Go back to school this year knowing each child”s closet is filled with clothes that fit and a plan to keep up the first day of school organization all year long. Set the kids, and yourself, up for success by getting the closet clutter under control.
A little Decor First
I’m a Mom of 4 year old twins and I’m actually in the middle of finishing their first individual rooms. I am still finalizing my daughters’ closet who has a smaller room and needs organization and I need to utilize the space as best as I can.
So, this article came at the perfect time for me! I can’t wait to give Modular Closets a closer look for her closet–it seems to be the best option out there. But, before you dive into the closet tips below, I DID nail the theme of my daughters room ( Rainbow Heaven ) and found some luxury accessories at Lorena Canals
How cute is the cloud rug, Puffy Dream Blue!? Perfect for her reading nook that I’m still creating. The rug is washable, super soft and had a cozy built-in cloud pillow! How freakin’ cute right?
Below, Marty Basher, home organization expert at Modular Closets shares his top closet tips
Young children are just learning what it means to be responsible, and they don’t yet know how to take care of their belongings. Many older children are at a stage where they ought to know better but still struggle to keep organized. Sometimes the problem lies with us, the parents. For instance, many parents of newborns find themselves simply too exhausted to keep their infant’s room neat and tidy, let alone keep up with the ever changing wardrobe needs.
[Tweet “Kids grow & evolve at a fast rate. They need a closet system that can keep up w/all the changes”]Organizing a kid’s room can be particularly challenging, because children grow and evolve at a fast rate, and they need a closet system that can keep up with all the changes. Functional custom closets are a solution that not only helps relieve a parent’s stress but can also help a child learn useful organization skills at an early age. What’s more, children’s closets can also be whimsical and fun!
Back to School and Beyond Closet Tips
Getting Started: Plan Storage for Developing Needs
The goal is to keep your child’s room clutter-free. When your child is an infant, you will probably want a space where diaper supplies can be accessible and kept out of sight. As your child grows, this space can then be used for toys, and later for books and elementary school supplies. A few more years down the road, this same space may be perfect for your teenager’s sports equipment or technology devices.
Infant and toddler closets can easily become the stash and store location that can easily be hidden behind a door when guests come to visit. With thoughtful planning before baby arrives, your closet can be just the place to hold everything your little one needs with room to accommodate a future teenager.
Top Tips:
#1 Use Adjustable Hanging Rods.
If you’re hanging baby clothes, it often makes sense to have three rows of hanging rods stacked vertically. Tiny baby clothes don’t require much vertical length, but you frequently do need to keep many outfits on hand, as your child will get them messy and grow out of them so quickly.
As your child grows, you can remove the middle rod and keep a two-row system. For young children, you may want to keep daily-use clothes they can access themselves on the low hanging rod and reserve the higher rod for less-frequently used clothing or any items best kept out of reach. Even once your children become teenagers, they can still use the two-row hanging rod system for shorter clothes items like shirts and shorts.
#2 Incoporate Closed Drawers.
One key to keeping a room tidy is making sure there is plenty of storage space for storing items away and out of sight. Ideally, there should be enough closed drawers that each has a designated purpose that encourages organization. For example, socks and underwear can be kept in one drawer separated from another drawer with small toys.
Some closets can accommodate a dresser, other may need a system that includes drawers. However you design your closets, showing your children early on that everything has its place helps them to develop organizational skills that are useful throughout life.
#3 Add Color!
Many kid’s closets feature bright colors that inspire and help with grouping and organization. You can fill open shelves with plastic baskets in a rainbow of colors. Even young toddlers can start to grasp the difference between putting an object in the red basket versus putting an object in the blue. Or, for early readers, try adding decorative labels that you and child create together to assist with word recognition or planning outfits for the week.
#4 Reconsider Your Organizational Plan Every Year
Back to school is the perfect time to revamp the closet plan while you weed out the old and outgrown in preparation for the new year’s changes and challenges. Make sure the children themselves are involved in this process, at whatever level of responsibility makes the most sense for their current age and development. This helps makes it more likely they will stick with the organization plan. Your child’s age and stage plays a big part.
