PLAYROOM TOUR: Playroom ideas for toddlers + preschoolers on a budget [+ Playroom Organization Tips]

SHOP:
- Play mat bit.ly/32u1Lw4
- Art Cart bit.ly/45dan8t
- Bins bit.ly/3RrPkeW
- Kid scissors bit.ly/3Lurb3H
- Craft supplies: bit.ly/3sWtnuq
- Playdough set bit.ly/3Rtfez6
- Modeling clay bit.ly/45T8nDt
- Kinetic Sand bit.ly/48llaQA
- Lovevery play kits www.theconfuse...
- Alternative sink: bit.ly/44SLsXj
- KiwiCo Pasta Shape set www.theconfuse...
- Reusable dry erase slips bit.ly/3ZlrDqq
- Toddler workbooks bit.ly/3rbNN23 + bit.ly/3PLjNn7
- Wooden letter tracing board bit.ly/45VpTXD
- Stamps bit.ly/44XV03v
- Flashcards bit.ly/3sWrcqK
- Bracelet kit bit.ly/3sWq4Do
- 3D Storybook puzzle house bit.ly/48jvwAi + bit.ly/48hlD6n
- KiwiCo Paper Dolls www.theconfuse...
- Storage bags bit.ly/3RscnpZ
- Lovevery weekly planner dupe bit.ly/45grnen
- Felt flowers: bit.ly/45Z1TTA
- Adult chairs exact: bit.ly/3Zmt9J7 (+ cheaper bit.ly/3ZovFhS
- Living room play couch: www.theconfuse...
- Cheaper dupe: bit.ly/3Rpxyc6
- Dupe 2: bit.ly/44SOL0F
- Play couch in office: www.theconfuse...
- Pikler triangle: www.theconfuse...
- Recycling Center: www.theconfuse...
- Play food wooden: bit.ly/44YDSuu
- Soft food: bit.ly/3ri6Wzi
- Silks: bit.ly/3LuDugm
- Cones bit.ly/3LsnkEc
- Rings pack: bit.ly/3PmiQQA
- Montessori shelf www.theconfuse...
- Ball run dupe www.theconfuse...
- Mosaic button dupe bit.ly/3PJGoQX
- Race track dupe www.theconfuse...
- Tool box alternative: bit.ly/468rlFW
- similar kids microscope: bit.ly/47fOS96
- Kiwico lock box www.theconfuse...
- Striped basket go.magik.ly/ml...
- Play kitchen: bit.ly/3PJc2xN
- Kiwico baking set: www.theconfuse...
- Kiwico easel: www.theconfuse...
- Table + chairs: bit.ly/3EK1KHx
- Trofast: bit.ly/48ijpUh
- Lovevery doll house (+ dupes) www.theconfuse...
- Object permanence box: bit.ly/46gvUxH
- Label maker: bit.ly/3NNxQWP
- Train set: bit.ly/46j1nPJ
- Battery car: bit.ly/46imvWm
- Magnetic tiles: www.theconfuse...
- Airplane ride on car: bit.ly/3Ls57qe
- Walking dog: bit.ly/3rnW8iY
- Lovevery music set: www.theconfuse...
- Kiwico music: www.theconfuse...
- Music pack bit.ly/3sAZXvY
- Music toys for babies: www.theconfuse...
- Music toys for toddlers www.theconfuse...
- Toy guitars www.theconfuse...
-Toy Microphones www.theconfuse...
-Puzzles www.theconfuse...
-Lovevery blockset www.theconfuse...
-Blocks www.theconfuse...
-Wooden blocks www.theconfuse...
-Rainbow stacker blocks bit.ly/3IM3wHU
-Village + pathways dupe bit.ly/3Pv8ajZ
-Dome bit.ly/3PJedBu
-Storage bin bit.ly/3PLaUcY
-Outdoor playset www.theconfuse...
-Climbing toys www.theconfuse...
-Swing set bit.ly/3EFT2do
-Swing bit.ly/3RrEwO6
-Bounce house bit.ly/3HBr58u
- Splash pad www.theconfuse...
- Trampoline www.theconfuse...
- Trampoline bit.ly/3AZ9C5s
- Best scooters www.theconfuse...
- Wiggle car bit.ly/3LsnCuM
- Bike bit.ly/3Ls6eWW
- Bike pedals bit.ly/3ZptAm3
SUBSCRIBE bit.ly/utubevdes
READ BLOG POST: theconfusedmil...
Playroom ideas for toddlers and preschoolers + best advice on how to organize a playroom on a budget for mixed ages in our playroom tour! We'll cover playroom organization for small spaces, minimalist playroom ideas, and all of the toys in our playspace (double as great gift ideas too!)
FTC disclaimer: This video is not sponsored all opinions are 100% my own + there are affiliate links in this video
#montessoriplayroom #playroomideas #playroomorganization

