A Parent's Guide To Toy Safety: Protecting Your Child

With the abundance of toys available, ensuring the safety of your child's playthings is a top priority for parents. While most toys are safe, accidents can happen. By understanding potential hazards and taking proactive steps, you can create a secure play environment for your child. Child development experts and pediatricians emphasize the importance of toy safety, highlighting the potential risks associated with improper use and selection of toys. When implementing these safety measures, parents can significantly reduce the risk of injuries and ensure a safe playtime experience for their children.

Read Toy Labels Carefully

Before purchasing a toy, carefully examine the packaging and labels. Look for safety certifications from reputable organizations such as the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Avoid toys made with potentially toxic materials, and ensure that electric toys carry the UL approval mark.   

Consider Your Child's Age and Development

Toy safety is closely linked to a child's age and developmental stage. Always adhere to the manufacturer's age recommendations. Small toys with detachable parts can pose choking hazards for young children. Loud toys can potentially damage a child's hearing, especially in infants and toddlers.

Inspect Toys Regularly

Even toys that meet safety standards can become hazardous over time. Regularly inspect toys for signs of wear and tear, such as broken parts or loose components. Discard any toys that show signs of damage or deterioration.

Stay Informed About Recalls

Stay updated on toy recalls issued by the CPSC. If you own a recalled toy, remove it from your child's environment immediately. Contact the manufacturer for instructions on returning the toy or obtaining a replacement. In cases of serious injuries caused by defective toys, consulting with lawyers for defective products can help protect your child's rights.

By following these guidelines and staying informed about toy safety, you can create a safe and enjoyable play environment for your child. Remember, prevention is key when it comes to protecting your child from toy-related injuries. To understand more, the resource below provides a visual overview along with safety tips. When parents take proactive steps to ensure toy safety, they can foster a sense of confidence and peace of mind while their children explore and grow through play.

Toy Organizing Ideas for Small Spaces

Living in a small home, especially if you have kids, can be pretty challenging, and the most significant difficulty for most people seems to be a lack of storage space. Small living spaces are great for encouraging your family togetherness and strengthening your bonds. However, at some point, it is inevitable to start feeling like your home is shrinking and every inch of it is getting taken over by toys. Nevertheless, this doesn't mean you should start looking for a new family home. To help you, we've selected several toy organizing ideas for small spaces, and you can find them further in this article. 

Or explore an even easier way to keep your home neat and organized. Visit h2horganizing.com and get in touch with experienced professionals that will organize your home while you can enjoy quality time with your family.

Simple yet effective toy organizing ideas for small spaces

Does it seem that the pile of your kids' toys keeps getting bigger and slowly taking over every room in your home? Well, you're not the only one. Parents worldwide struggle with the same issue so much that most of them decide to hire organizing services for parents. 

However, if you want to try to tackle this challenge on your own before getting in touch with professionals, try some of our toy organizing ideas for small spaces.

First - declutter

Be honest - how many toys do your kids have, and how many of them do they actually play with? So, the first thing to do to make your small living space more organized is to declutter their toys:

• First, watch your kids play for at least a week. This way, you can get an insight into which toys your kids play with and which ones they don't.

• Regardless of your kid's age, make sure to include them in the process, as they'll learn valuable lessons from it.

• Dump all of their toys in one area because this will help you negotiate what to get rid of. When they realize how many toys they have, it will be easier for them to let go of some. 

• Use the golden rule of decluttering and create three piles - keep, toss/recycle, and donate/gift. Talk to your older kids and negotiate which toys to get rid of. Make sure you're firm. Otherwise, you'll end up keeping most of them.

• If you want to keep items for their sentimental value or your future kids, there is a way to save them without taking up space in your home. The team from spydermoving.com suggests renting a storage unit as a perfect solution for safely storing everything you have no room for.

Repurpose

You'd be surprised how many things you already own can be repurposed and used for storing toys. For example, if you have just moved into your home, you probably still have a pile of moving boxes lying around. They are a perfect solution for storing all kinds of things.

Also, if you have an old laundry basket, you can use it for toys your kids play with the most. They're practical, they don't take up much space, and you'll make it so much easier for your kids to pick up and return their toys to their place.

