Easy Peasy Toddler Toy Shelf and Rotation.

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Toys. What an overwhelming topic – not only in terms of sheer volume but in terms of what to buy. As a new mother it can feel like you need to have all the toys and all these perfect interactive activities to prepare your child for life. Don’t let it stress you out. Really. I completely felt that too, but as time went on I realized it’s not necessary. Baby will learn and grow just watching and being included in normal daily activities WITH you. That being said, having toys that help with babe’s entertainment and enhance development are great to have. One concept that was really eye opening to me was the concept of a toy shelf and toy rotation. We live in a smaller home and only have one living space (no separate toy room). If this sounds daunting (it was, ha!) but it actually has allowed us to limit what we purchase to the items we actually need and desire. We strive for toys that allow for open ended play and creativity (avoiding toys that have lots of electronics and really only one purpose).

Easily accessible toy shelves with a rotation of the items is a Montessori concept that I had read about on several blogs but was cemented for me in reading The Montessori Toddler. The Montessori Method is a type of education method and lifestyle that allows for a dynamic relationship between the child, the learning environment and the adults. This allows for the child to be in control of their own choices in an environment that is easy for them to interact with while being supported by the adults around them. It allows them to learn from natural curiosity and self exploration while building independence.¹ If this sounds like you and something that you want to learn more about, check out the book, it’s great.

For me, there have been three main aspects to the toy shelf that were sensical which we applied:

One – be sure that whatever type of shelf you have in the space is easily accessible to the child – easy to reach and see into the bins. You can start this at any time in development (6 months+) keeping in mind that babe will become more independent with this as they grow. In our living space, we have a built-in style book shelf. I cleared the entire bottom section of one side and made this “Poppy’s Shelf”. Everything in it is safe for her to access at will to play.

Two – have each “activity” in its own container. For us, primarily soft woven baskets and trays have worked best. I chose these as the shelf we have is painted and I didn’t want it to be damaged too greatly with firmer containers. Additionally, the soft baskets are easy for Poppy to maneuver with less risky of injury. Other options include wicker baskets, clear bins and various types of trays. I have six containers on the shelf.
Keeping each activity’s pieces together (ie: stacking cups, ball set, figurines, crayons and paper, puzzles, etc) allow for cohesiveness and logical groupings of items. Encourage babe to work with one bin’s activity and then place items back in the basket and the basket back onto the shelf before moving to the next. This actually works and totally shocked me! Poppy was able to grasp collecting the basket, playing and them putting the items back all as part of the activity from about 13 months on. It has not only helped with her learning but also the organization of our home. We clean up together – its not all just on mom once babe is sleeping. It is recommended to store the items uncompleted in the basket so they are willingly enticed to play with the items more freely.

Three – utilize a toy rotation. This was the most daunting aspect for me before I actually put it into application. I thought, do I need to write the toys down to keep track?? do I need a strict schedule, ie: every other Wednesday at 5:43p to switch all the toys?? is there a specific order for the rotation?? Nope, not at all. I have found that just observing which items are frequently played with and which have become less exciting allows me to judge which toys to swap out and when. I usually reassess the toys on the shelf every few weeks (very loose timeline) and switch up what I want to. I have all the toys that are not on the toy shelf in a wicker basket out of Poppy’s sight and reach and switch them usually when she is sleeping, to avoid overexcitement over all the toys. We have approximately 15 items in the regular rotation and add 1-2 new items monthly the mix to engage new developmental skills and her interest. (We pack old items away for storage for friends with younger babies or for donation). The large majority of toys we have fit in one overflow basket and the 6 shelf containers. That’s it. It’s all we have. (If we are being very nitpicky, I do have a bin for all the art supplies, some musical instruments and a play kitchen, but that’s it, really). The toy rotation truly allows for her to have renewed excitement when the toys come back out and it’s so spectacular to see. She remembers what she learned previously with the items but also plays with them in new, innovative ways. 10/10 recommend some type of toy rotation.

Here are the photos of my shelf (at it’s cleanest). It’s not always perfect, and that’s okay too: neither is life!
[Drag the bar right -> left to see what’s in my bins]

These are some (not all) of our favorite items!

Sassy Stack of Circles Stacking Rings. There is such a trend and a push towards natural, wood toys only. I do tend to lean this way as well but sometimes there are exceptions. And this toy is great – so many different textures and sizes of rings for hours of play.

Yellow Brick Kids Princess Peg Dolls. These 3″ wooden hand painted peg dolls from a local small business are one of our favorites. They are not only beautiful but Poppy loves to play with them! Disney movies and soundtracks are a favorite in this household and having these character peg dolls to play with is amazing.

mushie Stacking Cups Toy. These cups are the most soothing colors and are so pleasing on the eye. There are beautiful designs on the bottoms (great for stamping in play dough) and are great for stacking and nesting into one another.

B. toys Squeeze Blocks. These blocks are a perfect first block set. They are colorful and come in a great storage bag. They are soft but stack well and have multiple learning elements such as numbers and different animals and shapes reflecting the number on the block.

Melissa and Doug Animal Rescue Shape and Sorting Truck and Safari Ltd Wildlife Animal Toys. We LOVE the zoo. We go almost weekly. It’s great to have some figurines that represent that real life activities that we do. The Melissa and Doug toy is cute and she loves to put the animals in the puzzle truck (although the animals in this set are not realistic). The Safari Ltd figurines are pricey but really good quality and the selection is amazing. There are many options and sizes and we usually buy the animals in the mid-price range that are about 5″ in size (give or take given the species of animal). The animals have amazing detail and are accurate to the live animals.

Lovevery Wooden Coin Bank (with Carrots and Carrot Lid/Q-tip Lid). Lovevery has some great toys. They are wooden and beautiful. Our biggest issue with their service is that the items are only available as kits and the items can not be purchased individually. The pricing is not bad for the number of items you get but I find many of the items I can recreate myself or already have in a similar fashion.

I hope this helps you mamas out there with toy woes and/or space constrictions.

Tell us your favorite toys, brands or toy organization hacks!

Let’s talk soon,
Al

References:
1. Davies, Simone. The Montessori Toddler. Workman Publishing Co., Inc. 2019.