In plain view

I realize that my lifestyle is not for everyone, but if you really want to avoid kid clutter this is a great option.

I have lived through a sea of toys with broken and misplaced parts. I have found puzzle pieces in my kitchen and doll heads in my bathroom along with a multitude of messes that I hated. This was how my over indulged, first two children experienced toys.

Fast forward 15 years...

My two year-old daughter has a more Spartan collection of toys contained almost entirely in these bins.

Two contain books, one blocks, one Playmobil sets, and the others are a jumble. She is very content with the number of toys and I don't think I would be doing her a service by having too many.

I love these bins. They are about $5 at Target and other stores and sturdy as far as I can tell. While I am not thrilled with the color combination of the bins in this new house, they keep things tidy with only the tiniest effort and keep toys from becoming a numbing pile of stuff. The kind of "can't see the trees for the forest" sort of mess.

Only the "beehicle" and tiny chair remain in view when everything is put away but can be stashed elsewhere quickly if I wish.

I hope this method works in the long term because we have kept her bedroom mostly toy free. With two twin beds there is precious little floor space and a few things are stashed in her closet but it one less mess to pickup.