How Do You Store Bath Toys?

[kitchensqueen]

We've started to accumulate a little pile of bath toys. Right now I have them in a wicker basket underneath the bathroom sink since my son is really too little to use them yet. But that won't be a good way to store them in a little while when he's old enough to play with them. We have a really small bathroom, so I'm not sure where to put them once they need to be out, yet out of the way. I don't want to be tripping over them all every time I need to take a shower or get a chance to soak in the tub.

I'm also concerned about mold and mildew. Our apartment doesn't have any kind of ventilation system so it's really easy for things to get yuck in there, and we're cleaning constantly as it is to stay on top of it. How can I store bath toys so that they're out of way but still accessible, and will dry out between uses? Share what you're doing or your suggestions please!

[elefante]

The bath tub is the one place that I chose to allow plastic toys. [For obvious reasons.] And for us it is important to have O's toys accessible to him so that he could see and choose which toys he plays with and can put them away on his own. We also have a small flat and with all of these factors combined, our best option was the munchkin corner bath toy organizer. Instead of installing it on the tile we put the suction cups in the tub itself so that he can reach his own toys. We've been using this about 4 months now and it has worked out great for us!
 

Also, the squirty water toys we have are left unscrewed and open to dry on the windowsill. 

ETA: Our son is a few weeks shy of 1 year old.

[capagrl]

We have 1 bathroom for 6 people, and it's fairly small.  However, when we switched our heating system and removed the big hulking radiator, we had room for an old telephone stand which I painted.  I now keep bath toys stored under the bench in a plastic milk crate which has a towel folded into the bottom.  It would also fit in our small closet or under the sink if we had to.  The towel absorbs the water and keeps it off the floor, and I just wash it every 2-4 months.

[Nicole730]

We use a shoebox size plastic storage container with holes in it.  After bath I let the toys air dry  in the tub for a bit, I dump them all around to get the water off of them and then leave them in the tub for a bit.  Then I move them to the container and if need be, set that container on it's side in the sink for longer dry time.  It fits in one of our drawers, so they stay stored in there.

I've kind of expected that bath toys are one thing I will replace on a somewhat frequent basis, because even doing all that, they still get a bit grimy/moldy or something after bit.  The kids' favorite bath toy is a cup anyway, they both fight over it.

[FrugalGranolaMom]

We use the Munchkin corner bath toy organizer too and I love it. He has a couple of squirt toys and I make sure all the water is emptied out before putting it in the organizer.

[kitchensqueen]

Thanks for the tips everyone. Can the munchkin organizer be laundered? And are the suction cups pretty heavy duty? We mostly have an assortment of squirt toys, which are pretty light weight, but he also got a couple of plastic boats and a pirate ship thing that I need to store too. 

[FrugalGranolaMom]

Originally Posted by kitchensqueen 

Thanks for the tips everyone. Can the munchkin organizer be laundered? And are the suction cups pretty heavy duty? We mostly have an assortment of squirt toys, which are pretty light weight, but he also got a couple of plastic boats and a pirate ship thing that I need to store too. 

I periodically hand wash it in the sink and let it air dry. DS has a good amount of toys in it and we haven't had any issues with it coming off the wall. He does have a larger toy boat that I just hang on a suction cup hook on the shower wall.

[Altair]

We use the skip hop one:  http://www.amazon.com/Skip-Hop-Tubby-Bath-Organizer/dp/B001QGKXA4

 and it can be thrown in the wash every so often if it looks dirty.  

We have it suctioned low down on the tile so that my son can reach it, but I can still take a bath without it being near me.  

[sparklebean]

we use on of these: http://www.amazon.com/Fox-Run-Hanging-Vegetable-Kitchen/dp/B003XEKMDA/ref=pd_sim_ba_1 that i found at a garage sale. i hang it on the shower curtain pole.

[Gremco]

We don't have bath toys. I was tired of them anyway and I never moved them when I switched from washing the kids in one bathtub to another. The kids are just as happy playing in the water. Sometimes I'll let them play with their rinse cup.

[Comtessa]

We only have about four small bath toys.  I hate them, they get grimy so fast, so I keep it to a minimum.  My mother bought DD a cheap plastic bucket with one of those removable plastic handles, and I just throw all the toys in there and then strap the handle over the towel rod.  If it looks like DD needs something else to play with, I grab a few plastic containers from the kitchen and toss 'em in there, then just put them in the dishwasher when we're done.  

IMO, big bath toys that require storage should go directly to Goodwill, but I'm a bit rabid about too much clutter, esp. because we only have one bathroom for our whole family and it is TINY.

Actually, the dishwasher might be a good idea for all her bath toys.  Hmmm.... 

