If you have kids, you know what its like to look at their mess every day! Little kids bring toys, more toys… and more toys along with sticky handprints on everything! Bigger kids come with devices, cords, backpacks, shoes, clothing items and papers. If you are anything like me, the new year brings a desperate need to organize and clean up to make everything decluttered and fresh again!
Playtime
When I was a little girl, I remember loving to play. I would line up all my matchbox cars by using masking tape on the floor to create roadways and would spend hours playing with them. The problem was, I remember often feeling super frustrated not being able to find them all when I wanted to play! I would spend what felt like the whole afternoon searching for them until playtime was almost over, leaving me with little time to play!
Storage solutions
So, when my kids were little and we started our own little collection of toys, we made sure we had colored coordinated Rubbermaid bins to store all of these toys in. We would make one bin per category. Barbies in one bin, Pet shops in another, cars in another… anyways, you get the idea.
Sure, once in a while they would get mixed up and we would have to dump them out and sort through them again, but for the most part, the kids were happy to grab their bin with their desired toys and get down to the real joy of playing. It also made cleaning up a breeze!
This made our frequent moving homes super simple just by picking up the bin and moving it right into the new home. We would even install shelving just to fit these bins perfectly so they always had a home to tuck away nicely in our closets with easy access.
What are some things you can do to clear away the kid clutter, while still making it easy for them to play?
1. Labeled baskets
Sometimes a kids stuff can trickle out of their bedrooms. If you’re like me, you can end up with piles of stuff you have collected for the kids at the bottom of the staircase. Why not create cute little baskets with each of their names so you can fill them up and they can carry their stuff up on their way upstairs. They can put their stuff away, right?;) (Yep, its easier said than done getting them involved, but so worth it!)
2. Cubbies and bins
Set up a bin for each set of toys. Cubbies and or a small dresser as a bedside table in the kid’s room help organize their special toys. You could even label them or pop a picture on each bin so they know where to their special things. This also gives them less chance of dumping everything searching for their one fav toy. And if they do decide to dump all their toys at once, make a game out of it to help them clean up their own mess, tears and all. Clean up with them. It will teach them where to put everything, how to clean up, and (hopefully) make them think twice before they dump everything out again!
3. Mudroom storage
Don’t have a mudroom? Create a mudroom area in your garage. The last 2 homes we have chosen not to place a mudroom in our home to save space and cost. Instead, we have created a section along the wall in the garage for the kids to dump their stuff as they walk in through the garage door. This keeps them from traipsing in through the front door and leaving their whirlwind of stuff as they walk in the door and you don’t have to get mad at your kids for never actually putting away their items. It also helps keep the mud from entering your house during those muddy months. I do however recommend having a place inside to hang up backpacks, otherwise, they can tend to land on your kitchen floor;). Having a keypad on your garage door helps with this as the older kids can let themselves in and out as needed.
4. Create a kids zone
Create a special kids zone in your main living area where the littles can be close to you while they play. This great if you have little people you want to keep your eye on but you still want to keep your living room somewhat of a living room. This could be one small corner of your living room, an unused dining room off of your main living space, a den, or a bedroom converted into a playroom where the mess is contained but is still close to mom.
Sometimes we have even had a small hallway area where the kids have loved to play. This makes it a little annoying for walking through the mess but kept the mess tucked away from my main areas of the house and somehow they played for hours in that special corner at the top or bottom of the stairs.
I love this play area so much from Blesserhouse. She has totally nailed the peaceful, organized kid zone! Don’t have
5. Furniture with storage
Have accent pieces of furniture in your main living areas where you can organize and hide toys, electronics, kids papers, backpacks, coloring, clean diapers away. Coloring tucked away in a dining room buffet or kitchen cabinets, their toys or games in a storage coffee table or ottoman, and end tables with storage space for their favorite items seems to work well. This way you can easily clean up at the end of the day and pretend that your kids don’t exist, lol! But your kids know where to find their toys again in the morning!
Photo credit to our realtor
How do you begin to get organized and sort through your kids toys? Check out this post to help you get started.
Hopefully, these ideas help you get organized with your kiddos so you can find a way to enjoy your sweet babies once again while making your home feel more breathable! What are some ideas you have on how to organize your little people’s stuff?
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