Things we love: taming the toy zoo

With the onslaught of toxic toy scares, finding safe varieties for little ones to shake, rattle, and lick with reckless abandon pretty much became every mom’s life mission.

Anything marked “made in the USA” or “certified lead-free” was thrown into the shopping cart regardless of whether your child really needed – or wanted for that matter – the toy or not.

No doubt your hunt for harmless play things made your peanut the happiest kid on the block. But it also probably resulted in a glut of toys that have completely taken over your household.

Whether you’ve managed to keep them fairly contained in your child’s room, or they’ve spilled into the adult spaces, there are some really creative storage solutions out there to help you get some humble back into your abode.

	Animal Swing-Lid Cans: $9.99 ea These little Container Store critters are intended for trash, but are perfect for tiny toys and treasures.
	NJOE: $4.99 ea Leave it to IKEA to make a cheap, fun way to encourage kids to clean up after playing. And did I say cheap?
	KidKraft Locker: $84.99 ea Lock up little messes with two-drawer, modular locker units for each kiddo. Available in red, white, and blue.
	KidKraft Table/Benches: $97.50 Doodle and play, then tuck and store. The benches nest neatly under the table, which has a jumbo drawer for organizing toys.