Woven baskets and plastic tubs

One of the most aesthetically appealing ways for storing your kids' toys is to buy woven baskets. They are a perfect fit for any room in your home as they go well with any furniture or wall color. If you're worried they might look too childish for adult space, tuck them behind furniture.

Another great way to store your kids' toys and save space is to purchase plastic tubs. If you check, we're sure you'll probably find some in your home. Even if you don't, they are very affordable and come in all shapes and sizes. You can use them to organize your kids' toys according to their type, label them, and stack them on shelves or inside a closet.

Invest in multi-functional furniture

Multi-functional furniture is a true life-saver when it comes to living in a small home. The best part is that there are so many options for furniture that doubles as storage space. For instance, ottomans or benches that open could be perfect for storing your kids' books or family board games.

Another great idea is to buy a coffee table or an end table with drawers or cupboards underneath. They could be a perfect place for stashing puzzles, PlayStation games, or similar. 

So if you're organizing your new home after moving in and you want to start on the right foot, investing in multi-functional furniture is the way to go. Or, if you're looking for an excuse to re-decorate, replacing some old pieces of furniture with new, more practical versions will completely transform your small space.

Maximize wall space

One of the best ways to maximize storage space in your home is to use walls. By this, we're not just referring to floating shelves or other similar solutions. There are plenty of other ways to get creative and maximize wall space.

For instance, adding a pegboard can be an interesting and fun storage idea. Plus, they're trendy nowadays. You can even use shoe racks for storing your kids' toys! Hang them on the back of the door, and you can use them for storing anything from stuffed animals to craft supplies.

The bottom line

We hope our toy organizing ideas for small spaces helped you make the most of available storage space in your home. Of course, if you ever feel stuck, get in touch with experienced professionals, and they'll take care of everything for you. This way, you'll be sure that every inch of your home is used in the best way possible. 

The Plural of Lego is Lego

We have been digging Lego Masters recently and that got us thinking about something we almost always find when organizing playrooms. You guess it, that classic building toy, Lego. When it comes to sheer volume, few toys can fill up your house like Lego. However, from an organizing stand point Lego often presents a few challenges. In the past, most children would play with Lego over and over again letting their imagination run wild. These days Lego sets usually get built once and then sit on a shelf displayed only as a model instead of getting used. This habit can create space issues. Of course another issue can be Lego blocks strewn all over your house. It is no secret that scientists feel the most painful thing on Earth is stepping on a Lego in your bare-feet. Ben’s wife feels there should be an 800-number you can call after stepping on a block for the sole purpose of screaming into the phone. If your space is over run with Lego we are pleased to offer some suggestions.

Quantity

You may find that your little ones don’t actually play Lego if hundreds of blocks fill multiple bins. It can be overwhelming to see a sea of bricks with no clear sense of where to begin. Builders may also need a clear surface or table to play with Lego as carpeting can quickly become the enemy of small blocks. Before you pick the best storage solution for your blocks take the time to review all the Lego. You know your kids best and know how they play. Is having tons of Lego actually stressing them out? Perhaps they have outgrown certain sets. Are sets missing pieces? Lego can be donated to preschools and kindergarten classes (don’t worry if you can’t find all the correct pieces). Now that you have a handle on the Lego quantity you are keeping you can accurately select the best place for them to live.

Storage

We aren’t keeping these building blocks just to keep them, we want them to be used and enjoyed. Your 40lb six year-old can’t lift heavy stacked bins so they simply won’t bother. We want things to go in easily but also come out easily. Drawers work great for storing toys and simple clear versions can make for maximum space savings. So often we are rushed and clean up quickly and shove everything away. However, these days Lego sets aren’t only expensive they are also complicated with some sets containing over 700 pieces. Drawers allow for sets to stay together avoiding not only frustration but neglect.

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If your kids are younger and keeping the sets together isn’t as important then keeping them in one place for quick use you may want to try something like a Swoop Bag. If your child is using Duplo or not making a specific set these bags work well. Storage solutions like this allow for quick clean up.

