sleek and streamlined
Filed Under Tips & Tricks | May 26, 2010
Along with kids comes an enormous amount of stuff – clothes, toys, gear, accessories and more. And they outgrow it much faster than you can keep on track of it. So we asked organized mama and author of the blog Uncluttering the Cluttered, Leah Avery, for her tips on maintaining some control of all the stuff we don’t know where to put it, how to get rid of, or what to do with.
Avery was in school for interior decorating when classes on storage solutions and space planning caught her fancy and she realized that she was more interested in organizing spaces than decorating them. When she became pregnant and the nesting instinct hit she realized that she enjoyed nesting – a lot – and having a place for everything meant she had more time for her family, and we could all use a bit more of that.
Our kids are so good at creating clutter it can sometimes seem counterproductive and exhausting to organize all that mess. But Avery points out that clutter can affect our kids’ behaviour and focus as it can overstimulate and confuse them, leading to tantrums and frustration, and who couldn’t use less of that?
With kids’ rooms Avery finds that working with the space you have is one of the biggest hurdles for most parents, especially when you don’t have enough of it. She recommends maximizing your vertical space, customizing your closets and using rolling totes under the bed for extra storage. She also likes using cube shelves and bins for toys and books, labelling them to help teach kids where things go and using images rather than words on labels for pre-readers.
It makes sense to go through your kids’ items every three to four months. Get started by making a list of what you want to accomplish before tackling it in baby steps. Clothing is the least daunting place to begin, once it’s sorted into piles it’s easy to pack away again. Then move on to the more loaded issue of toys. Start by trying to limit and group toys. Once you have a box set aside to donate or consign be sure to have your little one go through it with you and explain what you’re doing and where they’re going. It’s a great way to get your kids thinking about passing things along and reusing them.
Once you’re organized then keeping a lid on the clutter is your next challenge. Avery suggests limiting the clothing in your kids’ drawers enough for a week (plus a bit extra) and storing or donating the rest. You can also designate a space for activities and possibly create a toy-free zone. And when it comes to birthdays and holidays ask for gifts of experiences rather than stuff – think outings to the beach, a movie, or a membership to a science centre. Then all you’ve left to organize are the pix of all the fun you had…
Avery had so much to say we couldn’t keep this article streamlined and include all her info, so in our yoyo diaries blog we have some follow up tips from her including more info on separating your tots from their precious toys and keeping track of their art work.
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