I had it all figured out.
Or so I thought.
We had all the toys. You know how it goes—birthdays, holidays, hand-me-downs, that one trip to Target where everything ended up in the cart. Our small living room was drowning in plastic, and I was determined to fix it.
Enter: toy rotation.
I bought the cute felt bins. I sorted toys by category. I created a rotation schedule. I felt like I'd cracked the code on organized motherhood.
Spoiler alert: I hadn't.
Here's what actually happened with our perfectly organized bin system:
Jamie would walk over to the bins, peek inside, maybe grab whatever toy was sitting on top, and walk away. Most of the time, he'd just ignore them completely.
I'd watch him wander around looking bored, surrounded by bins full of toys he supposedly loved, and I couldn't figure out what was wrong.
Then one day it hit me: He couldn't see anything.
To Jamie, those bins were just... bins. Gray felt containers that all looked the same. He had no idea what was inside them. And at 15 months old, he wasn't about to dig through them to find out.
Out of sight, out of mind. Literally.
I'll be honest - I almost bought one of those expensive Montessori toy shelves. You know the ones I'm talking about. Beautiful wood, perfectly minimalist, costs more than our monthly grocery budget.
But we live in a small space. We're on a budget. And I needed to know if this visibility thing would actually work before I invested serious money.
So I did what any millennial mom would do: I went to Target.
Total investment: $30 for a basic white bookshelf.
That's it. Same toys. Same rotation concept. Just a completely different display method.
This is the big one. Instead of toys buried in bins, everything is now displayed where Jamie can actually see it. The clear bins on the shelf? He can look inside them. The toys sitting out? He knows exactly what they are.
It's the same reason we're more likely to read a book on our nightstand than one packed away in a box in the closet.
The bookshelf is short enough that Jamie can see the top two shelves clearly. The bottom shelf has his books, which he can reach independently. He's not stretching or guessing, he can actually survey his options like he's browsing a toy store.
We're still rotating toys weekly (more on our exact schedule below), but now the rotation actually serves its purpose. Each week feels fresh because he can see what's new. Before, he didn't even notice when I'd swap things out.
Ironically, having toys more visible has actually made our space feel less cluttered. When everything was in bins on the floor, the toys that inevitably got pulled out would just... spread everywhere. Now there's a designated spot, and cleanup is easier because Jamie can see where things go.
Independent play has increased dramatically. Jamie now walks over to the shelf multiple times a day and actually chooses toys to play with. Before, I felt like I was constantly trying to engage him because he'd just wander around aimlessly. Even my mom noticed this change when she babysat for him the other day!
I'm rediscovering toys we own. Turns out we had some great toys that were just perpetually buried at the bottom of bins. Who knew?
The books are getting SO much use. Having them displayed on the bottom shelf instead of in a bin has been a game-changer. He'll pull out 5-6 books throughout the day just because he can see the covers.
Let's be real: no system is flawless.
The top shelf is aspirational. I had grand plans for rotating small toys up there, but Jamie immediately wanted to pull everything down. We're still figuring out what actually works on that top shelf versus what creates a battle.
Books everywhere. He loves that he can reach the books independently, but that also means books are everywhere by the end of the day. Worth it? Yes. Pinterest-perfect? Not even close.
It takes up more floor space than bins. In our small living room, this is a real trade-off. But for us, the functionality is worth more than the few extra square feet.
Some toys just don't display well. Toys with lots of small pieces still need to go in bins. We're using clear acrylic bins so he can see inside, but it's not quite as aesthetically pleasing as I'd hoped.
Here's what's actually working for us:
Monday morning: Swap out toys while David does daycare dropoff. Takes about 5-10 minutes.
What stays out every week:
What rotates:
What stays put away:
I keep a simple note on my phone of what's out each week so I can rotate effectively. Nothing fancy, just: "Week 1: stacking rings, shape sorter, cars" etc.
I'll be honest: I'm not a strict Montessori mom. I haven't taken any training, I don't follow all the principles, and we definitely have some battery-operated toys in the mix.
But the core idea, giving kids independence and respecting their ability to make choices, really resonates with me.
This shelf setup embodies that without requiring me to:
It's Montessori-lite. The parts that work for us, adapted to our real life with our real budget in our real (small) space.
If I were starting over, I'd:
Organized ≠ Functional.
I had organized bins. Color-coded, labeled, rotated on schedule. But they weren't functional for an 15-month-old who needed to see his options.
The $30 bookshelf isn't fancy. It's not Instagram-perfect (though I'm working on it 😅). But it's working for us in ways the "perfect" bin system never did.
If you're struggling with toy rotation, ask yourself: Can my kid actually see what's available? Because that might be the missing piece.
Have you tried toy rotation? What's worked (or totally flopped) for you? I'd love to hear what systems are working in your house - or what struggles you're dealing with. Drop a comment below or reply to this email!
And if you found this helpful, I'd be so grateful if you'd share it with another parent who might be drowning in toy chaos. We're all figuring this out together.
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