Keeping on top of kid’s clutter can be a full time job that is for sure. Professional Organizer and fellow Canadian, Sylvia Daoust, is here to share some of her favorite storage solutions for kid’s rooms. Welcome Sylvia!
Organizing your young child’s room is a lot of fun…beautiful colors, bold patterns, and cute little bins in all shapes and sizes. Keeping it in order as they navigate their way through changes in clothing and toys is another matter altogether! Before you jump into transforming your little one’s room and spend a load of cash, take a look at these simple solutions to create storage that can be easily maintained and will “grow with your child”.
1) A good storage system inside the closet makes use of the vertical space and eliminates the need for a dresser. Add another hanging rod to maximize the space for those itty-bitty clothes.
2) Label bins and baskets to make toy retrieval and clean up a breeze. Print pictures of the contents for the little ones.
Joey and Jane Kids Wire Baskets
3) Drawer dividers keep little clothes organized into categories, preventing those tiny tights from getting lost in a mound of sweaters.
4) Over the door organizers are a great storage option for anything but shoes. Toys, hats, small books, socks, undies, and stuffies are perfect candidates.
5) Hanging a canvas sweater organizer is an inexpensive way to create shelves for clothing or accessories. Try labeling each of the 5 cubbies with the days of the week for early school goers. Having their outfits pre-set for the week could save many morning meltdowns on what to where!
5 Day Wardrobe Organizer by Kangaroom
6) An under the bed storage bin works great for all the craft projects your child brings home from school or seasonal clothing taking up prime closet space.
7) Modular units with canvas storage bins are the perfect storage solution for the bottom half of any closet. (the 6-cube unit laid horizontally)
The 9-Cube Organizer by Martha Stewart at Home Depot
(note from Laura: this cube organizer is one of my favorites too and it can also be found at most major department stores including Walmart and Target)
What are some of your favorite kid room storage solutions?
Sylvia Daoust is the owner of Niche Designs Inc., a company focused on creating streamlined homes and small businesses. We provide organizing solutions to fit your needs and your budget…with consistent support every step of the way. Visit Niche Designs Inc. for access to a free eBook and weekly storage solutions!
**Organizing Junkie readers have exclusive access to TWO downloadable products at 20% off!…”Less Clutter, More Life” online classes, and our new eBook, Organizing Through the Seasons. (code: orgjunkie)
Skooks says
I got one of those hanging “sweater” organizers that was already pre-labeled with all 7 days of the week . . . 1 for each of my kids. It makes it SO SIMPLE to get their outfits ready as soon as I fold the laundry and they both can just grab one off the shelf as needed. They’re not tall enough to reach the top yet, but I’m also not anal about them wearing a certain outfit on a certain day so I just rotate them down as needed. 😉
Rachel says
My young son doesn’t have a hanging closet, just a cupboard with shelves and some drawers. I loved the days of the week idea, so we used some old plastic baskets we had from elsewhere and put an outfit in each, then stack them on a shelf he can reach. he can bring a basket downstairs, get dressed after breakfast and the basket goes near the airers so that outfits can be reloaded as they come off the clothes airers and taken back to his room. its working so far, and the baskets mean there are no lost socks or undies on the way downstairs. saves me loads of time trying to find things in the morning too.
rachel says
I’m also hoping that having a weeks worth of clothes will help me stop buying more clothes than he actually needs.
Living the Balanced Life says
My oldest daughter has 6 kids, and I know she used to do this. I am not sure if she still does, but in the fall her youngest 2 girls, ages 3 & 4, who like to pair the most atrocious things together will start preschool. Might be a good idea to reinstitute the plan!
Bernice
Are we there yet?
Sylvia says
Not sure where you purchased yours, but I just saw the new Neatfreak kids’ line…neatKids in Walmart. They are selling these hanging organizers with the days of the week in two cool patterns! Check it out!
Lisa says
I was going to recommend the IKEA EXPEDIT shelves for containing nearly EVERY TOY IN OUR HOUSE! Seriously, I love them.
But given all the posts about the clothing organizers I just saw yesterday in Crate&Barrel’s circular a 20 bin hanging shoe organizer I will be getting for my girls (they share a closet and a shoe size space is perfect for their little clothes). Spots for 7 days worth of clothes each (and 3 extra spots on top for shoes, etc). It even has extra bins you can buy to make drawers. http://www.crateandbarrel.com/organizing-and-storage/closet/green-20-section-hanging-bag/s164171
I also use old diaper boxes as bins on the closet shelf to contain clothes that the 5yr old has outgrown, but the 3yr old will need very soon. Free and they fit perfectly.
Sylvia says
Awesome…the IKEA trofast unit with plastic pull out bins works great too. My son, at 4 years old had this system for his clothing. Now, at 9 years old, he has re-labeled the same unit for his “stuff”…electronics, private, keepsakes etc…
Living the Balanced Life says
One thing that worked very well for us as my kids were growing up was a bed with drawers underneath. Ours was actually a trudle bed, which we used it as for a while, but when moved to separate rooms, I put dividers in the drawer where the mattress was. It was used at various times for current clothes, out of season clothes, and toys. The one thing that made it work so well was the drawer wheels worked wonderfully and was easily pulled out by a child.
If you are limited on space, you may want to consider something of this sort!
Bernice
Tools for productivity
Sharisse says
Awesome! And like Lisa I am completely in LOVE with Ikea Expedit shelves for anything and everything. I think I am doing good with maximizing the storage space in my 9yo daughters room. She has a full size captains bed with a bookcase headboard, 4 drawers & plenty of under bed space. There’s a clear hanging shoe rack on the back of her door, I believe it holds 15+ pairs of shoes. She has the metal bar mentioned her that doubles the space in her closet (cheap at Walmart). She has a hanging jewelry organizer to hold her play jewelry in. She has a mesha hanging bag to hold belts, scarves, etc… She also has a desk in her room w/more storage drawers.
Heather says
I have a 3 year old and we have a product that you can find at tons of stores that has multiple bins in bright colors. He keeps his Toy Story things in one bin, cars in another, Handy Manny has 2 bins, and so on. He is allowed to take out one bin at a time and is really good about putting them away. It saved his bedroom!
http://www.kmart.com/shc/s/p_10151_10104_011W487613110001P?vName=For%20the%20Home&cName=Storage&sName=Kids&sid=KDx20070926x00003a&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=011W487613110001P