The Best Toy Boxes for Kids and Parents
Because you can't tell your kids to put their toys away if there's nowhere to put them.
If you have kids, it’s easy to let your floors become toy minefields, to spend your days side-stepping stuffed animals, toy cars, and Legos. The best way to avoid this situation? Don’t have kids. But if you’re reading this, it’s probably too late for that. Now that you’re a parent, you should invest in a solid toy box that will allow you to contain the mess but also help you incorporate toy clean up into regular play. But while deciding to get a toy box is easy, finding one that’s big enough to hold your kid’s stuff and isn’t an eyesore is a more difficult proposition.
That’s why we turned to Michelle Meyers, a certified interior designer and owner of Joli G Interiors & Designs, for her picks as well as a few toy boxes that have earned stellar online reviews from hundreds of parents. All of our picks, both expert- and crowd-sourced, can help you train your kids to put away their toys and help you keep your house relatively organized.
Better Homes and Gardens Round Tufted Storage Ottoman
“I love these tufted storage ottomans for storing toys,” Meyers says. “They are functional, but they also look cool and come in a variety of colors.” This inexpensive model features a pleasing tapered shape, linen upholstery, and nailhead detailing. It’s 20 inches tall with a nearly 30-inch diameter, so it can also fit a ton of toys. When your kids aren’t actively loading or unloading it, it’s a great footrest or seat, and its four available colors are all neutral so you’ll almost certainly be able to find one that fits your decor.
RH Teen Tufted Round Storage Ottoman
Another benefit of ottomans? “Kids can’t bang up the walls with the lids because they’re upholstered,” says Meyers. This higher-end option from Restoration Hardware has a more traditional, straight shape. Its hardwood frame and stain-resistant fabric make it more than tough enough to handle your kids, and the plush cushioning means it’s nice and comfortable. Where this ottoman really excels, though, is in its available color options. Take your pick from 83 different fabric colors or five shades of leather. No matter which material you choose, you’ll get a piece of functional furniture that’s attractive enough to keep around even after you kids outgrow their toys.
Viv + Rae Ivar Bookcase
Ottomans are great for the living room, but if you’re looking for toy storage for your kids’ room Meyer recommends open storage bins like this one from Viv + Rae. This model, available on online furniture destination Wayfair, is just shy of three feet tall and four feet wide. It has two levels, a bookshelf on top and open cubbies on the bottom. Meyers likes it because it’s “at a height that little bodies can reach,” so your kids won’t have an excuse for not cleaning up themselves.
RH Baby & Child Mercantile Stacking Bins
Each of these rows of three compartments is 39 inches wide and a foot tall. The bins have felt on the bottom so they won’t scratch your floor if you place them side-by-side. And if you’d prefer to stack them, metal brackets and anti-tip hardware are included to secure them to each other and the wall, respectively. No matter what shape or size your room is, you can find a place for these spacious bins, which come in a three-pack.
Crate and Barrel Storagepalooza 3 Toy Bin
This bin is taller and deeper than the Restoration Hardware option, so it’ll fit more toys. It’s also a better choice for smaller rooms because you don’t have to buy three at once. There’s also a two-compartment option with the same dimensions, a better choice if your kid has larger toys. Meyers recommends storing additional toys on top of the bins, but the bins are stackable if you’d prefer to save some floor space, particularly because kids who are tall enough can easily retrieve toys placed on top of stacked bins.
Gimars Easy Carrying Toy Chest
Jute, a strong, coarse fiber, makes up the walls and bottom of this toy storage bin, which comes with the word “Toys” helpfully printed on the side. The walls are held up with six plastic inserts that prevent the fabric sides from collapsing. A metal rod around the top, concealed by the fabric, makes it extra sturdy, and the whole thing has a waterproof coating so storing bath or pool toys before they’ve completely dried isn’t an issue. Twin handles make it easy to carry the toy chest from room to room, and it can fold down to one inch of thickness when not in use.
3 Sprouts Kids Toy Chest
This chest comes with your choice of nine different animal designs. It’s great if you have multiple kids and want to buy a different box for each one to provide a sense of individual ownership of toys and individual responsibility for cleaning them up and putting them away. The fabric walls of the bin are stiffened by cardboard insets, and the lid comes with a lip and pull tab that makes it easy for small hands to grasp, open, and close the lid. And, with plenty of other storage solutions available from this brand, your toy chest can neatly match bins, boxes, hampers, hanging organizers, and even a diaper caddy for a uniform look in your nursery or playroom.
Step2 Fun Time Room Organizer and Toy Storage
If you’re dealing with more toys than can fit in a single chest, consider this shelf that comes with 11 different plastic bins. They make it easy to keep toys organized by type — separate bins for Legos and Barbies, for instance. In the aggregate hold a lot more than a standard chest. Nine of the bins fit three to a shelf on each of the three shelves while two larger bins are designed to slide under the lower shelf. You can choose either light pink, dark pink, and lime green bins or orange, sky blue, and yellow. The unit comes with stickers that you can write on, using them as labels for the individual bins. There’s also a wall anchor that’ll keep your kids safe no matter how loaded down with toys their organizer becomes.
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