How to Organize Stuffed Animals

They're cute and cuddly, they keep your kids warm and secure at night and they are total space hogs. All those stuffed animals that your children just had to have are taking over their bedrooms and soon there won't be any room left for your kids. With a little bit of creative thinking, you can create inexpensive ways to organize your child's home zoo.

Instructions

1. Treat them all to a hammock. Hammocks specifically designed for stuffed animal storage are an efficient way to keep all of your daughter's stuffed animals off of her floor, and they're fun, too. Organizing them this way also makes it easy for her to find the one she wants for her latest tea party.

2. Organize them in hanging shoe bags or pocket organizers. You can purchase these items in many stores and some are available with clear or canvas pockets. This keeps the stuffed animals off the floor and it's an easy and quick way for your son to put his collection back when he is finished. The pockets are great for smaller stuffed animals.

3. Hang the animals by their ears. Not as cruel as it sounds, you can adapt clip systems that are typically used to dry clothes and attach the stuffed animals by their ears or tails. The hanging clip method offers another alternative to help little ones put their animals away and find the one they want.

4. Store stuffed friends in a clothes hamper. Hampers are great for kids who just want to toss them into one container at the end of the day. The hamper can be kept in the closet and moved around the house as needed.

5. Purchase a few wicker baskets. You can find these baskets in any craft store and spray paint them to match any bedroom décor. They have handles, so children can carry them from one room to the next, easily collecting the animals before moving to the next locale.

6. Install bedroom shelving. Stuffed animals display nicely on shelves. You can either install shelves at child height, or for animals that are more for keepsakes than for playing, put the shelves all the way around the room at above window height. They make great decorations and can add to the theme of the room.

7. Add some drawer space by buying portable plastic storage drawers and organizing the stuffed animals by brand or breed in different drawers. These are usually available in different sizes and colors.

Tips & Warnings

• When using over the door organizers, keep in mind that the clear ones can wipe clean and the canvas ones are machine washable. The advantage to the clear plastic organizers is that your child can see what animal is in which pocket.