Organization for Kids

I can’t even believe that the school year is starting up again. I want to be in total denial and just keep lounging at the beach, but September is going to hit like a tidal wave and back-to-school organization is key.

Babies can really throw off the whole organizational standards of any household. It sure did for us. As soon as Some Boy came along, our office/guest room turned into an office/nursery/guest room. Yikes. If you’re short on space (or just short on sanity and sleep), there are a few ways to maximize space and minimize stress when you need to find your baby’s gear. Here are our top tips.

When I was a teacher, I had a unique clothespin organization system for keeping track of paperwork. Homework goes through five stages: copying sheets, handing them out, grading, entering grades and passing papers back. I had boxes for each stage, but I found that using clothespins or binder clips to gather the paper made it more portable. Every teacher inevitably winds up taking work home.

I have three kids under 5, all of whom I help get dressed in the morning. You’ve seen peeks into our kids closet: it’s a busy spot! The big boy dresses himself, but I can’t yet leave the clothing selection up to him…unless I’m cool with a stylish swim trunk and church vest combination.

I think most parents struggle with bath toy storage when their kids are little. On one hand, I’m incredibly thankful for the floating trinkets that keep my children occupied long enough to de-grime their little limbs. On the other hand, I’m annoyed by the clutter and totally skeeved out by the idea of trapped moisture and even MOLD that accumulates in the plastic bins that many families use for bath toy storage.