Small Space, Big Mess: The Best Toddler- Friendly Organization Hacks
Well, they dumped the toy box again and you really don’t have it in you to clean everything up for the 500th time today. Sound familiar? As a toddler mom, i get it. These kids make messes faster than you can clean them up, but don’t worry! I’ve got a couple toddler organization ideas and hacks that’ll surely keep the toddler-nado at bay!
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Smart storage ideas for toddler toys (that actually work!)
How you organize and store the toys truly matters! Do you normally throw all of the toys into one big bin? Or a couple small totes? This is actually the worst method in my opinion, because it gives your toddler the perfect opportunity to dump the entire tote out within a matter of seconds, and then all of your hard work feels like it was done for nothing!
My favorite way to organize and store toys is using a shelf. This kind of takes after the Montessori style; however, I really don’t practice Montessori in our house; this is just what I’ve found to work best.
We use this shelf! I keep things looking tidy by organizing toys by theme based on the cubby on the shelf. For instance, I’ll have one cubby designated for cars, one for animals, and so on. I should mention, it’s okay to have a few small baskets on the shelf to manage the small pieces of some toys, but the goal here is to make it much more difficult for the toddler to take everything off the shelf all at once.
Toy Rotation!
A toy rotation is crucial to my method, because really this shelf limits you to how many toys you can have out at a given time. However, not only does a toy rotation benefit you and make your life easier, but research also suggests kids play better when their environment has less toys in it! A clean and clutter free environment is the most conducive to play for a child, and I think they tend to get overwhelmed if there are too many options readily available at their fingertips.
Must Have Storage Solution For Toddler Books
Books can be hard to manage, and most bookshelves take up quite a bit of floor space that you may not have to spare. If you are in a tight place and looking for a neat way to organize your toddler’s mini library, this floating bookshelf is perfect for you! Now you just need some cozy chairs and a cute lamp and you’ve got a little book nook ready for your little one!
Tips For Craft Supplies
Are all of your craft supplies thrown into one giant tote? Or worse, just loosely thrown around the house? You should totally set up a craft supply cart that can be easily wheeled away to a closet when not in use! A craft supply cart is perfect for toddlers, especially because we all know how fast they get tired of a given craft, so clean up is as easy as putting everything back on the cart and simply wheeling it away!
How To Get Your Toddler Involved In Cleanup
If you’re dreaming of getting your toddler involved in the clean up process of the messes they’ve made; try making it into a game! Try playing music and seeing “who can pick up the toys the fastest!” Make it a race, or make it fun in some other creative way! Maybe even name a color and tell them to go find all of the toys that match that color and then bring them to you! Keep things fun and light hearted, and maybe even make up your very own silly cleanup song!
Conclusion
All in all, the mess is just a part of toddlerhood that we have to learn to embrace to some degree! It’s not easy, but these are a few tricks we can use to make the mess just a bit more manageable! What was your favorite tip you read about here today? I’d love to hear your thoughts below!
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