Toy Storage - by Age

As my Little Miss is accumulating more & more toys, I've had to think of a way to store her toys but be able to access them if I need to. The big & bulky ones have been dismantled (where possible-some can't be pulled apart once they're assembled!) & put in large garbage bags with a sticker on the bag with the name &/or description of the toy & put away. The smaller ones (which I want to be able to access) I've decided to organise into plastic tubs, by age. That way, when we have younger kids that visit, we can easily grab some age-appropriate toys for them to play with.

Here's how I've organised the toys:

Wash &/or wipe the toys.

Write the age range of each toy (usually found on the box or packaging) on the bottom of the toy with a permanent marker/texter (I don't use stickers in case they get peeled off & end up in a little one's mouth). I usually write the age range on each toy when we first get it, before throwing the box away.

If there's nowhere on the bottom to write the age range, I write it on the side or somewhere else inconspicuous

I bought myself a whole lot of these great tubs from Bunnings. They come in different sizes, they're stackable, they have wheels & they are cheap. Perfect for storing all sorts of things

This particular size cost just under $10. 

So far, I've labelled the tubs with the ages:
Birth - 6M
6M+
12M+

Little Miss is at the 18-36M stage, so she's currently using her toys in that age range.

The toys' age ranges are sometimes quite broad. As an example, for toys that are recommended for 6-36month olds, I've put those toys in the 6M+ tub. That way, I know they're safe for children 6 months & over, but may not be safe for any children younger than 6 months.

I filled the tubs with the toys, stacked them & stored them in the garage. Out of the house but easy to get to if we need them.
Once we've finished using the toys again, they can be stored in the corresponding tubs easily because of the age range printed on the bottom, rather than trying to guess which tub they go back into.

I've found this storage system is working well for the moment. However, I'm not sure how many tubs I'll end up with in a few more years!