I don’t have a ton of toys visible in the living room.
I definitely prefer calm, organized spaces.

Thankfully, most of the more sustainable and safe toy brands fit with that preference in regard to color scheme and design. There is a little corner by the widow that we devote to two large toys in the living room. It’s a corner that is offset from the couch, so it was really a convenient space.

Next, I discovered that legos are best stored in an ottoman with a lid. Reason 1, they cannot be dumped all over the floor (it’s a heavy ottoman). Reason 2, they are hidden unless being enjoyed. Win, win!

I have also decided to give one of my lower kitchen cabinets to the kids for neat, covered book storage.
IT. WORKS.

The other space is next to the couch, where I have a large bin that matches my decor. In it are a few things that do not fit in the other 3 areas, such as vehicles, a blanket, toy camera, etc.
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Have you found any clever ways to store your kids toys in a shared environment? Comment below! :)

Open-ended playtime and the safe toys that facilitate that are such a joy to have around. The only noises they produce are generated from the child’s imagination.

We were clued in to this method of entertaining littles really early on, so we never bought the electronic toys that make such a racket (though they have their place on occasion). This has both saved some money as well as sanity.

We have also noted that these open-ended toys are of interest for much longer than the age bracket lists. Some of our favorites are from Hape (“ha-pay”), PlanToys, Green Toys, and Lego Duplo. We always opt for brands with excellent safety standards to be non toxic (yes, that is unfortunately something one needs to intentionally look for in a toy brand).

Rather than iPad apps, we opt for Super Simple Learning on YouTube. The content often fuels the open ended play narrative. Most of their content (especially all things Caitie’s Classroom), has a low-key vibe and is uber educational; all while being delightful and engaging.

Things are a bit different now in the world. Incorporating more of this kind of playtime and content can freshen up imagination as well as a routine!