[@confidentlymom]

CHAPTERS: 1:20 Organization Tips 2:43 When to stop toy rotation 3:09 5 Areas of Montessori 3:25 Creating an unconventional play space 3:50 Small space playroom tips 4:57 Art Corner 9:05 Main playroom 9:35 Small space storage toy 10:30 Toy rotation shelf 11:44 Pretend play 12:06 STEM Easel 12:45 Switching up your space tips 12:55 *Most PLAYED IN AREA* Minimalist Playroom set up 13:38 Labeling tip 15:05 More always out toys 16:55 Natural materials vs plastic 17:29 backyard toys 18:43 Garage/more outdoor toys

[@tinyoddfable]

I love this, we turned our dining room into a play room and it was the best decision we’ve ever made.

[@confidentlymom]

Yes!! We have no regrets!

[@lovilife]

All of them. All the ideas. I’m literally, literally going to just recreate this verbatim because we own almost all same items and I’m exhausted trying to store puzzles and loose pieces

[@confidentlymom]

Happy it was helpful!!

[@Poppythepup]

Love converting your living room into a play room, we’re planning on doing the same! Question: would you expand on your stance on libraries and playgrounds?

[@confidentlymom]

Sure - I like them lol Not sure what I said in the video to expand on though? The only soap box I typically go on though is that the county we moved to doesn't believe in them lol Where we used to live had the literal best playgrounds and libraries and now everything is lacking so we've had to do a lot more at home instead of using public ones. Lmk if that's what you were asking!

[@MamaOfTwoKidz]

I also heard you say you didn’t like libraries so I was curious as to why also. It seems you misspoke, lol.

[@SukanyaKumar]

How to homeschool and have toy area if you live in a 2 room town home?

[@confidentlymom]

Get outside! Parks, beaches, libraries etc. you don't have to homeschool in the home. Toy area should be incorporated into your home and doesn't have to be big. Just the setup I showed when I said "if you want a really minimalist playroom this is all you need" And then clear out a corner of a closet for homeschool stuff.

[@lilykimberlyflowersinwestc1631]

Love the video! May I ask How do you like the kiwico xylophone? Does it come with the sticks?

[@confidentlymom]

Hi! We like it! I just posted a short walking you through it too: kzbin.infoWJxrFq3Xpj0?si=g0Zf7NsYhXrvWxt3 but no it doesnt!

[@Brook.Gonzales]

Your videos are always so well done! So informative and the toys you have are so good for development. Love finding inspiration for more ways to utilize the open ended toys & lovevery toys! I was so pumped when I saw you posted a playroom tour!

[@confidentlymom]

Awe thank you!! This has been a beast in the making haha! So happy it's helpful!!

[@TennesseeTrio]

Such a wonderful space! In other news, your backyard is downright dreamy 😍

[@confidentlymom]

Haha thank you! It's a big reason we moved / decided to stay put for a while!

[@shainasmith7003]

So nice! I loved watching this video ❤ How do you like the kiwi o xylophone? I was interested in it but didn’t understand the buttons part. Does it sound like a piano or a xylophone when you press them. Also do the come with sticks? I also noticed you had the kiwico lock box. Do you like it better than loveverys lock box?

[@confidentlymom]

We like it! We surprisingly didn't have one before and it's definitely fun/good quality - I just posted a short walking you through it kzbin.infoWJxrFq3Xpj0?si=g0Zf7NsYhXrvWxt3 So my son plays with them both, but I think he likes the Kiwico one more because it's bigger and it has the puzzle on top. He also really likes the clear side where he can see in, it took him a second to figure that out too lol But before we got the KiwiCo one gifted to us he always used the Lovevery one, it just doesn't fit as much. He cares less about the locks and more about storage for his animals

[@lilykimberlyflowersinwestc1631]

Thank you!

