Stuffed animal storage??

[HMDocsLady]

OK, ODD has about a million stuffed animals. Problem is they are all over the house. She is getting really good at picking up her toys and I want her to have a place to put away the stuffies (other than the couch - they are taking over!). What do you all use for stuffed animal storage?

[Reuben Christopher]

A couple of years ago my sister made us full size bean bags for Christmas. Dh opened a seam and took out all the stuffing, put in a zipper and voila! Stuffed animal storage while being somewhere my ds could sit (I kept it by his bookshelf in his room so he could sit while looking at his books or it was in the livingroom for him to watch tv on).

I got the idea from the Boon storage bean bags. They are a bit pricey so we used what we had

[happymommyandwife]

@Reuben Christopher: Great idea!

[Honeymommy3]

I was going to suggest the bean bag option too. I saw some that were kind of see through so the kids could see the animals too, and thought it would be perfect. They were spendy though.

[happyhats]

that's a neat idea, Reuben! Sometimes you can find the shells for beanbags very cheaply at department stores or children's stores. Right now my dd just has a few in a box on her toy shelf. She also has a few sentimental ones in her room. We've purged quite a few stuffed animals.

I like the idea of the toy hammocks, just sitting lower so it's accessible to your child too. I've heard they're flimsy though. You can makeshift something similar with fabric.

[iris0110]

If you wanted you could do your own animal hammock out of a baby sling or fabric you have around (it would be sturdier than the kind you buy at a store). I keep the stuffies thinned out because I hate clutter. The boys keep them in and around their bed. There are railings on the headboard that make a perfect place to hold stuffies. If it gets over full it is time to thin the herd. But for my boys it isn't a huge issue. They rarely get plushies anymore so it is down to just the ones they are really attached to, which I would never get rid of. You could also do a toy chest if you have room, or some sort of pop up hamper or other storage device. Ikea sells some neat storage items that might work for it. Really just depends on the kind of space you have.

[wooly_wonderful]

I use a stuffed animal hammock too! But, my DS is 2 and doesn't really play with the stuffies. The beanbag idea is great! When he starts to play with them I may make him a beanbag. I have been wanting to make him a beanbag, but the pellets are a little pricey to buy.

ETA: I used this tutorial to make the hammock. It was easy and I got 2 hammocks out of 2 yards of knit fabric I bought at wal-mart for $1.50 a yard.

[GEM Cloth]

We have a rubber tote that sits in the corner and once they start overflowing something must go.

[HMDocsLady]

Great ideas Mamas, thanks! The main problem is many of them are actually mine.... I collect bernese mountain dog stuffies and she plays with them too. Maybe I just need to put the pack away in the guest bedroom and leave out the rest of them for her.

[NorahsMom]

We just have a basket. I have contemplated the hammock or one of those vertical, cylindrical hanging things at IKEA, but then dd can't play with them and she LOVES to play with them. She needs access. But yeah, they're everywhere. Several times a day I find them tucked into my bed or dd's bed, or sitting at her playroom table with food in front of them, or sitting on the potty (it's closed), or sitting up at the breakfast bar, or being wheeled around in the stroller (or wheelbarrow), or buckled into ds's carseat, or..... I could go on and on.