There's something about the end of summer that really gets me in the organizing mode whether that be back-to-school items on the shelves of every store or the anticipation of the holidays fast approaching, I always want to get my house cleaned out and ready. I have always been great at getting rid of things I no longer needed, and now with a one year old daughter and a newborn quickly approaching, I even more so feel the need to minimize and create space - here are some tips that may be helpful.
Create Intentional Spaces for Things
Having dedicated "zones" for different types of items is a great start for keeping yourself organized. If you have the space, a playroom with storage solutions for kids' toys is a great way to manage the chaos - let's be real there is no way to have toys in your home without chaos. It's probably not realistic to have a "toys only in the playroom" rule, but having a space to put things back is half the battle. If you live in a smaller space, like we do, and don't have a room dedicated as a playroom, there's ways to create the organization subtly. Our tv console and an ottoman (with storage) house all of our toys for Emma to pull out throughout the day. When everything is put away, our living room can look picture perfect (it never does...but it could). Using pretty pieces of furniture to conceal toys keeps your home feeling put together and keeps the fun times coming for your littles.
Flexible pieces, like this console from Nathan James where you can add additional pieces if needed are great - the closed storage can hide and the top surface is a great place to style your home.
Try Not to Be Influenced
I'm speaking directly to myself here... with the constant flash of information on Instagram, Pinterest, you name it, I always see the cutest new sweater, floral backpack for my daughter (who's one and clearly doesn't need it..), or cleaning machine I must have. This starts the cycle again of "there's too much in my house and I need to purge" and begins feeling very wasteful. Think twice, or even three times before clicking the buy now button on Amazon and having it delivered in the morning.
Swap Out Toys to Keep Them Feeling New
I keep hearing "if it feels overwhelming to you, it does to them too". Trying to minimize the amount of toys keeps the stimulation lower and the ability to focus longer for your kids. Not a parenting expert in the least, but in my experience, my daughter is focused much longer when she has only a few things vs. every toy she was gifted on her birthday. We have clear bins that we have labeled so we can easily swap them out to keep things feeling fresh!
Treat Your Playroom Like Another Room in Your Home - Have Fun with It!
Playrooms are a great space to spend time as a family and just as you want to intentionally put together your living room, dining room, or kitchen, it doesn't take a crazy budget to put together a playroom that feels good! Kids' spaces are one of our favorites to design, fun pops of color, wallpaper and patterns feel effortless here.
Remember - lots of intentional storage in these spaces. We love the mix of open and closed shelving so you can display books to be easily grabbed and hide bins of smaller toys that can start to make the space feel cluttered.
If you need help with a play space or kid's room, we would love to talk! You can schedule a video session here to chat with us about any ideas you have or get our opinion and input. You can also fill out our contact form to chat about a full service design!
XOXO,
Caitlin
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