If you have time on your hands and lean slightly toward the OCD camp there is no end to how refined you can sort Lego. Just remember, the more subcategories the more plastic drawers or containers you will have taking up space in your home. Before you go down this path. focus on your goals. Unless you plan on spending a lot of time or have begun training to be a Lego Master it probably isn’t worth the trouble to turn things into a Lego workshop.

In order to reclaim your space from an army of mini-figs start with treating them like other toys with the understanding that toys exist to be played with. Hiding Lego in giant bins may make your feet feel good in the short term but organizing isn’t just about finding what you are looking for it is also about being more productive. And when it comes to Lego that means building awesome creations.

Interview - Troxes

Over the years, there is not much we haven't seen in our client's homes. However, some items we see in ALL of their homes, especially when it comes to toys & games. While there is nothing wrong with Candyland at House to Home we encourage our client's to seek out quality items that might not be so disposable. We spoke with Jonathan Bobrow about Troxes to learn more about this interesting invention.

For the busy person, what are Troxes?

Troxes are like Origami meets Lego™. They are non-rectilinear (not square or cubic) paper building blocks. No scissors. No tape. No glue.

Note: Don’t be fooled by the paper aspect, they support over 500 times their weight and by thinking literally outside of the box, they mimic structures found in nature like the crystalline structure of diamonds and fold just like our proteins. They inspire new ways of thinking, counter to the status quo and opposed to the right angles we are all too familiar with.

What is your background, how did you create Troxes?

I grew up with an artist mother and an educator father. I have always been a passionate artist as well as math lover, leading me to study mathematics in college and later design and media arts. I applied these talents to art installations, websites, game design, product design, and interactive museum installations. Inspired by the creative humanitarian and technological efforts of Nicholas Negroponte, I decided I wanted to pursue my own interests with inventing curious devices for social change. I applied and was accepted to the MIT Media Lab. It was my first week in attendance, in a class called How To Make (Almost) Anything, taught by Neil Gershenfeld, and my assignment was to make a press-fit kit (something that would hold together without adhesives or screws) only out of cardboard. I thought it would be neat if my design not only press-fit together, but once it was done press fitting, it could press-fit once again in a modular way. I had seen something similar created by Jef Raskin in the 1970s that built from squares and I thought, what if it were based on triangles. The projects was just a first week assignment and Troxes were essentially invented at that point, however I enjoyed the process of making them so much, I decided to shrink down the design so I could make many more (like hundreds… or thousands) and continued to iterate the design on my nights and weekends. Some of the best traits of Troxes were happy accidents as well as carefully considered design.

What are some of the popular creations for Troxes?

The first creations that anyone makes with Troxes are typically the Platonic solids (Tetrahedron, Octahedron, Icosahedron). From there, people tend to invent their own shapes, as well as combine units together to build larger structures or figurative forms. We package a Trox Fox Kit and a Trox Penguin Kit, so those two are popular creations by design, but people always want to create their own forms. Most recently, a classroom working with Troxes was particularly determined to invent the Trox Turtle, a welcome new member of the Trox critter family and I have seen a unicorn appear on a number of occasions. Me personally, I dream of abstract and architectual designs with Troxes.

What is Move38?

Move38 is a design and game company based on my research at the MIT Media Lab. The name however, has a fun backstory, so I’m glad you asked. In 2016, one of the worlds best Go Players, Lee Sedol, faced off against a computer AI, AlphaGo, in a 5 game match of Go*. Due to its complexity and dependance on player creativity, it was once thought that a computer could never beat the best human Go players. There was only one moment in all 5 games that stirred conversation after the showdown. In the second game, AlphaGo, made a single move that no professional player predicted. It caught all of the commentators off guard, as they had never seen such a move. The move, as it turns out, was a very good one–it not only threw off Lee Sedol, but secured the win. This was the 37th move of that game and so Move38 represents the human response to playing with systems.

We believe the kinds of systems we create, participate in, and are composed of are more complex than ever before, and through new kinds of play, we can raise a generation of systems thinkers.

*Go for reference, is played on a 19 by 19 board, meaning after the first move, there are 361 possible starting positions, and when the player makes her second move there are over 46 million possible arrangements. Needless to say the complexity of the game grows factorially and there are sadly not enough atoms in the universe to represent all possible game outcomes.