about 1/2 - 3/4 of the toys into plastic buckets and put in them in the garage. Every 3 months or so, we switch out the toys. It's like Christmas all over again.

Boy, you sure got a lot of advice, and it's mostly for the same thing - rotate. My daughters b-day is right around Hanukah so she gets lots of gifts in a short period of time. Before she receives, she gives - to charity. We actually go thru toys year round to donate so by the time December comes again, there's room. Also, I don't let her open all the gifts at once (she can unwrap, but not open to play with) so we can spread the present opening throughout the year.
Good luck.
M.

Hi D.,
It sounds like you are on the right track already but here are a few extra things that may help.... Nothing feels better than to have them all put away neatly, and I remember the frustration of minutes later seeing toys everywhere, so when mine were little (and I am doing it again with grand kids) we have a plan that worked well. We have a rule that they cannot take more toys out until the old ones are put away. 2 and 3 years old are old enough to understand this, but it may take some time to set a pattern. Reinforce the rule (consistency is the key) and if it still becomes too hard to manage, then box up the majority of the toys, leaving out just a few. When they get tired of those, swap them out for a few of the boxed up ones. Continue to rotate the toys so they always stay interested in toys that they had forgotten about or had time to miss playing with.
Good Luck!

D.,
I had the same problem with my son who is 2 and 9 months. I went to the Container Store, there is one in Pasadena, and bought shelves for the closet. I put all those annoying toys away, the ones with the little pieces that seem to get everywhere, you know the ones. I bought small plastic boxes to store them in, they stack easily on the shelves. I left a few things out in the toy chest, the bigger toys that can be put away easily. Now my son says to me, "I want to play with the train" We take the train out and put it away before we take out the blocks or play-doh, or what ever. I am also helping him, he's not playing alone. So what ever toys require supervison because of the messiness factor are put away and taken out with me guiding the playtime. The bigger items are out for him to play independently with. I would also suggest rotating your toys. Store some of them in big bins and leave only what is manageable out, then like every 3-4 months rotate them. I will be like Christmas all over again. And it will keep them busy having fun with there long lost toys. Finally, get rid of stuff! Just keep what is useful.
Good luck!

I do not know if this is a solution, but, this is what I do when I start going crazy.

1. when I find a random whatever on the floor and I do not know what it goes to-I throw it away. I used to keep the random parts in a small basket-but they never went anywhere else.

2. I randomly go through rooms w/ a trash bag, and fill it up w/ toys for goodwill.

3. After a birthday party, I give new toys to CHOC. There are always the toys that are played w/ immediatly. Then there are the ones that just sit there in the boxes.

My house is still a mess, but, there is less mess. I really like the idea of having a big box in the garage thoiugh, I am going to start that one.

3.

One way to start is to tell people on holidays to contribute a little money to the childs college fund and for friends or poeple you don't feel comfortable asking for money. give them a list of things that the kids need like maybe a new shirt with a favorite character or a new book or something small like crayons or I have recently for my son's 3rd b-day told peopkle not to bring gifts.

Some people did bring small items from like the dollar store a new shirt and a pack of crayons. If you let people know that you don't want toys they will most likely respect that and look at other alternitives.

Hello there fellow parent of a living room FULL of toys. Unfortunately I myself have the same problem and NOTHING helps. You get rid of 1 toy and find out somehow 3 more have made it to the pile. If you find a solution please inform me as well. Mother to a 3 yr old and a 13 month old.

I feel the same way!! So I have deceided that since my son is fortunate to have all these amazing toys and when he needs something we his parents buy it for him. I have asked this year in lieu of gifts at his birthday that people donate (if they want) to March of Dimes where a gift can save a life. So far I have received nothing but great comments from all the parents who understand and think it is a great idea.

Good luck~

Get the toys out of their rooms. Rotate the toys. Let them choose 5 toys each to use that week. Then put the rest in tubs in the garage. At intervals, rotate the toys -- its like getting new toys again.

I keep most of my 2.5 year old twin boys' toys 'locked' away, and just leave out a few at a time. Then I rotate when they get bored (about every week or two). This way they actually play with what's out, it's easier to clean up and the toys last longer. Also, the puzzles and some other (many pieced) manipulative toys, are always away, and we take them out a few times a week to play them, and then they go right back away. Things are much more organized and I'm so much less stressed since I did this. Hope that helps!

Hi D., instead of on big tub of toys how about splitting them into maybe 3 smaller containers and only allow one container down at a time. Put the others high so that they have to ask for them to be taken down. But they must pick up they toys from one container before being given the other. Or you could just rotate the toy containers by the week. It will be like playing with new toys every week. Also suggest to close family and friends that instead of a toy for special occasions to maybe give them a gift certificate or better yet a savings bond.

The best advice I can offer you is a lot of outdoor play. The only way my house stays clean is if we are not in it! LOL

Seriously, tubs don't work for me. I like drawers labeled with what belongs in each drawer. I also like book shelves for larger toys that don't fit inside a drawer. I have a toy box that I use for dress up clothes and large buckets for stuffed animals.

Getting the kids to help out....you need to do it with them. Even my 5 year-old will stuff her toys under the bed if I'm not there to tell her where to it. I hand my two year-olds toys and tell them where to put it. Some days I'm just happy if they get the toy into the correct room and then I can go in later and put it where it belongs.

You are not alone.

N.

This is what I do...
I tub all toys that come in many pieces or have lots of parts to go with it. Like LPS, legos, blocks, etc. I store the boxes in the closet that is child proofed. Only my husband and I can get them. When they want a box they ask. If there is a mess already they don't get the toy until it is cleaned up. Works wonders!