Toy storage in a girls room

[susyp]

2 questions!

1) how ruthless are you with your children's toys - i have just begun getting rid of literally baby toys from my 5 year old's room as it is just out of control now. Hubbie and daughter are very resistant so i am doing it subtly once a week (bag full) and no-one has yet noticed. She has 2 big boxes of happyland stuff which she never plays with but did once love. I was thinking of ebaying the lot and promising her the money - she has just started getting pocket money so you never know - or next time she asks for something saying she can have it in exchange. Not sure this will work so may just have to get rid of it slowly also, i am not sure she will notice!

2) we currently store her books in an expedit system from ikea - it's pretty big but she has a lot of books and more with mammoth selections from the library - this is fine as seems to be her main interest other than drawing (and that;s another storage story!). apart from that everything is in ikea plastic boxes. What do you use for your children that won't look babyish when they are in junior school - seen the ikea trofast and stuva systems - not sure if they would work for older kids though? recommendations please? love the gltc stuff but just so expensive. any ideas on making her room lovely would be brilliant!

thanks

susypx

[pebbles]

I'm a culler :) Always behind their backs and they never notice :)

The lovely wooden stuff or things that are timeless (like duplo, jigsaws, classic books, building blocks etc) I keep up in our attic for the Grandkids!!! (just like my Mummy has done) and then the other stuff I either give to charity or to a dear friend who really appreciates the help.

I actually did a cull this morning and I feel so much more relaxed now - and also i know the kids play easier when there's less to choose from - if that makes sense?

re storage in their bedrooms - why don't you buy a good solid bookcase (from edf, gumtree or ebay) - a lot cheaper than modern stuff and a lot better made, and then give it a lick of paint so it looks beautiful in her room (Annie Sloan paint is very easy as there's no preparation needed and it dries in 30 mins) and then you can have baskets etc to store her different toys?

Am looking forward to hearing everyone elses ideas as I'm ok for my boys room but i haven't got great storage for my daughters bedroom

Good luck x

[oimissus]

I don't know about storage but I think I'm going to keep stuff that's in good condition - thinking ridiculously far ahead but my sister kept lots of her toys and thus has all the lego, dolls, dolls house, to hand on to her daughter. We have a big loft helpfully!

I've not found any good storage yet, I want drawers that are big enough to hold A3 paper, no joy yet. Baskets for books and those pop-up basketty things for toys at the mo (but she's younger than your DD).

[susyp]

yes my mum kept lots of stuff and it is really nice that my daughter can play with it. this is my dilemma with the happyland stuff - we have so much of it and it would be nice to keep it so maybe i will just try and store it nicely somehow- i was obsessed with that sort of stuff for years as a child so thought it would last but she seems not so much into playing - prefers to be out and about or doing something arty. And we do have some nice non plasticky stuff too which to her credit she is still playing with! (girl with more taste than her mum!)

think i might get the trofast stuff as you can get lids which helps with the battle with dust and it seems that you can get shelves so when she is older it could just turn into something a little more grown up with little baskets. total copout and pebbles i love your idea but i am not as arty as you = plus half our house is still plaster so if the paintbrush comes out it's doing the walls!

i got some lovely fairy lights today so she has gone to bed thrilled - about to put up the ones i got for the lounge to make me thrilled !

the nesting instinct that i never got when i was pregnant seems to have arrived 5 years on!

susypx