[@MsKatastrophenBarbie]

I use ikea kallax shelves in my toddlers room and the dining/guest/sewing room. Still thinking about smaller bins like in the trofast shelf and how I can make that work with the kallax.

[@confidentlymom]

I have the Kallax in my bedroom, and you can absolutely get the bins that fit the boxes in the kallax and recreate the part of this video where I say "this is really all you need" and it's the trofast with balls, dolls, cars, magna tiles, and trains. In fact, as our collections of those have grown i've often thought about switching it tothe kallax since our train pieces are kinda big and don't fit in the big trofast bin. I definitely need to reorg that a little bit!

[@MagicalMemoriesMama]

If you don't have a dining room, where do you all eat as a family? I'm interested in doing that as well.

[@confidentlymom]

We use the dining room area that we use for art etc. still! My husband and i sit in the brown chairs (I've always preferred eating while holding my plate, he puts his food on the kids white table) and the kids are at the white table with stools. Sometimes they sit on the floor, i'm in a chair, and my husband is at the stool at the kitchen counter right next to us. Half the year we eat on our back patio too We've always spent all day together so i've never been strict about a formal dining scenario and we all like to switch things up My oldest is nearing 6, and i will say in the next 2 years i do see us getting a regular table, but right this setup is easier for us (especially as my 3 year old has explored coloring lol)

[@cassandra3lopez]

Your home is beautiful !! Could you post the link to the ikea buffet cabinet? Thank you!!

[@confidentlymom]

Thank you! Yes: www.ikea.com/us/en/p/vihals-sideboard-white-90491720/ sorry i ran out of characters in the description box and that was the link i chose to cut and did chapters in the comments!

[@thefryinator7774]

This is your first video I'm seeing, but id love to see how you let your kids help out with chores! My daughter is currently 15mo and loves to help me out with whatever I'm doing. I try to just have her watch me do harder and more dangerous tasks, but I love to ask her to hand me things and I'm excited for her to understand and do more and start to be even more and more helpful. I'm wondering what other parents are doing chores wise rn. I also recently read Hunt, Gather, Parent and I'm so excited about everything that book talks about

[@confidentlymom]

Ahh i've had chores on my video idea list for a longgg time so thank you for the push to actually make it!! Give me like a month! I haven't read that book yet, but from a quick search the description looks right up my alley!!

[@Hitogata]

I love what you did with your living room! 🤩 Your play spaces are a dream! I wish amazon was smarter, and the amazon links would work in us/uk/es/wherever the person is! But thank you for listing so many of the toys! So many awesome ideas 😍

[@confidentlymom]

Haha yeah they make them each their own separate platform - but if there are any specific ones you want I can swap my account over to UK and pull them for you (i think?) And thank you!

[@alissadewolf3447]

This was super helpful. Thanks! It gave me a lot of a good ideas for our house. Quick question. Would do anything different if you also had a 12 month old?

[@confidentlymom]

Awe I'm happy it was helpful! Uhm honestly no - The art cart would obviously be the biggest concern with scissors or it being pulled over/on top of them, but the scissors should be well out of a 12 month olds reach/easy to move if either of those seem like a concern/issue. I will say I probably wouldn't do the trofast system i showed in this video and i would go with the all wood one; the white one uses plastic sliders to fit the bins, so the weight of the magna tiles and trains causes them to pull out a bit and it can be tough; their wood version the wood has the slides built in so that heaviness isn't an issue. I also would focus on all the low open shelves being the 12 month olds toys (whether you do something like our "shop" or just the montessori shelf". My last playroom video has other ways we set things up with a baby/young toddler which is all very low/invitations to play as well. Beyond that, it's a pretty good set up for until about 7+ years old when kids are simply just taller and this furniture is so low - though they may not care.

[@confidentlymom]

Just wanted to update you, per another's comment below, they don't recommend the trofast wood shelf! They said things have a hard time sliding in and out, and to stick with the plastic slider one and just put the heavy bins directly on the base, instead of the tracks.

[@Kay.D.N]

How did your kids do with the kiwico easel set up all the time? My son is 2 and I could see him being interested in this for a Christmas gift, but we don’t have a lot of space and I’m trying to reorganize the toys and art supplies to make it easily work. TIA!

