CHILDREN’S HANGERS AND OTHER ORGANIZATION TIPS EVERY PARENT NEEDS TO READ!
Organizing a child's closet is hard work, thanks to the endless piles of clothes, toys, and whatnots. But you know what's even more dreadful? Maintaining order!
Teaching little ones the importance of organization and getting them to follow ground rules can be exhausting. Fear not, for help is at hand! Make your kid's closet organization easier for all parties involved with these must-read tips.
PARE DOWN
Having an endless amount of stuff to sort through and organize can be frustrating for adults and overwhelming for kids. Don't make things difficult for anyone; pare down belongings so you only have to deal with the important stuff.
- Get everything out of the closet so you can have a clear idea of what's in there and what items can be done without.
- Sort clothes, shoes, toys, and in-betweens into three piles based on their condition and use. Items currently in regular use go in the 'Keep' pile, those that need cleaning or mending go in the 'Dry Clean/Mend' pile, and items that haven't been used over the past 12 months or are too old/torn for use go in the 'Trash' pile.
- You can make a fourth pile 'Too Big/Too Small' for clothes that don't fit, but that you'd like to use later for your child as they grow up or keep for a younger one to grow into.
- Do away with items in the 'Trash' pile-you can consider donating these too. Place all the items in the 'Mend pile' into a box for dealing with later. Don't forget about it!
- If your child is older, get them involved in the decision-making process.
CATEGORIZE
Now that you've separated items that are in regular use, it's time to categorize the 'Keep' pile to make organizing manageable for yourself and your child.
- Divide clothes by seasons. Store clothes appropriate for the current season such that they are easily visible. Move all other clothes higher up in the closet, or on the closet floor, placed inside bins or baskets.
- Your child is sure to have clothes that can be worn between seasons. Keep swapping items from the current season pile and off-season storage bins as required.
- Separate outerwear and sports gear like coats, overcoats, boots, etc. from usual wear.
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Further divide clothes according to color, occasion, sleeve length or type, skirt length, and more.
BE WISE WITH HANGERS
Clothes hangers can help you make the most of available closet space, especially when you use specialty hangers for specific purposes. Read on to know how to use hangers for your kid's wardrobe.
- For young children, be sure to use children's hangers instead of full-size ones. These will not only fit small closets perfectly, but will also delight your little one.
- If you have two or more kids, use different colored hangers for each kid. This way, they'll be able to store their clothes in an organized manner.
- You can also use colored hangers to denote a season or activity, so your child knows what to wear when. For example, you can use green hangers to hang clothes to be worn while playing outside and blue ones for bedtime clothes.
- Associate a particular color to each day of the week. Encourage your child to pick out their outfits for the entire week and hang them up accordingly. This way, they won't have to fumble with matching their tops and bottoms each day. You can also add handmade tags to the hangers. Sit down with your child and decorate them yourselves for a fun project!
- Another great idea is to use a hanging organizer that has enough slots for each day of the week.
SET UP A SYSTEM THAT WORKS
Establishing an easy system to keep the wardrobe organized helps big time! Try out these amazing ideas that your child will surely take to:
- Always hang hangers facing a certain side in the wardrobe. Turn the hanger to face the other side when a particular item is worn. This helps you identify what items haven't been worn, so you don't end up wearing the same things over and over again.
- Use sock clips to keep socks and pajama sets together. You can also roll a sock into its counterpart to keep socks from going missing.
- Make use of eye-catching labels on drawers, bins, and baskets. Mention what's on the inside clearly so your kiddo doesn't have to pull them out or go through the contents unnecessarily. Labeling also makes it fun to put things back inside!
- Don't bother with folding items that are tough to fold; use a bin or crate so your little one can simply drop those items inside. But ensure they aren't dumping everything in there!
- Also have a separate bin or hamper in your kid's room or closet to throw in clothes meant to be laundered. Make a game out of it-call it the 'Laundry Monster' that needs to be fed!
- Don't forget to organize footwear. Use cubbies or plastic boxes, or try making this flip-flop organizer!
STICK TO "LEVEL: EASY"
Get down to your kid's level when you're organizing things or devising storage hacks. This way, you'll be able to see things from their point of view and you'll better understand what issues they might face when trying to keep their closet organized.
Here are some tips that will come in handy:
- Store regular use items at eye-level so your kid is able to find what they need right away.
- Keep a small stool or step-ladder in the closet so your child can reach the upper shelves easily.
- Remember that stacking heavy boxes high up can be dangerous, so refrain from putting everything into a single box. Use more boxes and pack each one lightly so that your kiddo doesn't have trouble pulling them out, and doesn't get hurt in case of a fall.
- A safer option would be to install pull-out drawers! You can also install under-the-shelf storage racks for spaces that have extra height.
- Use clear plastic bins or boxes for toys and miscellaneous stuff. This will make it easy to tell what's inside. Again, pair like with like-store art supplies in one bin and outdoor games in another.
- Avoid piling up clothes too high or they'll topple and create a mess. Use dividers or cubbies to contain piles, or place clothes in deep baskets.
- Affix command hooks behind the closet doors or on the inside wall to hang accessories, bags, ties, coats, and more!
- Install a pegboard on the inside of the closet; this can be useful for storing a number of things. What's more, pegboards are suitable for all ages so you won't need to replace this as your child grows older!
- Attach clothespins in a linear fashion on the inside of the closet doors or on the wall using double-sided adhesive. You can now use these clothespins to hold skirts, photographs, notes, and lots more!
- Younger children aren't usually careful when closing doors. To prevent injuries to their tiny fingers, consider removing the closet doors and covering the space with a curtain. Choose a color, theme, or cartoon character that your child loves!
- Keep the closet space attractive by using stickers and posters. You can also paint the inside of the closet a bright, lively color!
CONCLUSION
Organizing a kid's closet does seem like a herculean task, but if you think things through, you'll not only be able to make storage and organization a breeze for yourself, but you'll also be able to get your little one hooked onto it! The key is to inspire them to stay organized, not push them for the same.
With the tips given in this post, you now know how to proceed with organizing your child's closet and helping them keep it that way. Just remember to have a place for everything with clear labels and directions set out for little minds. Do let your kid pick their favorites when it comes to bins, baskets, labels, and more!