It’s a task that you dread each morning. Not because you have to chase your kids around the nursery 14 times. Not because you have to wrestle them down to get them to put on their clothes.
But because you have to open the closet.
A kid’s closet is usually a mess. Good luck finding anything quickly in there. You’ve often thought about organizing it, but are quickly overwhelmed by the thought and don’t even know where to start.
Don’t worry, there is hope.
Keep reading for several solid tips on how to organize your kid’s closet. Our goal is to give you a concrete starting point so that you can bravely do battle with the messy beast.
Let’s get started.
1. Use Adjustable Rods
Kid’s clothing starts out quite small and as babies, they typically need more to accommodate spit-up and diaper accidents. For this reason, you should use adjustable rods in their closet.
Set up three tiers when they are small. Three rows of little baby clothes will easily fit and this will allow you to spread out the outfits to see them easier.
As your child grows and the clothes get bigger, simply adjust the rods down to two rows.
2. Use Small Drawers and Baskets
Again, kid’s clothing is small so it makes sense to use small drawers and baskets to organize. The main reason for this, however, is that when they get an item for themselves, they won’t be rummaging through a large drawer and making a huge mess in the process.
Use baskets and drawers that don’t have lids. Your child won’t have a good excuse for throwing their socks on the floor when it is equally as easy to toss them in their place.
In the same vein, make short stacks of items on shelves. Neatly folded stacks of clothing can easily be destroyed by little fingers going for the item on the bottom of the pile.
3. Adjustable Shelving
Use the adjustable shelf trick as well. When they’re babies you can use the space for diapers and the like. As they grow you can start housing their toys and games on the shelves. Adjustable shelving gives you the ability to adequately account for new items that may require a different size space.
Kids like being able to access toys for themselves so keeping them in a low area is a good idea. This also gives them the ability to help clean up when it’s time to straighten up their room
4. Colour Code Drawers
Either paint the front of your drawers different colours or add colourful labels. This will help when you’re telling small children where to put items away or get them from.
This helps even toddlers who don’t yet know all their colours. Simply differentiating between drawers is enough to help them pick the right drawer.
5. Designate a Donation Area
Kids grow quickly and before you know it, their clothes aren’t fitting well anymore. Don’t let your kid’s closet fill up with useless clothing that is too small for them.
As you do the laundry take note of items that are getting to be too small for your child. Once an item is too small, set it in the donation area (or hand-me-down area if you have younger kids).
Items that are worn out, stained, or otherwise unusable should go in the trash.
6. Make a Clear Division
If more than one child shares a closet, clearly divide the closet. Make sure that each child’s clothing stays neatly organised on their side of the closet. This will help eliminate meltdowns in the morning because Suzy’s favourite shirt was mixed in with her sister’s things.
7. The Curtain Door
Depending on the style, closet doors can become cumbersome. They get in the way and it’s hard for most little kids to open them on their own.
Try taking off the closet door and installing a curtain instead. This will ensure that all your kid’s toys and games (and other messes) are kept out of sight. But your child won’t have to struggle with the door every time they go to the closet to retrieve something.
8. Reevaluate Regularly
As your child grows and changes, so will their organizational needs. Older toddlers don’t need space for diapers anymore, but now they have lots of toys to take their place.
Dresses and shirts will start getting longer. Pants and sweaters will get thicker. Some items will require more space, others less.
The point is that your kid’s closet is in a constant state of flux. That means that your organizational plan needs to be flexible.
Pick a time to reevaluate your set up. Back to school can be a good time or perhaps with the changing of the seasons. This allows you to store unneeded seasonal items up on high shelves or in a different place to free up space in your kid’s closet.
Regardless of when you choose to do it, make sure you do it regularly. Take a few minutes to rearrange and reorganize your adjustable rods and shelving. This alone will save you countless mornings filled with frustration as you search for the right clothes while your child whines in the background.
Don’t Put Off Organising Your Kid’s Closet
The longer you wait to organise your child’s closet, the worse it will get. You might feel like there’s no way your child’s closet would ever look like those perfectly organised closets full of designer clothes.
However, by using these simple organisational tips you can turn this mammoth chore into a bite-sized afternoon project.
Want some more great lifestyle and parenting tips? Be sure to check out some more posts on our blog.
