Anonymous wrote:We have bins in living room. Everything gets chucked away by at end of day unless we give permission for a magnatile build. I had to give up some space on our bookshelves for it, but it was worth it.

We’re in a small apartment. But when we had a playroom things still migrated. They like playing near where we are. We require things be tidied at end of day, the whole family pitches in.

For us the key is having it look neat and put away at the end of the day so we aren't feeling cluttered and stressed.

We have the play kitchen in our real kitchen so all the play food/pots/pans get closed up in there overnight.

DH built a really nice looking play house in our family room and it's magical because we can throw all the toys in there at the end of the day and it looks clean and presentable.

Our playroom has 2 huge baskets that all the toys get thrown in.

There is no right or wrong answer. It's your home and you decide what and how it should be. Maybe you can find a middle ground and have the things in covered bins rather than out in the open or on shelves.

Ours were not as spread out as yours. Playroom and bathroom. Limited toys in the bedroom, but all the books. No dining room, and we definitely never had kid items stored in our bedroom. I would re-shuffle if I were you. Pre-holidays is a good time to do it. You can also cull and donate.

I agree with your DH. I only like toys in the playroom and bathtub. All books are in their bedrooms (and we probably have 1000 books). I think you just need to get stricter about having them clean up. 3 and 5 year olds can clean up well. For instance, my kids color at the breakfast table and then put the markers and books away. Zero toys are allowed upstairs (bedrooms are for sleeping and reading), living room, dining room, or kitchen. Sometimes we build in the family room or have the bounce house there, but afterwards they are picked up.

I have a similar argument though over dh's tools and electronics (he likes to build electronics and tinker with things). They go EVERYWHERE! But he's not a 4 year old I can tell what to do. So I have a box in the dining room and at the end of the week, I pile them all up and put them in his box.

We have bins in living room. Everything gets chucked away by at end of day unless we give permission for a magnatile build. I had to give up some space on our bookshelves for it, but it was worth it.

We have toys in every room. Good or bad, it is what it is. For me, with a newborn, it’s easier to take my toddler into my bedroom for nursing, baby’s room for changes, dining room for my meals, bathroom for... well, you know, if my toddler has something to do or read.

I’m with your husband. We are in a DC rowhouse with 2 kids. Toys were in the basement and the kids bedrooms. Toys there included a train table, kitchen set, Legos, etc. There was a nice wicker basket with toys & board books in it for the living room, but that was it. Kids could play in there, but it had to be easy enough to clean up quickly.

We are not neat-freaks or minimalists. Both spouse and I agreed that we wanted some spaces in our home that were not overrun with kid stuff. In our home, those spaces were the living and dining rooms.

I’m with your husband. It sounds excessive. My advice is to drastically cut down on which toys are out and available for your kids. They don’t need toys in every single room including the kitchen and the bathroom. Kids play with toys with more interest, longer, and with more creativity when there are fewer toys to choose from. I’d start with removing the toys from your bedroom and the dining room completely to make those toy free areas. Store them in the closet, basement or attic, or in under bed storage container and rotate once or twice a week.

Doing this will cut down clutter and help your kids learn where defined areas to play are, which will help keep your house a little neater and more organized, and moreover, you won’t look around and feel like you’re living inside of a toy store.

Anonymous wrote:There is nothing inherently wrong with your current setup.

However - your husband doesn't like it! Which is totally reasonable. Who cares if everyone on the internet says it's normal?

Ask him how he wants to change things. Maybe the answer is that the toy storage is more centralized, and at 2-3 standard times a day (before lunch, before dinner, before bed?) all the toys have to go back where they belong. Maybe the answer is the storage is fine, but the kids aren't cleaning up after themselves. Maybe the kids shouldn't be playing in your bedroom or the dining room. As long as what he proposes is reasonable, and he's willing to be an equal partner in setting up a new system and enforcing any new policies, do it.

This

Doesnt matter what everyone else thinks. Matters what is working for you. Husband doesnt think its working and wants a toy free space. So decide on a toy free home and work on moving the toys out.

There is nothing inherently wrong with your current setup.

However - your husband doesn't like it! Which is totally reasonable. Who cares if everyone on the internet says it's normal?

Ask him how he wants to change things. Maybe the answer is that the toy storage is more centralized, and at 2-3 standard times a day (before lunch, before dinner, before bed?) all the toys have to go back where they belong. Maybe the answer is the storage is fine, but the kids aren't cleaning up after themselves. Maybe the kids shouldn't be playing in your bedroom or the dining room. As long as what he proposes is reasonable, and he's willing to be an equal partner in setting up a new system and enforcing any new policies, do it.

I have to agree with your DH, that it’s weird you have toys in your bedroom, kitchen and dining room. I do I get that nothing is normal right now with the pandemic. Perhaps moving those toys to a bedroom or your living room would alleviate your husband’s concern. If they want a toy in my room, they can bring one in but it doesn’t live there. We set up art at the table but put it away when done. I’m curious - Do you think you just have too many toys? Or is it more about wanting the kids to have something to do in each room?

Their bedrooms and the basement had lots of toys and toy storage. Other rooms like the living room had a basket of things that sat in the corner and were not the focus on the room. I would allow crafts etc in the computer room but probably not store the supplies there.

We just have one kid (4 years old). She has some toys in the living room. The kitchen has her play kitchen and a little arts and crafts area.

Then she has a playroom and toys in her bedroom. Other than that, she doesn’t have any toys around the house.

DH wants the toys out of the living room, but I really don’t mind them. It’s where we hang out as a family and I think it’s fine to have toys there. We try to keep them contained in baskets that fit under the coffee table, but sometimes we’re more successful in that than other times.

I have 2 kids under 5. Currently, living room is turned into playroom with playmats with toys and books. Dining room has toy storage cubes and bins. Kitchen has small kid table set with toys shelf and crafts. Bathroom has water gun toys, bath toys and other random small things. Their bedrooms has toy storage cubes and bins with some toys and books. And, our bedroom has some of their kid books & tiny toys because they like to hang around in our bedroom upon waking up in the morning. Our basement has play tent, tunnel, bounce balls and other bigger toys. Even computer desk has their crafts and books because sometime they want to watch youtube or do some crafts.

I am fine with it, but DH does not. He says that pretty much toys/books are everything in the house. Well, sometime they are laying on the floor, or corner of the room pile up, not really inside storage cube/bin. I want to hear about how about your family?