Organizing home with children
I was inspired to write this post by a forum topic about decluttering our home. I have always been working on decluttering and organizing my home, perhaps since my children were born. I admit that my home was not really neat and decluttered before the children were born, it was easier for me to tidy up. Now that with the two young children, there are more books, toys, play stuffs, crafts and paper work, etc.
I have always been learning how to organize, declutter and involve my children in tidying up as well.
These are some of the lessons I learned and found them helpful to me:
1) Less is more.
I have always been reading this statement everywhere lately. I try to get rid of too much toys, clothes, books, papers, stuffs, etc. If I really can’t throw them, I just pack and keep them in the store room, and might rotate them when necessarily. It’s really easier to tidy up when there are lesser stuffs exposed.
2) Have a home for everything.
It’s really easy for myself and my children to put the things back if there’s a home for everything. I try to categorize things and not to put everything into a big container too, that makes me feel messy. I always told my children, if the things do not get to go home, they will not be able to rest well, and hence the next day they will not be able to come out and play with them. Just like us, we need to go home and sleep every night, so we have more energy to play the next day.
3) Tidy up every evening
As I bring my children to the park every evening, I ask them to tidy up their stuffs at least once a day, before we go to the park. It took me quite a long time to get them practice this, but since I am pregnant now and I can’t help them too much, they are working better on this now. So, it really lessen my work a lot.
I also make sure myself do the clean up before I sleep, it really helps to start the next day with cleaner and neater house, and I just need to sweep and mop the floor, wipe the table, then we can start our day with a decluttered home.
4) Have a play area or play room
I used to let my children play everywhere in the home they like. It actually makes us more difficult to clean up, especially when there are too much stuffs in the living room. So, I made the bedroom that we do not really sleep into their play room. They spend more time playing in the play room, and it’s much easier for them to clean up after playing. Moreover, it will not disturb me while I need to clean the other areas of the house.
Of course, I am still working hard on organizing and decluttering my home and there are still more for me to learn, but things get much better now, especially after I have dedicated homes for most of the things, and the children are involved in working together.
Do you have any tips or techniques in organizing and decluttering our home, especially with children? Please share with me! Thanks.
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great tips, you sure a full time mommy
Yes I do follow those tips you had mentioned.
I guess these are the usual routine for us at home.
The junk in the house is accumulating if you keep buying things that are not necessary.
So in order to keep less and throw out junk, might as well don't buy them in the first place.
In addition, some free gifts item, they are useless and eyesore to the household.
However the dust is getting thicker these days.
I had just mopped the floor yesterday, today the dust is everywhere!
Unless have to close all the windows and doors!
I am single, but because I am also reading child psychology, that is why all what you mentioned are the best for mothers to try.
To be single is the blessing of God because God is single, heart is single, mind is single, tongue is single...it is a concrete fact that the single rules the multi on earth. To be single at hole without wife or husband creates a lot of problem if you have kids you will feel more problem than a single man at home or in the park.
No one wants to raise a spoiled kid. But would you know one if you had one? By grandparents' definition, all of today's children -- with their Disney videos, Baby Gap wardrobe, and Gymboree classes -- could be considered spoiled. Also, few parents have the iron hand of previous generations, and for the most part that's good. But sometimes in the effort to be kinder, gentler parents, moms and dads let their sweet little darlings get the upper hand. Some parents put up with truly awful behavior.
Of course, buying stuff for your kids is fun, especially when they move beyond the playing-with-the-boxes phase. But giving kids too much can backfire, leading them to always be looking for the next new thing instead of being satisfied with what they have.
If your child throws a tantrum when he doesn't get his way, try to ignore the wailing until it's over. Once your child learns that he won't get the desired attention, he'll be less likely to repeat it. Redirecting is another great ploy. Try diverting your toddler's attention by getting him interested in something else, like his favorite toy.