Getting (and keeping) kids’ rooms organized can be tough. We’ve struggled with toy storage and stuffed animal organization since day one of being parents, and I think it’s probably something that won’t fully go away until the toys are all outgrown! But, I’m always looking for creative ways to ensure my kids’ rooms can stay as organized as possible and still be functional for them to actually be kids in. With Jackson’s new full-sized bed, he lost quite a bit of storage space that his old bed had. So, I had to (once again) get a little creative with organization.
So today, I’m sharing our solution for losing essentially an entire dresser in his room, plus a few other ways we like to get creative with kid room storage!
1. Under the Bed Storage
When we decided to get rid of his twin bed, I knew the first problem we’d need to solve is where to put the clothes it was holding! His closet is not super functional (and already stuffed to the brim), and there isn’t room to add a dresser and keep the other things that are important to him. So, I did a ton of research to find some simple under the bed storage that would work for him.
There are lots of different ways to get some extra storage under the bed. I really wanted something that functioned similarly to a drawer, because I knew he’d be using it every single day. I found these metal under the bed drawers, and they fit the bill perfectly! They look great, they hold about as much as the old drawers did, and they function exactly like a drawer would. We haven’t had them for long yet, so we’ll see how he keeps up with it over time. But, for now? It’s the perfect solution!
2. A Stuffed Animal Hammock
Jackson is 9 years old and his love for stuffed animals still runs deep. It’s his top request for souvenirs when we travel and he often spends his own money on cute stuffed animals he finds at the gas station. We have a stuffed animal storage table in Grant’s room, but Jackson’s collection is much bigger, so we needed a larger solution.
Most stuffed animal hammocks require a corner to hang in, and Jackson’s room doesn’t have a single corner that one would work in. After quite a bit of browsing, I found this hanging solution and it’s perfect for him! It holds all of his stuffed animals (which is impressive) and I think it’s way cuter than many of the options I’ve seen.
3. Labels, Labels, Labels
I’ve long preached the importance of adding labels to everything, and that goes double in kids’ rooms! We have the drawers and cabinets in Jackson’s storage unit labeled to help him stay on top of things. Does it work perfectly? Absolutely not. Things still end up where they aren’t supposed to be. But, it’s about 100 times better than it was before we added the labels!
You can label dresser drawers, toy bins, sections of the closet, and cabinets. Label baskets and bins and anything that holds other things. It won’t be foolproof, but it will make a difference.
4. Prioritize What Matters to Them
Does it make a lot of organizational sense to have half of my child’s closet be taken up by LEGO storage? Absolutely not. But he has made it clear to me in no uncertain terms that this is how he likes them stored. And who am I to tell him he’s wrong?
LEGOs are incredibly important to my nine year old, and that makes them important to me. So when I’m planning organization systems and solutions for his room, my top priority is making sure that he can access them, store them, and clean them up with ease. We use these simple plastic drawers to hold his vast LEGO collection and, despite my best efforts, they aren’t really organized in any certain way. This system isn’t what I would choose for myself, but this isn’t my room. So, take the time to chat with your kid about what matters to them and how they like things organized. I promise they’ll do a better job keeping up with it if you let them have some say!
5. Take a Deep Breath and Let it Go
And finally, on a related note, here’s your friendly reminder to let go of the reins little bit. I know, it feels counterintuitive on a post about organization to say “let it be messy,” but it’s an important lesson. At the end of the day, this isn’t your room. It’s your kid’s room. And if they don’t mind the mess, you shouldn’t either. Within reason, of course.
I installed these cute floating shelves for Jackson and in my head, they would always be filled with perfectly curated, assembled, and styled LEGO sets. I thought it was a great way for him to store and display his favorites, and keep them looking nice. In reality, he uses it as a place to actively play with his LEGO sets and it looks like a complete disaster 100% of the time. But he LOVES it, and has said that these shelves are one of the most important things in his room to him. Because they allow him access to the thing that matters most to him right now. I often have to remind myself that it doesn’t matter if his shelves are messy and unorganized, as long as he knows where things are and doesn’t mind the chaos.
And shockingly, he always knows where things are. How do they do that!? The chaos bothers him 0%, so I (typically) don’t let it bother me either.
We’re far from perfect when it comes to keeping our kid’s rooms organized, but both of our kids are proud of their spaces and love being in them. And really, that’s all that matters, isn’t it?!
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