If you have to ask the question, “Should kids’ toys be confined to one room?” there is a pretty good chance that the toy situation in your home is driving you crazy! And listen, you are definitely NOT alone. At some point, every parent realizes that their overindulgence in the toy sector of life can quickly make their home look as if a five-year-old hoarder lives there. No adult should be forced to tiptoe through every room of their home in the hopes of avoiding stepping on Barbie dolls, toy trucks, plastic kitchen utensils, crayons, and other toys.
Another thing to consider is this: with toys scattered throughout your entire house, you are actually making playtime for your child more difficult and stressful. There is nothing worse than helping a determined child find that one specific toy in your home, which has apparently been lost under a mountain of playthings. When young children have too many choices and too much stimuli, they can feel overwhelmed, indecisive, frustrated, and lost amidst the environmental chaos. Plus, how do you start winding down a toddler at night before bed when all they see around them are toys just waiting to be played with?
The Solution: Confine Toys to One Room
The trick is transitioning to confining toys to one room at the appropriate age.
Obviously, when you have a baby in the house who is barely crawling or walking, you want to keep toys in an area that is convenient for you. But as they approach and grow through toddlerhood, moving the toys to a playroom (if you are lucky enough to have one) or your child’s bedroom can go a long way in teaching them about responsibility and accountability. (Not to mention keeping you sane!)
Instead of allowing them to drag every toy they own out into the living room or dining room, encourage them to make choices by selecting just one activity. You can also set up a system where they must clean up one mess before starting another. This is a win-win situation for both you and your child. You aren’t disallowing toys in the living room, but you are setting limits by allowing only one activity at a time to be brought out. This ensures that your living areas aren’t overrun with toys and child playthings. Remember, these are the same sorts of limits they will have to adhere to in school and in life!
Similarly, in order to teach your child responsibility, start providing a consequence for leaving their toys strewn about the house. Explain why this is inappropriate and let your child know that any toys left unattended will be donated to a thrift store or shelter. Alternatively, you can place them all in a plastic bin and allow your child to earn them back through positive behavior. This type of approach can be started around the 2-year mark in your child’s life.
Eventually, many parents, especially those who appreciate a well-decorated and organized home, tire of seeing primary colors and pastels clashing with their décor and mature sensibilities. It’s possible to be too OCD about the toy situation, though. After all, living with children means living with their stuff. Finding a happy medium by confining toys to one room also gives your child a space to call their own. If you set up a playroom or strive to keep toys contained in the kids’ bedrooms, make sure you have enough organizational tools in place to make things easy to get out, put away, and find. The big toy box is not a good choice, as too many things get lost. Instead, use shelving, bins, Tupperware containers (for the small stuff), toy organizers, and kid-friendly furniture that is designed to hold books, art supplies, etc.
Let your child become the master of this domain. Setting aside a time at the end of every day to clean up is a reasonable expectation, and you should allow your child to take ownership of this task. If the toy room is a little messy by your standards, but your child is trying to follow your rules, don’t undermine them by redoing it to meet your expectations.
Another tip for organizing toys is to do a little spring cleaning a few times a year. Your best bet is to do this when your child is not home, so that you can pack up and store or even donate toys that are no longer of interest to your child or aren’t age-appropriate. As your child grows, you can scale back on the number of toys and instead focus on the types of playthings your child is most interested in. Collecting toys “for old times’ sake” or because you want more children someday only wreaks havoc on the space in your home and causes chaos for you and your child.
If your house is split across multiple levels, and making trips to the toy room or bedroom to get new toys feels like a hassle, consider using a wooden-crafted toy box or an attractive basket in your living spaces to hold just a few toys at a time. This way, your home won’t appear as if it stands in for a preschool, yet your child will still have quick access to their favorite toys.
In the end, deciding whether toys should be confined to one room is a personal choice. Some parents don’t mind having wall-to-wall toys, while others find it overwhelming. Every family has a different level of expectation for how their home should look and feel. In some instances, you have to decide that the “toy phase” of your child’s life is short-lived, and remember that soon, your house will be an empty nest, void of dolls, blocks, trucks, and toys that make noise.
