For many months after having children, which may have spanned into years, it felt like keeping my house organized was always a lost battle despite my efforts. My car, especially the backseat, was such a mess that it felt like a Zombie Apocalypse scenario (hence photo above). I was frustrated, grouchy, and exhausted. It seemed as if no space was left untouched by clutter, some form of unidentifiable stickiness, and small piles of things absolutely everywhere that needed to be finished, paid, or put away. I cringed when someone was at the door because of the messes.
This is all completely normal by the way, but if you've hit a point of needing to reclaim some space and order within all the madness that is parenthood, read on my friends.
This plan covers the basics for attacking the chaos and getting organized with kids. Like anything, it requires maintenance, but this will be way, way better than struggling with utter Lego mayhem on your table every day.
Living Room
You will need a medium sized tote or large basket designated for only toys and a corner to hide it in. Ours lived behind the recliner and I'd drag it out for play time. Teach your kids to pick up their items at the end of the day and put them all in the basket. Bonus points if you can actually train them to put one away before getting another (didn't work in my house but maybe you'll get lucky). What did work for my kids was to time how fast they could clean up, making a game of it. I'd get out my phone with a timer and make a big deal of cheering them on and let them see their final time.
Pro Tip: For the next 18 years, buy furniture with hidey holes. Storage ottomans, end tables with doors/larger drawers, and beds with storage drawers built in. Hide everything you can in them. You're welcome.
Kid's Room
While the open bins on a shelf may be a bit overstimulating for some, they really do work. They help your kids because they can easily see where to sort items. Also, when your kid is in hysterics over losing the prized micro toy, you can rummage through the bins to quickly help locate said treasure.
Pro Tip: When trying to locate lost items, I recommend engaging the child with first cleaning up the room as the lost item may turn up, and second to clear the space so that one tub at a time can be dumped out and checked. Having a plan to do this will help calm down your little one, as will the distraction of going through all the other toys.
Bathroom
We had one bathroom when my boys were little and oy vey it was tiny. I could share horrific tales of only having one toilet but that really deserves a whole post of its own. For the bathroom, I purchased a plastic woven bin with a sturdy handle that could house wet bath toys and be hung to dry, toys and all. I also installed removable adhesive hooks on the bathroom door down low for the kids' towels. To keep the shower from getting too crazy, I put in one of those hotel shampoo/conditioner/soap dispensers and we all used the same products. In the cabinet were cups for each of us with our toothbrushes and pastes. One counter was not enough for stuff to be left out all the time, so the kids were trained to put the cups and toys away each day.
Pro Tip: I also suggest you establish a "Mommy drawer" because who wants to have to explain that a tampon is not wrapped candy? Yes, that actually happened.
Car
Those car organizers that hang over the seats really do help with littles, especially if you commute or travel often. Stock them with toys and books that you rotate so they don't get boring. I also made sure that booster seats and my consoles had extra cup holders. You can buy extra little consoles to put between seats if needed.
Pro Tip: Speaking of toy rotation, this is a genius tactic. Have a place (mine was the attic) to keep some of the toys out of sight. Every few months, rotate them in and pull out stuff from the rooms. It's like Christmas all over again. I also had a huge tote of hot wheels tracks, which I would pull out for rainy days to keep it a novelty.
Kitchen
My first child was almost an only child. Colicky, never napped, slept less than seven hours total in a 24 hour span, and craved information over candy. He would get up at 4 am every day ready to go. In a moment of brilliant desperation I dumped juice boxes, crackers, and granola bars into a bin and cleared a space on the bottom shelf in the cabinet. It. Saved. Me. And, it saved me again when I was injured with a second baby and the oldest had to sometimes access snacks on his own. We kept the bins for years and later on the kids could help unpack groceries and easily put things away on their very own shelves.
Kid's Closet
Okay, I know you have a bunch of kid socks and shirts that no longer fit stuffed in the back on those shelves. Trust me, no judgement, I've been there. Keep a basket for the "too smalls" or "no longer wants" that you (and kids) can easily toss stuff into. Every 3-6 months go through stuff. I eventually added in those hanging cloth shelves and now my kids organize their own stuff and let me
share with you that it is awesome.
Laundry
Have sorting bins for each load and label them. I used coded clothespins: darks, whites, lights, and boys. The kids knew what went where and it helped immensely when it came time to do the wash.
I could list out every possible space, but you get the idea. Have organizers ready everywhere and teach your kids to use them. Pick a time, such as late afternoon or early evening, and spend time delegating getting the spaces organized before bed. Before you know it, they will be organizing out of habit and on their own.
Love and blessings,
Dax
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