Here are a few age specific closet tips:
Baby/Toddler
Baskets are the best. In the early months, group clothes into sizes. When baby outgrows a 6 month outfit, it will be easy to grab the next size up. This is also a great way to keep track at a glance of what baby needs when the 2T basket is full, but you only have a few 18 months outfits. Once your little one’s growth has slowed, you can repurpose the baskets by grouping clothes by season and item.
Preschool
As little feet get bigger and toys turn into learning games, those baby baskets turn into shoe and game storage. Preschool is filled with proud artistic and academic achievements too, so be sure to save a little room for storing those treasures. Easily keep them safe with a large artist portfolio. They hold a few years’ worth of work and slide easily behind the dresser or hang in the back of the closet.
Stuffed animals are another closet buster at this stage. Use a fun jungle theme to hang them all around the closet when they aren’t being played with or take an afternoon, some paint rope and two by fours to make a closet zoo. Having fun with organization at this stage makes staying organized easy and expected as they grow up.
Elementary
School years bring a new need for storage: instruments, sports equipment, costumes, and shoes for every activity. If you invested in quality baskets or containers for their baby stage, now is a good time to purge what they’ve outgrown and re-label those baskets by activity or day of the week.
Make it easy for the kids to grab what they need every day of the week by adding hooks and a station to lay out what they need before they go to bed. The key to easy bedtimes and happy mornings for Mom and Dad lies in knowing where to look and helping the kids be accountable for their things.
Tween/Teen
Kids grow up fast, and now is the time to plan for things like jewelry and tie storage. Formal events, dances, concerts, and performances bring the need for more hanging space in the closet. At this stage, a structural closet reorganization for your growing teen is ideal. With their input you can create a space to hang jewelry and formal dresses or suits and uniforms and full size sports equipment.
Consider the addition of hooks and drawers and a full length mirror. At this age, closet shoe storage can be a challenge. Use under the bed storage for off season shoes and boots and only have what they’ll need for the season in the closet. Make use of boxes and baskets for high storage of items they don’t use regularly but can reach now when they need them.
Bio: Marty Basher is the home organization expert at Modular Closets, the closet units you can mix & match to design your very own custom closet. Homeowners everywhere are empowered to achieve the true custom closet look- for nearly 40% less than standard custom closets. Discover Modular Closets online at https://www.modularclosets.com.
I’m sharing this article on behalf of Marty Basher of Modular Closets. So naturally, below you’ll find my “Get All A’s” reflections based off this experience.
Identity Magazine is all about guiding women to discover their powers of Self-Acceptance, Appreciation, and Personal Achievement. We ask that every contributor and expert answer the Identity 5 questions in keeping with our theme. Their answers can be random and in the moment or they can be aligned with the current article they have written. In that way, and as a team, we hope to encourage and motivate each other, thus inspiring you to Get All A’s.
1. What have you accepted within your life, physically and/or mentally? Additionally, what are you still working on accepting? Now, we’re not talking about resignation, rather stepping into, embraced, and owned.
I’ve learn to accept challenges and DIY projects, LOL. It’s not easy for me, but I gain more abilities, knowledge and patience when I take on these projects. It’s been fun designing June’s room and hopefully now with this article and possibly using Modular Closets, her closet will be a breeze 🙂
2. What have you learned to appreciate about yourself and/or within your life, physically and mentally? On the other hand OR in contrast, are there elements of who you are that you’re still working on appreciating?
I appreciate cools designs and creative individuals. It’s hard creating a room for a little girl. I appreciate my patiences for sure!
3. What is one of your most rewarding achievements in life? Tell us not only what makes YOU most proud but also share the goals and dreams that you still have.
Most rewarding is this room! The painting to hanging the floating cloud shelve, LOL… all by myself. Very rewarding. I’m proud.
4. Of course, we all have imperfections, or so we think. In truth, we are all perfectly imperfect. What are your not-so-perfect ways? Likewise, what imperfections and quirks create who you are–your Identity?
I’m not perfect and the room won’t look perfect like a magazine or the professionals….
5. “I Love My…” is an outlet for you to appreciate and express all the positive traits that make you…well…YOU! In fact, sharing what you love about yourself will make you smile, feel empowered, and uplift your spirit and soul. (We assure you!) Therefore, Identity challenges you to complete the phrase “I Love My…?”
I love my energy and excitement being a Mom and doing these things for my kids.
