It seems like one of my current life goal is to ensure the house stays functional and doesn’t succumb to the constant influx of STUFF that disproportionately comes with having a child around, on top of two adult consumers.
I haven’t collected all of the hacks I’ve noticed and I don’t know the shape of this “series” but let’s start with a few now.
1. Kid’s closet organization: hang everything (almost everything)
- I’m loathed to fold small clothing into odd shaped bundles bound to get messy in a drawer so since the beginning, I have been hanging all of his clothing, a couple of age categories at once, e.g., 3-6 months and 6-9 months, since clothes labeled the same size from different stores are different.
- This is the order of this clothing, which I maintain to this day: short sleeve onesies, short-sleeve t-shirts, long-sleeve onesies, long-sleeve tops, playsuits (long-sleeved unfooted onesies), footed onesies (pajamas), light outerwear, heavier outerwear
- I eschewed store-bought closet dividers and made my own: Perler is my solution when I want to make something plastic I would otherwise buy.
2. Kid’s closet organization: over-the-door shoe organizer for pants
- Before thinking up using a shoe organizer to organize E’s itty bitty pants, I was stacking them in a pile from smallest on top to largest on bottom. I was not using a chest of drawers for his clothing and if I hung them up, I didn’t think I would see them amongst the tops.
- I should have held out for an organizer with clear pockets for maximum visual effect.
- I tend to put his smallest pants and shorts closer to the bottom and work my way up.
- I haven’t seen this suggested use of a shoe organizer so I’m pretty chuffed about it, to be honest. :-D
3. Kid’s paraphernalia organization: cute no-sew fabric boxes
- I used to fold the washcloths – I can barely remember my life before them, they are so convenient – and stack them in a basket with several other things like bibs, socks and hats.
- Fabric boxes are a great way customize your look and I had lots of adorable fabric scraps languishing in my fabric drawer.
- No-sew means I used glue, folded over fabric so (1) frayed edges won’t show (2) gives the box texture and interesting details
- I used empty Kleenex boxes so it’s ultra-cheap but not durable if kid got his hands on them – for long-term boxes, I would use real cardboard ones
4. Kid’s closet organization: adding hanging hooks to use wall space
- Kids clothing is so small and cute and EVERYWHERE. To attempt to get a handle on it, we installed an Umbra hook rack at the door to collect his hats and current outerwear options.
- And where there is door space left, I put over-the-door hooks (this one, I think I got from Winners). I mean, where else does one store that awkward Ergobaby??
5. Kid’s dinnerware organization: its own drawer, lids stored separately
- One of the best tips I’ve adopted in the past few years is to store lids for storage containers separately. It is above and beyond me to store them tidily on top.
- Kid’s dinnerware is odd sized and unsightly plastic so I cleared half a drawer, divided it with one plastic basket vs the rest of the space and roughly organized containers in the basket from their lids (outside the basket)
- It’s not to say there isn’t his dinnerware elsewhere (like a full set of IKEA Kalas), but I’m trying to keep the kid stuff to this drawer and know we have a problem if we exceed this space!
6. Entryway hacks: key storage
- Previously, we tossed keys into a basket on a Hemnes bench at our entry way. That basket is an eyesore and we couldn’t determine if keys were in there (or in a pocket). What a waste of time to dig through there every day for the two sets of keys we use every day!
- I painted this wooden box that I got either from Michael’s or the dollar store, hammered in three nails reinforced with superglue et voila
- That basket still holds all his other paraphernalia that comes out of his pockets and drives me up a wall
7. Storage room hack: bike helmet storage
- While we own our condo, we still think twice about putting holes in the wall. I would love to store heavier items on the wall to get it off the floor (like a stick vacuum) but that is more effort.
- I started with hanging lighter cleaning apparatus and the attachments to the Dyson
- Then with 3M hooks, I found a solution to where to put those pesky bike helmets, also finding a way to display his adorable one!
8. Old kid’s clothes storage
- I got these $2 fabric bags from Daiso that keep things organized but I’m not too invest in the bags themselves (soon enough the clothes will be used for another kid and then we won’t keep them)
- The Perler tags I used to separate his clothes hanging in the closet and no longer in use are “labels” for these fabric bags, i.e., I toss them in on top of the clothes then zip it up
- I could only fathom organizing the clothing the label size, no matter what I discovered on using them, or shrinking in wash
- Shoes, obviously won’t stay tidy, are all the shoes, because he is in shoes for far longer than the next kid!