[@confidentlymom]

They did great/love it! I will say it's NOT a solution for organization art supplies. You'd have to pair the KiwiCo easel with like an art cart or peg wall or something ( I talk about the art cart in this video and love for 2 year olds because you can easily wheel it away if they aren't using the supplies appropriately. You may want to check out my guide here: www.theconfusedmillennial.com/best-easel-for-kids-toddlers/ -- you'll find some options that have storage for art supplies in them or smaller footprints. With that said, if you want the most versatile (marble run and easel) for the footprint then KiwiCo's is definitely the best!

[@Kay.D.N]

@@confidentlymom thank you for the detailed reply! I did start a basic art cart a while back after seeing yours, but it needs some expanding now that my son is older. I’m actually revisiting this video trying to revamp the toy storage in our small home now that more extensive toys are being used (blocks, trains tracks, magnatiles etc.) and I can’t mentally handle them everywhere.. Your ideas have been super helpful and I’m thinking it’s time for a trofast 🙃 I will definitely check out your easel guide too. Thanks again!

[@ronjab4586]

Thank you for the tour - that was so fun to watch. We use a lot of similar concepts, including our living room being "the playroom". It's where we are all day long, so it makes the most sense to us. Your most played with area is so similar to ours, it's hilarious. The only thing that changed in the last year, is that the lovevery dollhouse is gone now and instead the Chalsea dreamhouse sits on top of the trofast (a gift to our girls from their uncle last Christmas and from that day on, the lovevery house didn't stand a chance anymore 😂 ). Also additionally, a basket with Lego duplo next to the trofast - our girls love duplo and love to mix it with all the blocks, tiles, figures, cars, etc. We also use trofast for everything - their clothes, their toys, even their playkitchen is majorly trofast. One tip for heavy items like magnatiles and wooden blocks in there: store them on the bottom, simply don't use the sliding mechanism for them (hope that makes sense the way I write it). I do that for all heavy and some oversized items and works so well (btw, I wouldn't recommend the all wooden trofast - they are notorious for the baskets to slide out if they are used without a lid, so the white trofast is a lot less frustrating for kids). We have a similar rule - if we cannot get the place cleaned up in under 20 minutes, something needs to change. And I think it's largely thanks to the trofast, that the kids find it easy and the cleanup is so quick (honestly, it could be faster but my kids have a huge loose parts collection they love and use daily in their playkitchen and they insist on sorting correctly every evening, which takes at least half of the cleanup time 😂 and the ballpit can be a culprit, too). Tip for those without the space for an art area: we bought big silicone mats to use on our table for any messy art activity. Makes it really easy to just lift them when we need the space to eat and reduces arts and crafts cleanup to once per day. Btw, that pasta shape maker from KiwiCo looks amazing. Will definitely get it for our girls for Christmas, thanks for the recommendation. We only recently found a solution for our books. We used to have baskets with books and I used to rotate (I gave up toy rotation a while ago but stuck to book rotation far too long - now the only things out of reach are some art materials, some educational materials and some puzzles). While our recently turned 2 year old utilized the baskets with books all the time, our nearly 4 year old often looked for books that weren't out and that made her read books less and less. So recently, we got a good old cube shelf (we needed a 3 x 4 dimension kallax for our collection). The bottom shelves each hold a basket with mostly board books that our 2 year old continues to use a lot, simply by pulling the basket out. The rest of the shelves, the books are roughly sortet by category. Our soon to be 4 year old reads so much now that all the books are available to her. It's been amazing (the only thing I rotate is seasonal books in one designated season shelf). Anyway, it works extremely well for us, so I thought I'd mention it. In addition, we have one over the door organizer with their current favorite books they like us to read to them - especially for the 2 year old, it helps her to have those a bit more visual (and helps the more fragile books she likes to be out of reach but still easy for her to tell us to get it and read it together 😊 she is very enthusiastic with books, which annoyingly leads to a lot of destruction). Which reminds me - really envious that your 2 year old is deterred by storing things out of sight. Since roughly 15 months old, our now 2 year old simply carries a step stool around to reach what she isn't supposed to 😂 Anyway, I'd say the only thing we have additionally, is a dress up area right next to our playkitchen/market area. My kids are obsessed with dress up and pretend. Of course we have another trofast just for that (holding hats, shoes, scarves, sunglasses, purses, doctor kits, etc) 😂 we recently added a mirror for them and a little wooden rack for the dresses and costumes (firefighter jacket, doctor coat, aprons, etc), which has been absolutely amazing for their daily dress up sessions (especially our soon to be 4 year old is more in costumes than actual clothes 😂 ).