[SomethingAnonymous]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nicole730 

We use a shoebox size plastic storage container with holes in it.  After bath I let the toys air dry  in the tub for a bit, I dump them all around to get the water off of them and then leave them in the tub for a bit.  Then I move them to the container and if need be, set that container on it's side in the sink for longer dry time.  It fits in one of our drawers, so they stay stored in there.

I've kind of expected that bath toys are one thing I will replace on a somewhat frequent basis, because even doing all that, they still get a bit grimy/moldy or something after bit.  The kids' favorite bath toy is a cup anyway, they both fight over it.

Originally Posted by FrugalGranolaMom 

He has a couple of squirt toys and I make sure all the water is emptied out before putting it in the organizer.

I do pretty much the same thing.  We have a plastic basket (about the size of a show box)  that has holes in the sides and the bottom, and after a bath I gather up the dozen or so toys in the bath and throw them in there, and leave it on the bottom of the tub.  When I take a shower, I just set it outside out of the way.  I also make sure to squeeze water out of things- but they still get moldy after awhile.  I've tried washing things, but often they are impossible to wash like the inside of a squeeze toy.  We only have one squeeze toy left and I can't wait til its gone.  It makes me sick thinking about my kids bathing in moldy water.  I replace them pretty often with things around the house- like plastic cups from the kitchen. I think my supply is almost exhausted and I'll be looking for a set of wood bath toys or something.

[phroggies]

I use a mesh laundry bag (for washing lingerie) with a shower hook stuck in it. It hangs off various places in the tub, primarily the handle of the soap dish. You can usually find them for under five dollars (and they have a ton of uses). As for the toys themselves, I stick primarily with stuff snagged on the way to the recycling. So I'll take a yogurt container, for example, and poke a couple of holes in it, or give them a spray bottle (assuming the contents were sufficiently non-toxic). I try to keep the toys to a minimum and toss any that get icky. If we are given bath toys, they're subject to the same tossing parameters.

[cristeen]

I have a little corner basket that I picked up at BB&B for about $4.  It has suction cups to hold it to the wall and holes in the bottom for drainage.  It sits in the corner on the edge of the tub, the suction cups keep it from falling in, and all the toys end up in there.  The one toy that doesn't fit is his Green Toys tug boat, which I hang by the handle on the shower organizer.  If I put it up with the spout down all the water will drain out and it's not a big deal.

The foam letters are starting to get a bit yucky though - I've been thinking about sticking them in the washing machine and seeing if that helps.  They're pretty much his fave toy though, so I can't get rid of them. 

[Altair]

If you're not overly concerned about a bit of bleach (and if you don't have a dishwasher with a little cage thing to throw them inside) a soak with hot water and a small splash of bleach in the sink always gets rid of the mildew for me.  I rinse them well after, and my child isn't in the stage where things go in the mouth so it doesn't worry me.  

[kitchensqueen]

I've been thinking about just getting one of those plastic mini milk crates at the dollar store, but I'm worried that all the water wouldn't drain out of the bottom, and we'd have to move it every time we wanted to shower or take a bath. Curse the tiny bathroom! 

[Baby_Cakes]

Tiny bathroom here, too, and came looking for a post just like this.  Right now we have an overturned step stool holding DDs bath things.  Mostly they are her normal toys, just ones that can get wet.  But still, I like to keep them in the bathroom or near.  Suction things always fall (and our shower is tiny enough already.  The lingerie bag idea seems interesting...

[happyhats]

currently we have the few bath toys in a large ice cream bucket.  I use said bucket as also a rinse cup.  I have also used a gallon milk jug cut in half.  I poked small holes in the jugs to drain water, but this one I just keep drained regularly (someone is always grabbing a shower).  The bucket just stays in there during showers since it is out of the way, and if I want to take a nice bath (ha, like I ever get the chance!) it can easily be moved to the floor on a towel/the bath mat.  Easy to move since it has a handle! 

I put the toys in the dishwasher every once in a while to keep mildew at bay, and have also handwashed them. 

[Megalopsychia]

I have two sets of toys (mostly similar things in each set) and once a week they switch out for a bleach bath.  I rinse inside and out (especially the water squirt toys) with bleach water and allow to dry in the laundry room the rest of the week until the next switch.  I have a plastic bath shelf that stretches from one side of the tub to the other to store the toys in the bath during the week.  That allows for the toys to drain and drip dry between baths.  It may not be a perfect system, but it works for us!

[babyk081209]

We have a system that I think is very easy. We purchased one of these to store the bath toys: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000MVQBG4/ref=oh_o05_s01_i00_details, which allows the water to drain. Periodically, I just throw the whole set of bath toys (they're all plastic) in the laundry machine. Obviously, no need to put them in the dryer :)