5 Ways to Organize Your Toddler’s Room

Toddlers can amass a decent amount of toys, books, games, and clothes in their room, and it can seem quite overwhelming figuring out how to organize it all. You might find that giving your child access to all of their toys and games leads to all of them ending up on the floor. So how can you make their toys reasonably accessible and keep clean up easy? We have put together some of our favorite ways that parents can organize their toddler’s room to make cleaning up a breeze, getting to their things (but not all of them!) easy, all while utilizing all the storage space you can (and creating space when needed). Keep reading to see how you can tidy up your toddler’s room and make playtime, and clean up, easier!

 

Under-Bed Storage

Hidden storage space is perfect for items that are needed only occasionally and don’t need to be easily accessible. Things like extra blankets, sheets, out-of-season clothes, and toys that aren’t used as often can be stored out of sight, leaving visible storage space open for favorite toys, books, and clothes. We love these rolling under-bed carts from Amazon!

If you want more protection for the things you put under the bed, consider getting bags like these with zipper closures. These would be great for out-of-season clothes and any extra linens that you want to keep clean.

Multi-Purpose Storage

What is better than storage space that is multi-functional and adds to the aesthetic of the room? Bench seating with cubbies beneath it offers a place to store bins while also adding a cute place to sit. This woman bought two bookcases and turned them into adorable benches for her kids’ playroom. Add some colorful bins that fit into the cubbies and coordinating cushions, and you’ve just created more storage space AND a sitting area!

If you’re not into DIY, there are plenty of storage benches that you can buy. This might also be a better option if your toddler’s room has limited space; a storage bench like this would be perfect at the foot of the bed. These open up like a chest to store things and provide a place to sit when closed. You can find ones that are upholstered and cushioned or wooden benches that you can leave bare or add your own cushions to.  Here is one we found on HSN in a nice neutral color.

You can also find ottomans that provide small storage space as well, like these on Wayfair.

Wall Storage

Shelves and wall-mounted racks will help you keep the floor clean after playtime is done while serving as a decorative part of the room. We love these metal basket wall mounts that would be perfect for your child’s favorite books!

If you’re updating your child’s bed, you can opt for a bed frame that has a headboard with storage cubbies. Or you can buy over-bed shelving separately, like this one that fits between the bed and the wall. You can display their favorite stuffed animals, pictures, and some of their favorite bedtime stories.

Check out this article to get more inspiration for how you can using wall shelving and cubbies to store and display things in your toddler’s room. Make sure the shelves are within reach of your child or with the use of a small step stool so you don’t risk your child climbing on the shelves to get to something.

Toy Rotation

Chances are your kid has a lot of toys at his or her fingertips. But they seem to either get a new toy out every 10 minutes until they’ve gone through their entire collection, or they play with a select few toys and you want to make sure they are getting a variety of mental stimulation during playtime. Toy rotation is one way to ensure that they don’t go through their toys like a tornado and you can keep playtime fresh while increasing their attention span (since they have limited toys to switch between). Group several books, toys, and games together and let them use those things for a week, then the next week you’ll give them another group of things to play with. This ensures that all their toys get put to use and playtime is novel and stimulating! You can set up bins, label them, store them out of reach, and pull a bin down as you need it. Here is an article that explains the basics of Toy Rotation.

You might have a playroom where the majority of toys are kept; keeping the toys in another location will definitely help keep your child’s room clean. But if your toddler’s toys are mainly kept in their room, this will help prevent major cleanup situations and contain toy chaos. You also might find through observing your child play that even with limited toy choices they might ignore certain items. Be sure to purge toys that no longer spark their interest or seem to be neglected when they’re made available. Less toys = less mess! This blog post suggests a similar way of controlling toy chaos by organizing toys by category and storing them somewhere like the basement until it is playtime. If your child wants to play with trucks, you can take out the truck bin and he can use the toys in that bin. Once playtime is over or he wants to use a toy in a different box, put all the toys back in the truck bin and simply swap out bins. This prevents having a large number of toys out and about in their room and keeps cleaning up easier. Cleaning as you go, instead of waiting until a pile of toys has grown, will save time and sanity! Not to mention this will help teach your kid to tidy after themselves when they are finished.

Clothing Organization

You probably have saved clothes that your toddler can’t even wear anymore because they have some sentimental value, you’re hoping your future children can use them, or you just simply have not had the chance to get rid of them. While holding onto clothes for sentimental value isn’t bad, they can definitely take up valuable space in your child’s room or storage space in the house. Not to mention it’s frustrating to dress your child if you keep running into items they can’t fit in anymore. You might have heard of the KonMari method of organizing your home as it has become quite popular. You can read more about it here as well as buy Marie Kondo’s book to learn more about the art of tidying up! This method of purging things that no longer “spark joy” in your life is a great way to go through your toddler’s clothes and toys. They can even participate as Marie Kondo says children as young as 3 can express what items make them happy and they enjoy using or wearing. The special folding instructions of the KonMari method saves space and makes clothes easy to find and sort through.

When you’re ready to tackle your toddler’s old clothes, check out this article on how to fold the clothes you want to keep for your future kids in the most compact way possible. The KonMari way of folding will save space in the dresser as well as make it easy for your toddler to help pick out their outfits, thus eliminating the “search pile” that accumulated when they take everything out until they find what they want

Finally, the most important thing to remember when it comes to keeping your child’s room and things organized is to be conscientious of what you add to their collection. Think quality of over quantity: instead of buying cheap trinkets and toys whenever you find them, purchase fewer toys of a higher quality that will last longer and provide a better entertainment experience. Toddlers are messy, and it is nice to have plenty of clothes to put on them instead of doing laundry every 2 days. But if you find your toddler, or yourself, gravitating away from certain clothing items then do not let them take up valuable space. When buying a new toy (that isn’t replacing anything), get rid of one toy that your toddler doesn’t care to play with anymore. The same goes for clothes! If you’re buying clothes that aren’t replacing stained or ruined items, then get rid of a piece of clothing. “One in, one out” is a good way to regulate what is coming into the house and prevent amassing too many things.

We hope these tips and ideas gave you the inspiration to get your toddler’s room in order! Don’t forget to include them in the tidying process and start teaching them how to clean up and maintain a nice room; toddlers love to help and do things themselves.

And if you’re looking to upgrade your toddler’s bedroom, Liz and Roo can help you design custom bedding and curtains that fit your vision. From ceiling to floor we can help you coordinate all the aspects of your toddler’s room to create a special, unique space. Check out our custom designs here!