Repurposed: Sheet and Blanket bags into Toy Storage

When my daughter received sheets and a quilt for her big girl bed, we saved the plastic zippered bags, intending to use them for some sort of storage. It did not take too much imagination or creativity to find the perfect uses for them!

The large quilt bag is perfect for her Duplo train set!

And the smaller sheet bag helps to corral all those little baby toys!

Sticker still in place...I love that these are clear; we can see exactly what is there! The handle on the quilt bag is perfect for her to carry to the perfect train building spot, too.

Even the plastic pocket inside is put to use! We store the manual with the pictures and instructions for the train set in the pocket so it's right in the bag, but protected from getting mangled if it was in with the other pieces.

Before we repurposed the sheet bag, all of the baby toys ended up at the bottom of a basket bigger things. Now the baby toys are easy to contain, easy to see because of the clear plastic, and all in the same place!

Have you repurposed something lately instead of throwing it away? I'd love to hear your ideas!

Toys that get played with

Have you ever gotten a toy for your child that ended up collecting dust? BabyCheapskate puts together a list every year of "Toys that get played with" months after being received. The list is compiled from hundreds (thousands?) of readers, and we thought it was really helpful in thinking about toys for our daughter last year.

Check out the lists for toys that get played with by kids 6 to 12 months old, 13 to 24 months old, and 25 to 36 months old. Later this week BabyCheapskate will have information on toys for 3, 4 and 5 year olds.

Some of my favorites from the lists include Playskool Explore and Grow Busy Ball Popper (6-12 mo), Fisher-Price Stride-To-Ride Lion (6-12 mo), LeapFrog Learn & Groove Musical Table (6-12 mo), various Fisher-Price Little People sets (12-24 mo), and Melissa & Doug Farm Wooden Puzzle sets (12-24 mo).

Do you have any favorite toys that your kids have loved long after receiving them? We will probably see some good sales again this year, as retailers look to get people shopping!

More Toy coupons

A few weeks ago I wrote about a number of Hasbro/Playskool coupons that are on coupons.com. I don't think I made clear that these are also on Playskool's website, so you can get an extra copy if necessary!

LeapFrog's website also has a number of coupons. I have included the promo codes because the coupons can be used on Amazon - which is especially awesome if you have some extra Amazon money from redeeming Swagbucks!
Save $3 on Any Tag Book (use code: WT9TAG)
Save $4 on any Leapster Book (use code: WT9LSTR)
Save $5 on any Didj game (use code: WT9DIDJ)
Save $2 on any Tag Junior book (use promo code LPTGJ2)
Save $3 on any ClickStart Software (use code: WT9CS3)
Save $3 on any LeapFrog Learning Toy (use promo code LPTOY3)

"Deal"icious Mom wrote about a number of coupons for Hasbro games here. Games include Connect 4x4, Guesstures, Clue Secrets & Spies, Cranium Family, The Game of Things, and Pictureka! Flipper. Also, there is information about how to get a free Monopoly Deal Card game why you buy $25 worth of select Hasbro games from Amazon (expires 10/31/09).

And Coupon Cravings found this coupon for $5 off Trio Building Blocks, along with $5/$20 toy purchase at Sears!

Whew! That's a ton, but I'm sure there will be more as retailers and manufacturers look to spur gift buying!

Playskool coupons

There are some really great coupons from Coupons.com for toys this month! Here is the list:


$5 Mr Potato Head Silly Suitcase

$2 Mr Potato Head toy

$5 Playskool Busy Ball Popper

$3 Playskool Gloworm

$5 Playskool Step Start Walk’n Ride

$5 Mr Potato Head Spud Buds

$10 Musical Sit N Spin

$5 Playskool Activity Ball

$5 DinoRoars Hatchlings

$10 Playskool Dance Cam

$5 Tumble N Twirl Top

$5 Swing N Score Baseball

$10 DinoRoars Stompers

Pair these with a sale at Target or Walmart and you're looking at some great kids toys for a great price!