How would you describe your kid’s room?

Every month Martha will share quick and easy solutions to simplify life.

Organizing Your Kid's Stuff

Nothing gets the old blood pressure up like thinking about all the stuff your kids have.  Toys, electronics, clothes, and schoolwork – oh my!
There tend to be three areas of concern, and this month we will take a quick look at each one.

1. Your child’s current stuff – all the possessions your child has right this minute.  Get it organized and get your sanity back.
2. The ‘what if I need it’ stuff – the stuff you keep for future children, whether they are your kids or your grandkids.  Is it really worth saving all this stuff?
3. Stuff you kept because it is ‘important’ – it might be important to you, but does anyone else in your family really care?

Your child’s current stuff – These are all the possessions your child has right this minute.  Here are some basic ground rules to keep your child’s things organized.

Sort and purge every 4-6 months – Sounds like a lot of work, but if you do this regularly, it is no big deal.  Kids grow and change.  Many times the clutter in their room is stuff they do not use or need.  The statistics on how many toys kids in the USA have are quite amazing and sobering. So keep on top of the 'stuff' so that it does not overwhelm you and your kids.

Any organizing must be done with your child. Make it fun and help your child make decisions on what to keep and what to toss.

Organize what is kept and organize it from the child’s point of view. Get containers that fit the items. And label, label, label.

The ‘what if I need it’ stuff – This is the stuff you keep for future children, whether they are your kids or your grandkids.  The most popular items saved are cribs, car seats and clothes.  Is it really worth saving all this stuff?  Here are some things to consider if you are having trouble letting go.

Keep only the items that are of great quality – pitch stained, broken, very used, or even dangerous items.  Confirm that those treasures are safe by checking crib safety requirements, car seat safety guidelines, or look up recalled child items or recalled toys.

If you are pretty sure that your kids will be delighted that you saved some of their belongings, establish a ‘Removal Date’ ahead of time, when you will let these items go. Tag the item with the removal date, and stick to your plan – clothes saved for 20 years really aren’t all that great.

Stuff you kept because it is ‘important’ – it might be important to you, but does anyone else in your family really care?

These are the toys, clothes, knickknacks, schoolwork, artwork, and keepsakes that mean something to you as the parent.  But do your kids really feel the same way? Keep in mind, not everything is ‘important’ and keeping every piece of artwork or schoolwork will be more of a burden than a blessing to your children. Parents often save schoolwork, toys, clothes, childhood knickknacks believing that their children will cherish these ‘treasures’ when they grow older and start a family of their own.

So, be selective when saving childhood memories.  Items will have more relevance if they have been an essential part of your child’s life.  One way to give relevance to what you save is to add your parental point of view on a note card attached to the item – “I loved receiving this artwork because……” – “You were so excited when you got this for Christmas that you…..”.  “This made me laugh because….”
Choose containers that will store the treasures safely and still allow your family to enjoy them.  Take a look at our Do-It-Yourself page for storage options.  If you can keep these treasures to a relevant minimum, your children and grandchildren will have greater appreciation.

Hope these ideas help. Take what works to help organize your kids and relieve your stress.

Thank you!

Martha Goss