Organize Stuffed Animals On the Back of a Door! | From Overwhelmed to Organized: Organize Stuffed Animals On the Back of a Door!

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Organize Stuffed Animals On the Back of a Door!


Do your kids have stuffed animals all over their beds, dressers, bookshelves, or, let's be honest here, their floors?  I'm convinced those creatures make babies during the night.  And asking kids to part with them is like tearing out their limbs! 


Yesterday I shared pictures from my visit to The Container Store (A.K.A. A Little Piece of Organizing Heaven).  Today I want to show you what I bought there (that could fit in my suitcase and within my budget!) and how it has helped keep my kids' stuffed animals and other toys organized. 

From the title of this post, you've probably guess already.  I bought two back-of-the-door pocket organizers {affiliate link}.

 

I love using the back of a door to organize!  It's such a great way to maximize vertical space.  

I used one previously for my toiletries in my linen closet, and it saved me so much space on the shelves.  



This one is narrow because it's meant for a closet door.  The only thing I don't like is that it only has 20 pockets because they're so tall and narrow.  It's perfect for my linen closet, but not for other doors in my house.


So when I saw these 24-pocket shoe organizers at the Container Store I knew I had to buy them for my kids' bedroom doors.  I wasn't initially sure what I would store in them (there are so many options!), but once we got home I surveyed the biggest mess storage challenge in their rooms and stuffies won big-time.

Here's my son's door.


I love how many animals fit in these pockets!  Some of his smaller stuffies share a pouch too.  I'm hoping sometime before he gets married / moves out starts high school he'll be willing to part with some of these (he's 9 now).  He's been willing to give away a few of his stuffed animals, but in general he has major attachment issues to things with faces.


I didn't take a before picture, but some of his animals were in his toybox (which is rarely opened because the top has become a dumping ground - but that's another story!).  Several others were in a bin in his closet, a few were in his bed (but often fell onto the floor), and a bunch were floating around his room on his desk, dresser, night table, and floor.  Craziness!

I needed a solution, since clearly he wasn't going to get rid of many of these guys.


 I love how this turned out!  At least now he can see his stuffed friends.  And they're not cluttering up the rest of his room! 

He still has a few favourite stuffies in his bed.  But the rest of the room is free of them.  In fact, no one else even sees them except him since they're on the back of his door, and it's usually only closed when he's sleeping.  Cute storage for him and his animals, and no more clutter for the me. Woo hoo!

I did a similar thing in my daughter's room.


I kept some of both kids' favourite animals at heights they can reach so they can switch them out or play with them when they want to.  At the top we put some of the ones they are less likely to want to take out.

My daughter doubled up some of her small stuffed animals too.  


She doesn't have quite as many stuffies as my son does.  Actually she probably does, but she keeps more of them in her bed still (she's 7).  The length of her bed is against a wall so her animal friends don't fall on the floor as easily as my son's do (only his headboard is against the wall).

So, she only needed four rows of her shoe organizer to store stuffed animals.  With two empty rows at the bottom of my daughter's pocket organizer, I looked around to see what the next biggest mess was in her room.  Didn't take long to determine that her Barbies needed a home.


I apologize for the lack of clothes on several of these Barbies.  My daughter has always loved changing outfits on both her dolls and her Barbies.  For some reason though, when she finishes playing, she doesn't put clothes back on them.  Maybe it's too much work.  I don't know.  She's a funny girl.  Keeping it real here folks :)

The Barbies are probably a touch too tall for these pockets and they hang forward a bit.  But they don't fall out so that works for me.  There's even room to double them up.  It's a great solution to the toy clutter in her room!


I'm so glad I purchased these to pocket organizers from The Container Store!  They have made a world of difference in both my kids' rooms.  I know I can buy similar organizers in Canada, but I like the quality of these ones and the fact that they have 24 large pockets so they hold lots of toys. 

Now to find another door to organize the back of :)


Do you use the back of doors to organize in your home?  Do your kids have a tough time letting go of stuffed animals?  How many animals do your kids have? 


Happy organizing!



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