It is incredible how quickly your child, even as a baby, accumulates toys, books and other paraphanalia. Even if you have one child, before you know there will be balls, cars and teddy bears all over your home. There are some amazing storage ideas out there, but not all of them are practical or affordable.

These storage ideas are practical, affordable and make use of containers you may already have around your home.

Plastic boxes. Using smaller plastic boxes for specific things means they are more likely to be used one at a time and packed away correctly. Adding labels is pretty easy to do, you can even use a permanent marker to write on them. Pic Credit

Hanging toy holder. This is such an easy idea. You can use a shoe holder that you get at the Crazy Store for under R100. They can be used for soft toys, Barbie Dolls or action hero dolls. You can hang them on the back of a door or inside a cupboard. Pic Credit

Animal zoo. If you are crafty, this is pretty simple to make otherwise you could use a washing basket. The advantage of this is that it is easy for your child to pack away, they simply throw the toys inside. Pic Credit

Stationery jars. Such a simple but effective idea, you could use recycled coffee jars to store your child’s stationery in. These jars are nice because they have a large opening for little hands to take out easily. Pic Credit

Lego jars. Lego is loads of fun and a great educational toy but keeping it organised can be challenging, we love this idea. Paste the front page of the book onto a plastic jar, then your child can build and rebuild with their Lego. Pic Credit

Even with the best storage system, it takes time to get your child on board with your system for their toy room. Making it as simple as possible does help. If they are easily able to clear up and put their toys in clearly marked containers, they are more likely to do it right.