How is it that the littlest people generate the biggest mess? Few parents of small children can have escaped twisting their ankle by standing on a plastic police car or abandoned teddy. Reclaim your living space with our round-up of toy storage options.
1. Mr Bear Book Cart: £38, Great Little Trading Co
This compact, wheeled cart is not going to house your child’s entire library if they have an extensive literary collection, but does have the advantage of being extremely cute. Small children will love pulling it round by its string, and – on a good day – collecting up toys and books from the floor to put in it.
2. HelloHome StarBright Toy Box Table: £59.99, Mothercare
This ingenious wooden table is a cunning use of space, in that it provides a place for your cherub to express their creativity without drawing all over the walls, and also provides a large storage space underneath for all their craft paraphernalia.
3. The Clever Baggers Drawstring Bags: From £0.42, The Clever Baggers
If you have young children, toy packaging can quickly take over even the most spacious of homes. One low-budget and attractive option is to extract those train sets, jigsaws and building blocks from their bulky boxes and store them in a collection of cotton drawstring bags, which can then be stashed in a hamper or large box. There is a great range of sizes and colours.
4. HelloHome Gruffalo Storage Unit: £49.99
The six individual boxes in this unit are perfect for stashing all those kiddy bits and pieces that never seem to have any other home to go to. They also make it easy for little people to access the contents themselves and (in an ideal world) put the odd toy away occasionally. Anything Gruffalo-themed usually goes down a storm with pre-schoolers.
5. George Home Vintage Style Storage Trunk: £10, Asda
This is a handy hamper which is perfect for storing the bits and pieces that your little angel likes to keep in the kitchen or living room, without turning those grown-up spaces into extensions of a children’s centre. The lining stops small toys getting snagged or falling through gaps.
6. Wilko Galaxy Gang Storage Totes (Set of Three): £10, Wilko
These wipe-clean, stackable boxes are great value and good fun, with space for plenty of storage. Also available in fairy or dinosaur form, depending on what you think your child will most be into.
7. Hurley Hippo Bath Toy Storage Organiser: £15.95, Amazon
Mouldy bath toys are a near-ubiquitous bore for parents of young children. Enter Hurley, a jaunty blue hippo with extra-strong suckers to attach him to the bathroom wall and a mesh pocket to allow your aquatic toys to dry out properly, reducing the chance of unpleasant spores developing.
8. Ikea Trofast Storage System: Various prices for different combinations, Ikea
Good old Ikea, saviour of space-deprived parents everywhere, has managed to make what is essentially a series of plastic buckets for stashing child junk look vaguely attractive. The Trofast range comes in a variety of size and colour combinations.
9. John Lewis Farmyard Storage Basket: £20, John Lewis
This is a capacious basket that is ideal for storing teddies and soft toys. Made from cotton with a polyester lining, it’s light enough to cart around the house easily, and there are no sharp edges on which small children can impale themselves. Part of a co-ordinating range of nursery gear.
10. Plantabox Personalised Wooden Toy Box with Padded Lid: from £89, Not On The High Street
Choose from 10 colours, then add text, wheels and even a blackboard, to create a personalised toy crate from a rustic, planter-style wooden box. The jaunty padded lid means that it doubles as a stool.
The Verdict: Toy storage
For price and ease, it’s hard to beat the Clever Baggers’ wide range of colourful drawstring bags - though you do then need a bigger box or basket to keep them in. GLTC’s Mr Bear book cart is certainly pricier, but it is an adorable addition to a young child’s bedroom.
IndyBest product reviews are unbiased, independent advice you can trust. On some occasions, we earn revenue if you click the links and buy the products, but we never allow this to bias our coverage. The reviews are compiled through a mix of expert opinion and real-world testing
- More about:
- Home and Garden
- Furniture
Reuse content
