When I was pregnant I was one of those moms that thought all my baby toys and furniture would match my house and that my house would not be taken over by baby stuff. YA RIGHT, now I laugh at myself and can’t believe I even thought that was possible. Now instead of worrying about which pillows and throws will match my decor, I’m looking for toys that are coloured and stimulate my son.

My toy space started out with a foam mat and a basket for little toys when my son was an infant. As he grew into a toddler things became a little more messy. Building blocks, balls, cars, puzzles, colouring books, crayons, books, musical toys, the list goes on. My basket did not do the trick anymore so I upgraded to a toy storage unit. I really loved this idea and used it for about six months but seeing the toys day after day just sitting in my living room started getting on my nerves. If you have a separate toy area this is a great idea, but if your house is like mine and is all open concept it might not be the best solution. The storage bin unit is from Canadian Tired and was $49.99.

After getting tired of that look, I decided to go with an all white storage unit that can keep all of my sons toys inside. I still use bins inside the storage unit to keep toys sorted and organized. I love the way it looks because it does match my decor and once all the toys are cleaned up it feels like I have my living space back again. I find that when my son does not see all the toys at once, he plays with a few toys at a time rather than running up and throwing all the toys he can see.

Along with the storage unit I bought a white table and chair were my son can eat, do crafts and colour. These items are from Ikea and were very inexpensive. The storage unit was $99.00 and the table and chair was $50.00. Here is what our new space looks like