4 toy storage ideas for the living room

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When I was pregnant with my first child, I told my friends Émilie and Francis that MY kids were never gonna bring their toys in the living room because I would never let them do that. Their toys belong in their room. HA. I think I’ve apologized to them about a hundred times for my arrogance. This is when I decided to get some toy storage for my living room.

If you want to enjoy your morning coffee while sitting comfortably on your couch, you might want to choose your battles and let the kids play in the living room. Plus, there are many ways to store toys in your living room, while keeping some style. Here are a few organizing tips that worked for me.

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Coffee table with storage space

My first attempt at toy storage in the living room was a coffee table on wheels that was closed on every side, except for the back where we could fit storage bins.

The reason why it didn’t work? It had the sharpest corners you could ever imagine… And Liam used it as a skateboard or something. Just thinking about it made me nervous, and I was imagining all these worse case scenarios, so we changed our coffee table.

We ended up buying this one from IKEA, with storage bins that fit under.

Bookshelves with doors

When I moved into my current apartment, I got rid of the IKEA table because it was too large for my living room. However, I have bookshelves with doors at the bottom. I could grab the same storage bins and hide toys inside them. I’m still using this storage space but now, it’s for video games and Disney DVDs!

Storage ottoman

I got this idea from my friend Steph. She has a large ottoman in front of her sectional, and she uses it to store blankets. Once it’s close, you have a magnificent piece of furniture that gives that designer look.

Tip: consider getting a leather ottoman. Why? Oh, you know… Babies throw up milk, kids drop their sippy cup. The leather allows you to clean up messes and accidents easily. Trust me: Once, my son decided to break a dozen eggs in our fabric sofa… I sure wish I had a leather sofa at that moment.

Toy storage organizer

I had an organizer like this in my living room for a little while. I didn’t enjoy putting away the toys in my living room like that but again, when your kids are still young, you choose your battles and you can enjoy the comfort of your living room.

Make it fashionable!

Because you are giving up on a toy-free living room, get yourself furniture to put away the toys that will look fashion, or at least, that will fit with your living room furniture. This way, when the kids are in bed, you can hang out on the couch and forget about the toys because they will be put away in a piece of furniture that looks “super adult”. You can still have the living room of your dreams while allowing your kids to play there.

Giving up my living room to ensure my kids have fun while I’m sitting comfortably on my sofa is one of the things I was warned about before I was a mom. Now, it’s my turn to tell you stuff you should know about kids. Read this post about the 5 things no one ever told you about bringing home a newborn baby!

What about you? Do you let your kids play in the living room? Give me your best tips below, because I just tripped on some mega blocks, a firefighter truck, and stepped on Barbie…