Here are some sensible way to have organization with kids so your home feels more tidy with less work.
I hate clutter and I like tidiness…
However, I don’t like organization systems that require every Martha Stewart office product on the market and detailed labeling that you must read every time you put something away.
No, thank you!
If you’re a momma, like me, and want a tried and true way to keep a tidy house… keep reading.
What's in this post...
You can find home systems that work
Best of all, they are easy and effortless. Why? Because that’s all I’ve got time for…
Ready for some expert organization advice? Here it is:
A system of organization with kids must be easy to maintain or it gets thrown out the window.
So, if you feel your house is overflowing with stuff and needs an organization jolt, this post is for you.
Tip #1: Out With the Old & In With the New
The first thing you need to do when you want to get organized is to get rid of stuff. I like to call this phase toss, downsize and organize.
I’m not saying get rid of things you use, but unused items may as well be thrown out or donated.
The first step to getting rid of chaos is to simplify, simplify, simplify. This guide can help.
Learn MoreBenefits of a purge…
- It’s way easier to organize when you’re dealing with fewer items
- You’ll stress less about where to put everything
- Surfaces, shelves, and corners will become available for use
- You can teach your kids the good habit of decluttering
- Kids can also learn a that donating unused toys, books, games, and clothes feels good
I promise it’s much easier to maintain a clutter free home when there is less to put away at the end of every evening.
2. Tip #2: Up, Up, & Away
If you have kids then you know… they like to pick up small objects (often important) and scatter them throughout the house.
Keys, wallets, loose change, anything from my wallet… none of it is safe.
Unless, it’s put up. My simple tip for keeping my sanity and my children out of trouble- to install these racks beside the front door.
They are great!
Important things can hang and be kept out of children’s reach. If you have high traffic surface areas in your home accessible to small children, it’s best to create designated spaces for personal items out of their reach.
Kids can learn what to touch and what not to touch, but for very appealing items I think it’s best to lead them not into temptation.
Tip #3: Baskets, Baskets & More Baskets
I am a big lover of baskets…
You’ll see them all around my house, even on my large office desk to hold the smaller things. Each basket has a theme (important documents, electronics and plugs, baby books, toys, etc.) and it is the most organized desk I’ve ever had!
I especially love using baskets in my homes living areas. They prevent each room from looking cluttered. Best of all, they are cute and the kids can easily help clean up.
My personal tips on using baskets…
- Baskets can boost the appearance of any room. Us them to decorate as well as being a powerful way to have organization with kids.
- Right now in my living room, I have a tall wicker basket full of toys between two chairs. I shove that blanket on top when I want to cover the toy evidence up, but the kids know right where their toys are and happily play and put away.
- Place baskets where kids can easily clean up and toys are easily accessible.
- Use baskets on shelves. This is a quick way to take a very unorganized shelf and make it look like you really have it together.
- This is a great tip for organizing different age appropriate books for kids and shoes.
In just 15 minutes a night (while you’re in your pajamas!) take your home (and heart and mind) from stressed out to organized.
Tip #4: Keep it Easy
Whether or not something is pretty isn’t as important as if it functions…
In our house, the bedrooms are upstairs…but the laundry room is downstairs. As you can imagine, with 5 children, laundry was everywhere.
Without a doubt, I needed an easy solution to organize with kids so I wasn’t continually picking up laundry all around the top floor and down the stairs.
My solution… stop worrying about how it looks and put a tall basket in the hallway, by the stairs. I choose a basket (you can’t tell from the picture) that is fairly tall and holds quite a bit.
How this works…
- The children put their dirty clothes in the basket and, when full, I take it all downstairs to wash at once.
- A quick sweep of the upstairs and dirty clothes can be put away in seconds.
- I can easily carry all of the clothes downstairs and replace the basket to it’s handy location.
If you have a two-story home, I recommend keeping some type of basket/container handy near the stairs. When you find something that needs to go upstairs, put it in the basket.
Next time you go up carry the basket with you and put things back.
The moral of the story is clear… keep it easy and do what works. The most important thing isn’t how cute it is.
What really matters when it comes to organization with kids is it’s functionality and ability to last.
Tip #5: Be Strategic
If your children naturally dump things in certain areas of the house, that’s where you need to put the storage…
Otherwise, you’ll get some cute baskets that remain empty because your kids will still dump things where they’ve always dumped things.
We read books in the green chair above in my son’s room, so that toy basket works perfect for books.
My daughter plays on the rug in her room during independent playtime so her toys and books are easily accessible in the toy chest in her room.
How to be strategic? Here are some tips:
- Place storage in wide open spaces like in living areas because kids inevitably play where there is more room.
- Make your storage part of the decor or functionality of a room. For example, use a basket that functions as a table.
- Notice where you kids seem to leave toys, and place storage there.
Tip #6: Shelve It
Everyone in our home loves books…
My husband and I, and the kids too.
We want to foster a love of reading so it was important to us that the books are easily available for the kids.
However, I will say that my 14 month old actually prefers taking books off the shelves to reading.
Ah well, you can lead a horse to water… Here we’ve used the Expedit shelves from Ikea which are bright, airy, and have plenty of room for books.
The kids will often grab books during the day and sit together reading, or bring us books to be read. Also, bookshelves can fit baskets and boxes that are great for hidden storage as well.
Organization with Kids
Remember to keep your organization system easy enough to maintain and clear enough to follow…
- You can be relatively clutter free and organized without having to create intricate systems you won’t follow through with.
- Less stuff naturally translates into more organizes spaces.
- Kids may make messes, but they needn’t stop you from having an organized home if you want one!
So is it totally crazy that my post today is called “how simple toy organization can help toddlers thrive” ?! Eerie, Rachel!!! :)
Pahaha. We’re so meant to be, Lauren :) I’ll share yours as a follow-up!
I really like baskets for organization.
Totally agree!
Fantastic tips! And I totally agree. I’m actually lazy by nature, so by organising our things (sometimes with labels or instructions so everyone knows how to sort clothes in the laudry room f.e.) as well as out time (a routine), life just seems so much easier! I don’t waste time looking for things, or trying to work out how to do the same things every day. That means that when I want to plan housework, an activity or just leaving for work, my plan actually works. I don’t usually feel like I’m running late or don’t get to finish my work, because I don’t waste valuable time.
By labelling things like our sorting hampers in the laundry room, every one knows which clothes to put in which hamper, which programme to start for which load of laundry,… It helps take the mental pressure of running a household. They know that when a hamper is full, laundry needs doing. When something is empty, it needs a refill. When When we take something out, we put it back. And because everything has a fixed place, everyone knows where to put it back. There’s no need to ask mama all the time :)
It gives me an opportunity to say ‘thank you’, instead of whining and nagging because something needs doing.
Thanks for this great post! I can’t find the link for the shelves to put stuff up on by the front door, though— it doesn’t seem to be linked. Could you please share it?