[@confidentlymom]

Haha yeah my kids love Lego Duplo but I refuse to bring them into our home haha They play with them at friends and while out, but the pieces just overwhelm me, especially about thinking how small they get once they graduate after the duplo's lol Which silicone mats do you have? We have a couple we lay out on the playmat sometimes but I don't love them. Especially for sensory stuff, which just seems to get stuck on them. Thank you for the trofast heavy items tip!! And the wood note! We are in a similar spot with out books, I have season rotating in her room, and then keep board books down here, I also keep some in my office that don't fit in the shelf shown. We don't really rotate them intentionally, they just move around the house! Lol yeah he's shockingly good about learning limits. I had to roll the art cart out twice (maybe three times?) and he never went to mess it up again. We have dress up in my daughters room, one of the bins there is for play clothes, otherwise she uses paper from packages with tape and the silks down here. I do keep thinking about getting a proper costume set for the holidays and probably will this year. My daughter though just dresses like a cat and/or ballerina everyday. The big kids at her school joke the little kid class is always dress up day/Halloween becasue they all look like they are always in costumes haha!

[@ronjab4586]

@@confidentlymom I tried a lot of silicone mats before we settled on the ones we use now. It's from Amazon, a brand called Chalk Crown. It has a slightly raised edge, which is helpful and the size works really well for us. When we work with glitter, I usually put paper additionally on it because, yes, it does stick to the silicone badly. But when it's a messier kind of sensory play, we actually don't use these mats and instead use trofast bins 😆 I had the idea since they have the flisat table where the trofast bins insert. We do not have the table but with some rubber pads on the bottom, they work well for sensory play anywhere.

[@pa1attention]

You might just be my new best friend!!!

[@confidentlymom]

Haha thank you!!

[@lmeoka3949]

Our living room is a play room too. We've discussed a dining room table but never had space. We have an art bin but need to incorporate your art cart. Love it.

[@tealemusic]

Thanks for sharing and your tips!! What brand of play couches do you have??

[@SimplyAtHomeMom]

I love this video and your channel! Thank you so much for encouraging moms and having such a great attitude! I love that you talk about the flexibility of play spaces and give such honest reviews! You were right about the trofast, so much better than one small bin for toys. I am a minimalist so I thought just having less toys was the answer but it’s also about the environment! Your kids have many toys but because of the environment they have organization and options! Thank you for bringing me into the world of Montessori, I just associated pricier toys and wooden toys to it before! Now I’m embracing it and educating myself!

[@confidentlymom]

Ahh thank you for the kind words!! And yes i think A LOT of people think montessori = expensive but that's def not what was originally intended/ what it is and truthfully there are no hard and fast rules, just a focus on respecting the child and fostering their interests/independence! So happy you're finding things that work for you guys!!

[@Allie-lb9pt]

Love this video! Look forward to your content every week. Would you consider doing an updated video on Kiwico? They have added/ changed a lot not only with their subscription but individual kits and would love your opinion on them. Especially since you have done such a great job for everything lovevery!

[@confidentlymom]

Yes! I have one planned in the next month or two! I think around cyber week! It'll specifically be about Panda Crate given all the changes and a deeper look at the new 2-3 year selection as that's where my son is at. I can say, moving 2-3 from koala to panda crate was 100% the right move!

[@trillianmcmillian2660]

thanks

[@meghanbeichter719]

Love your videos, what set of colored blocks do you have. I love the bigger size.

[@confidentlymom]

The colored ones are tehse: www.theconfusedmillennial.com/loveveryblockset and the neurtral one's are discontinued from Monti Kids but I also have a wooden block buying guide linked in the description!

[@meghanbeichter719]

Thanks so much ❤️

[@kelleyspears5797]

Hello! Is the easel magnetic at all?

[@confidentlymom]

Yes! Both of the one's we have are magnetic on the whiteboard side.