How can a small child possess so many things? Within a few months of bringing a baby home, your home is invaded by baby accessories and (sigh) toys, toys, toys. Teddy bears and tea sets. trains and cars. Blocks, books, balls of all shapes and sizes. After multiple Christmases and birthdays, you can barely walk five steps without slipping on a lost crayon (and how did that puzzle piece get into the fridge?).
The logical solution, of course, would be to put the toys away. But parents remember this: the secret to a neat home is a storage system that works for both you and your child. A children’s toy box is the perfect storage solution for any child.
The wrong storage system
The simplest thing would be to pack all the toys in boxes, stack them on the floor, or put them on the available shelves. But this just won’t work.
First of all, children cannot reach the shelves. So they can’t pick up what they mess up, and every time they want a toy, they’ll scream for your help. It will be impossible to do something without being interrupted, and your children miss the opportunity to learn to be independent or take responsibility for their own things.
Heavy chests stacked on the ground won’t work either. For one thing, they are a safety hazard. Young children can try pulling a chest (which will cause the entire column to fall on them). Others will try to climb the chests. It is an accident waiting to happen.
If the toys are not easily accessible, you also have another problem: bored children. They’re out of sight, yes, but they’re also unreachable, and as any veteran parent knows, a child who can’t get hold of a toy will find another toy to play with, like the remote control or Ming’s vase. or kitchen scissors.
In short, you need a toy storage system where the toys are well organized but within the reach of a young child. In other words, you need a children’s toy chest. [http://www.wishrooms.com/toyboxes.html].
Children’s toy chests
What are the advantages of children’s toy trunks over large plastic containers? First of all, a children’s toy chest is specially constructed for the purpose of storing a child’s treasures. They are built especially for children.
The height of a children’s toy chest is just right for a young child. You can keep things for yourself and you can get them when you’re ready. The lids are light enough for him to lift and are also safe for children, with no sharp corners or heavy wood that little fingers can cut or pinch.
Painted in bright and colorful designs, the children’s toy chest becomes a treasure in itself. It’s more fun putting things in and out of a children’s toy chest that looks like it was painted in Santa’s Workshop. It feels more like a game than an errand. Don’t you think so? See the difference when he says, “Put it in the plastic chest!” and “Put it in your treasure chest.”
Tips for organizing toys
Giving your child a chest of children’s toys [http://www.wishrooms.com/toyboxes.html] it’s just one way to end the invasion of lost toys. Here are some other ideas on how to restore order to your home, while teaching your child about independence and responsibility.
· Do not take out all the toys at the same time. Young children can be overwhelmed by having too many options. They can also easily get bored if they see the same toys over and over again. Instead, divide your toys into different sets. Each game should have enough variety that they can find something for any mood or situation (i.e. something to play indoors, something they can use outdoors). One set goes to the children’s toy chest, the others are temporarily kept out of sight. Rotate every few days.
· Have a “cleaning” song. Try a tape that you put on whenever it is time to keep all the toys. Choose something with an energetic beat, like a marching song. Then turn it into a game: you have to save everything before the song ends. If successful, you receive an award (like a star on a graph).
Make up a story about the children’s toy chest. Use your imagination. Tell them about the Bad Fairy who likes to break toys when children sleep, and how the Good Fairy waved a magic wand over the chest to keep them safe. Or you can say it was one of the treasures that Jack (of Jack and the Beanstalk fame) had stolen from the giant. These little fairy tales help add mystery and fun to putting away toys.
Post a graphic on the wall behind the children’s toy chest. Every time the child puts his toys in the children’s toy chest, he receives a star. When you have filled the table (it is up to you how many stars you need to collect), you receive a gift.
· Set a good example. When you ask your children to put toys in the children’s toy chest, you should be the role model and put your own things away as well. If your desk is a mess and your kitchen looks like you had to hunt wild animals to cook dinner, then you lose your credibility.
· Follow a routine. Children need to have a sense of order and rhythm, to know what to expect. Interrupting them in the middle of a game annoys them, so you have a tantrum and an endless discussion about how to put their things away. Use a kitchen timer: “In five minutes, when it rings, you will have to put your toys away.”
Let him choose the children’s toy chest. Show him the many designs available for a children’s toy chest. Let him choose the one he likes. This gives him a sense of ownership, and the children’s toy chest immediately becomes his special treasure.
· Be consistent. If you yell at him to pick up his toys, buckle up when he has a tantrum, or decide if “it’s worth the battle” depending on how tired or busy he is, your child won’t take your instructions seriously. Stick to the rule, and while the first week can be filled with yelling and sobbing, it will eventually take time to clean up like a natural fit.
