Sensory Storage Ideas

One of the questions that I have had to ask myself over and over again is where to put our sensory stuff when it's not in use. Ideally it is quite convenient to put the sensory swings hanging in a closet and the bins placed or stacked on a shelf. However some people don't have an extra closet to place things in. Here are some ideas that you might be able to use to help store these things.

Sensory swings can be very bulky depending on what swings you have. For us we have used the floor of the pantry but we've seen the mess and frustration it can bring as one of my kids is attempting to pull one out. One idea is to hang them up. This can be done anywhere in your home provided you have room. It can be over a closet rod or bar, you can place simple hangers on your wall and hang the swings from individual hangers. Some can be placed on the hangers that hang off the top of a door although it doesn't work as well for bulkier swings. I have a friend who doesn't have closet space and she puts her swings under a couch out of sight near the hook in her ceiling. Another great place for hanging these up out of the way is in the garage if you happen to have one. Depending on which method you choose you might be able to hang them up by their metal clasps OR you might need to take them off or connect the clasps to something different. Any swing that is inflated can be deflated if it must althoguh pumping it up might be a problem as it can be time consuming. Platform swings can be placed on their sides with the rope behind them to avoid a tripping hazard.

The bins can be stacked anywhere from closets, to shelves, pantries, and so forth. For us the bins MUST be out of reach or I have a huge mess to clean up which means they don't just get put up high but also behind something that is locked. Even your clasps can be stored in a bin. If you're really in a space crunch you might consider using one large bin or you might consider individually sized bins to fulfill your needs for storage space. Can they be stored in a ziplock bag or an old coffee can? What types of things can you use to store your sensory tools without having to buy things brand new?

Another thing we have learned is don't make tools you can't use or don't need right away. This just clutters up your space and takes up room. Some things will need to be replaced like playdough can be made when needed and you can get the help of your child as well.