The Best IKEA Toy Storage Solutions That Will Make Kids Actually *Want* to Clean Their Rooms

We all expect a certain level of chaos when we welcome children into our lives, and though we’ll lose some battles, we’ll still fight a valiant war to keep their toys and clothing somewhat contained and organized. The secret to good toy storage is making it something kids can use on their own easily — maybe even to the point of enjoying cleanup time. The masterminds behind the kids’ storage products at IKEA seem to understand this very well.

For this installment of Personal Shopper, I visited the IKEA showroom and store in Brooklyn, New York, the destination for many families who don’t let a silly thing like limited space keep us from spoiling our kids with toys. I carefully examined all of their trunks, bins, bookcases, and baskets to help you decide which products might work in your home.

The brand’s bold styles and budget-friendly prices have always made it a good fit for children’s furniture. I also appreciate that it has put some thought into making storage furniture specifically for kids. That’s not just a matter of slapping on some bright colors and zoo animal prints. It’s about sizing things for smaller bodies, and making them easy and inviting for children to use.

Unlike with kids’ beds or desks, I couldn’t make many apples-to-apples comparisons for toy storage. Each piece is so different from the next. But here are the factors I looked at to make the review thorough:

• Appearance: Not only did I think about whether this furniture would look good in a kids’ room, I also considered whether the visual appeal would entice a child to use it.
• Size: I considered whether the unit would hold enough to make it useful. I also looked at whether small kids could reach all of the shelves and drawers.
• Ease of Use: Sticky drawers, tricky latches, and complicated doors mean kids will avoid the unit altogether. I also looked at the assembly process for parents.
• Durability: Some of the furniture floor models had some dings and scuff marks — and if you’ve seen IKEA on a weekend, you’ll know why. But I looked at that damage and reports from customer reviews as an indication of whether these items are worth the investment.

I’ve been testing and reviewing products for babies and kids for more than five years professionally and for more than 13 years as a mom. I’ve made a lot of purchases at IKEA and elsewhere, looking for new solutions to make my small apartment look less like a ransacked daycare center. Some of them even worked! To evaluate IKEA’s toy storage, I pictured all the messes my son has made over the years, as well as those in friends’ and family’s houses, and imagined how they’d get put away in these pieces. I also considered basic child safety and development needs.

What impressed us:  This is a longtime favorite of parents for its versatility and kid-friendly design. The storage bins (the brand calls them boxes) are light enough for kids to handle and even take out of the unit to carry around to other places in the house. That gives younger children a feeling of independence and lets you teach them how to clean up after themselves.

The range of sizes gives you many options for where to place it in the house and whether you use it for clothing, toys, art supplies, or other miscellaneous items. The solid pine frames with steel bins will suit people who prefer to avoid plastic. But I love the option to use colorful plastic bins for young kids’ rooms, and I had one of these in my son’s bedroom for several years.

• Materials: Frames: solid pine with tinted clear acrylic lacquer and tinted clear acrylic lacquer or particleboard with paper foil and plastic edging, polypropylene rail; storage boxes: polypropylene or steel with epoxy/polyester powder coating
• Dimensions: 37 x 17 3/8 x 35 7/8″ (frame), storage box sizes vary based on materials
• Styles: Solid pine; white or gray particleboard; various sizes; plastic or steel boxes
• Type of storage: Toys, clothing, school/office/art supplies

What impressed us:  I used to wish I could recreate a children’s library in my own home, and this little piece does just that. Favorite picture books can go on display in the top shelf while remaining out of reach from page-tearing babies. The lower shelf can hold more books or toys, with a spacious bottom drawer for even more fun. The bottom drawer is easy enough for little ones to open and close, encouraging independent play and participation in clean-up time. 

• Material: Particleboard, paper foil, fiberboard, plastic edging, acrylic paint
• Dimensions: 31 1/2″ (W) x 16 7/8″ (D) x 38″ (H); drawer: 28 1/8″ (W) x 13 1/4″ (D) x 9 1/4” (H) 
• Type of storage: Books and toys
• Style(s): Just one

What impressed us:  The playful look of this house-shaped toy trunk is sure to delight young children, and I appreciate that it’s red and white instead of in colors some associate with genders. On closer inspection, you’ll note that this is a very clever take on a trunk: Instead of having just one big space with things hidden or out of reach at the bottom, this has trunk space at the top and a large drawer at the bottom. That makes all toys easily accessible for kids and grown-ups. Note that, as sturdy as this piece looks, it does still come with anti-tip hardware to attach to the wall.

• Material: Particleboard, fiberboard, acrylic paint, melamine foil, plastic edging
• Dimensions: 31 1/2″ (W) x 21 5/8″ (D) x 30 3/4″ (H); drawer (inside): 28″ (W) x 20 1/8″ (D) x 8 5/8″ (H)
• Type of storage: Toys, some clothing
• Style(s): Just one

What impressed us:  This toy bench solves another problem of trunks — having to remove things from the top to lift the lid — by making it a large drawer on caster wheels instead. This way, you can either use the top surface for more items (or, yes, clutter) or top it with a BÄNKKAMRAT cushion (sold separately) for comfortable seating. Like the rest of the SMÅSTAD line, the bench has a sleek, minimal design that you can leave as-is or embellish with a blue or green drawer door, as well as a variety of drawer pulls. That also means this can transform from a place for a small child’s toys to storage for a teen’s extra clothing or bedding.

• Material: Particleboard, fiberboard with honeycomb paper filling, paper foil, plastic edging
• Dimensions: 35 3/8″ (W) x 20 1/2″ (D) x 18 7/8″ (H) 
• Type of storage: Toys, clothing, bedding
• Style(s): White, blue, or gray drawer fronts; drawer pulls sold separately

What impressed us:  Plush toys remain visible and within reach when you store them in this steel and mesh contraption that resembles a cat tower. Large holes on two sides of the big compartments allow a small child to access their toys for playtime or cuddling, and then they can put them back in when they’re done. As someone who still sometimes anthropomorphizes stuffed animals as an adult (The Velveteen Rabbit is real!), I’m happy to see them able to breathe when they’re put away, and I’m sure young children will feel the same.

A hanging version with five smaller compartments could also hold soft toys as well as clothing items, and it works as well in a closet or wardrobe as it would hanging from a hook on full display in a bedroom.  

• Material: Polyester, polypropylene (insert), steel
• Dimensions: Steel frame: Width: 20 1/2″ (W) x 20 1/2″ (L) x Height: 32 1/4″ (H); hanging: 11″ (W) x 11″ (L) x 50″ (H)
• Type of storage: Toys, soft objects
• Style(s): Steel frame with 2 compartments, hanging organizer with 5 compartments

In addition to the above furniture pieces, you can make good use of IKEA’s many other storage offerings for kids’ rooms and playrooms:

• FLISAT Book Display: A small single shelf for favorite books
• BARNDRӦM Boxes: Fabric-covered plastic boxes
• GLIS: Small plastic boxes with lids (they resemble LEGO)
• SANDLOPARE Boxes: Fabric-covered cardboard boxes with an African animal theme
• SANDLOPARE Trunk: A fabric-covered box that looks like an old-fashioned suitcase
• UPPSTA Bag: A braided owl basket
• NICKY Storage Bag: A vibrant plastic-coated polyester bag

Amazon Prime Day is here, and our editors are sorting through thousands of deals to find the ones actually worth shopping. Shop our favorite storage solutions, toys and games, multifunctional furniture, and more here, now through June 26.