If you have kids, you already know that there can never be enough storage options. Whether you have one kid, two or more, kids take up space from their infant years on. It can be difficult to maintain a tidy and organized household with toys lying around, clothes piling up and shoes always in the middle of the floor. This can make life more chaotic than it needs to be, as you constantly try to keep up with family life.
There are solutions that will make your life much easier, and they’re called storage solutions. First, you need to know what kind of storage you need for your lifestyle. Do you have an infant? Maybe you have a toddler or even both. If you have teenagers, there’s no doubt you need all the storage you can get.
Yes, you can rid your home of all the clutter, so you can think more clearly and spend more time with your family doing the things you want to do. Here are six clever storage solutions for living with kids.
Create a Library Wall
Kids of all ages usually love to read, so build a library wall in your child’s nursery or bedroom. You’ve probably seen wooden picture ledges before at someone’s home, maybe even your own. These serve as a perfect place for children’s books, as they fit perfectly on these decorative ledges when you spread them out side by side, with the back part of the book against the wall.
This will also make for a nice display in your child’s room if you add a few framed photographs above the wall. With a library wall, your child will be able to gaze at the different covers and learn to select what they want to look at or read. Library walls will also keep books off the floor and out of the way.
Store Craft Supplies in Food Storage Containers
Craft supplies can be hard to keep track of, and they are everywhere. You don’t want your kids mushing crayons into the carpet, marking up the walls with markers or leaving pieces of Play-Doh everywhere. Keep craft supplies in clear containers, and make sure you separate each craft item like colored pencils, glue, crayons and more. This will not only keep supplies organized and easy to find, but it will also keep them from getting everywhere.
Organize Your Garage
Garages can become one of the most cluttered parts of a home. It’s easy for kids to throw things wherever and leave things lying around. Put an end to garage clutter if you install racks and drawers. You can also install hooks, extra counter space and even closets to store winter clothes, tools, sports gear, pool toys and other things that end up in the garage.
Make sure you find a specific home for each item and keep it there. This level of organization will keep you from hoarding things you don’t need and help you declutter the things you already have. The sooner you get started on your garage project, the sooner you will have an organized garage. Otherwise, things will just continue to accumulate.
Create Lego Storage Drawers
If your children are into Legos, then you know the pain of stepping on them barefoot. These little plastic blocks hide all over the house, in places you couldn’t even imagine. Buy a storage unit with drawers that can easily slide out, theneach drawer a different color. This will not only help teach your kids their colors, but it will teach them how to clean up and organize at an early age by keeping all the colors together.
Hide Barbie and Her Accessories Behind the Door
Over the door shoe racks are good for more than just shoes and bathroom accessories. This handy and affordable storage solution will save the day when it comes to your child’s dozens of Barbie’s and accessories. You can also get crafty with this simple solution. If your child has names for their dolls, write the names on their slot so your child can put them back where they belong after they play with them.
This is also a great way to organize shirts, pants, shoes and other accessories without shoving them all into a drawer somewhere. With an over the door shoe rack, your child’s entire collection will be visible and easily accessible.
Utilize Space Under the Bed
Under bed storage is often overlooked but proves to be a great place for everything from clothes to toys, to shoes and art supplies. If you don’t have room under the bed, make it a platform bed to maximize space. You can do this if you purchase bed risers or a simple metal frame that lifts the mattress. Choose from plenty of options like crates or baskets that roll out or fill the space with pull out drawers. You can even choose a bed frame with built-in drawers.
Stop living your life in chaos and do something about it today. Decide what needs work in your home, then find a storage solution that fits your family’s needs. You don’t have to step on Legos, trip on books or spend hours searching for lost crayons. Take the time to try out the above clever storage solutions to make you and your family’s life easier.
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Kacey Mya
Kacey is a lifestyle blogger for The Drifter Collective, an eclectic lifestyle blog that expresses various forms of style through the influence of culture and the world around us. Kacey graduated with a degree in Communications while working for a lifestyle magazine. She has been able to fully embrace herself with the knowledge of nature, the power of exploring other locations, cultures, and styles, while communicating these endeavors through her passion for writing and expression. Her love for the world around her is portrayed through her visually pleasing, culturally embracing and inspiring posts. You can find her on Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.
The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the blog contributor’s. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Writers may have conflicts of interest, and their opinions are their own.