Lottie's Interiors: Stylish storage for all those toys...

I spent much of the day tidying up after the two children today! Kids don't half generate some mess and my two are no exception!

Half way through the day, and following yet another trip to the supermarket, we popped into the local toy shop so my daughter could spend some of her birthday money. She was feeling particularly sisterly today, perhaps down to the fact that she was having her best friend for a sleepover and therefore was making all the right noises during the hours before her arrival.....in the hope of a late-ish night and some treats no doubt. Me? Cynical? No...no....no. Anyway. She decided she was going to invest in some more Lego sets to share with her brother. She and the 2 year old have been playing happily (hoorah!) over the past few days with the small amount we already have....I was happy to go and buy more. A sound investment! I must confess that my daughter has only recently discovered the joys of Lego. Until this Christmas, she had lived through 7 years not knowing what Lego was! When she received a Christmas set from an Aunty this year her reaction was a mixture of immense gratitude and one of absolute annoyance. Post Christmas, having given her the old 'talking to' about looking grateful for presents even if perhaps they are not what she would have chosen, she pointed out that I had got it all wrong. She was furious at the fact that in 7 years we had never bought her any Lego! What had we been thinking? Bad bad parents!

On returning to the fold I thought it was one of those opportunities to have a bit of a toy clear out to make room for the new Lego collection. My husband refers to it as necessary 'culling'! What followed was a scenario familiar, I expect, to many if not all parents of young children.

Now, there are 2 ways of carrying out this task. Gather the family together and make collective 'family' decisions about which toys to keep and which to cull.....sorry....send on 'holiday'! The problem arises when the children insist that the scrappy piece of postage stamp sized paper they find in the bottom of the box is, in actual fact, an essential part of some game or other and that under no circumstances must it be thrown away. Neither must we part with the one legged Barbie....or the horse riding set without the horses......or the 5 identical Peppa Pig figures....You get the picture.

Or, my method of choice, whereby one parent distracts the children whilst the other runs back and forth like a mad man with bin liners between the toy box and the dustbin in the style of the late Benny Hill! I usually volunteer Daddy for the bin bag run incase any of the toys are discovered pre-bin man or charity collection visit. It's easier for him to be the villain. He's at work all day! I did make the school boy error of 'hiding' one toy in the kitchen bin only to be nobbled when the children threw something in the bin and were greeted with the all too familiar rendition of 'London Bridge is Falling Down'...from the depths of the bin! Doh! Leave it to the professional mad man with the bin bags I concluded!

So, I had a good clear out and then decided it was time to look at some much needed additional storage for all the remaining clutter. I don't know about you, but I like to get my house in order once the kids have gone to bed so good storage is important. Whilst having a few strategically placed baskets around the place is really all that you need, there are some great storage solutions out there and so here are a few of my picks.