As your kids move beyond the baby stage, life starts zooming by even quicker than before. I mean it feels like one minute they’re learning their ABC’s and the next they’re reading to you! That phrase – ‘they grow up too quick’ – that only parents understand, has never meant more to me than now. Knowing this, I’ve realised when decorating your kids room, you have to keep in mind that they grow so quickly. Keeping this reality at the back of your mind will save you money, angst and the headache of re-decorating every year or two. A while ago I shared some ideas on how to design a room your kids won’t outgrow and today I wanted to share this great shelving system that has so, so many possibilities. As far as changeable, practical and adjustable wall shelves go, I don’t think I’ve seen better.
If your home is anything like mine, tidying up is always a battle. Anya is very good at getting everything out when she wants to play. If she’s playing dress up, she doesn’t get one outfit out but her entire dress up box contents get strewn all over the living room. Then she moves on to the next thing without putting away the dress up stuff of course. By the end of the day, every sofa, every table top and every bit of floor in my living room is covered with stuff. When it comes to putting all this stuff away, she’s suddenly too tired or too hungry or too something!
How do you keep your kids room tidy? Whenever I tidy up Anya’s room, it’s a complete mess a few hours later. It really makes me lose the will to tidy. I’ll admit that before we moved house I had reached the stage where I just closed her room door so I couldn’t see the mess and i would leave it like that for days and sometimes even weeks. Now that we’re renovating our new home and Anya will have an all new room, I want to make sure that it remains tidy and not like the mess in the picture below (I can’t believe I’m sharing this pic but this shows how bad things got!)
Apart from looking at the mess which troubles me, a messy room means that we often spend hours looking for stuff – especially things like little toys, game counters and lego pieces. With our fresh start I want to ensure that her room is neat most of the time and I also want to make sure that she is the one who tidies it. The best way to do this is to have a specific place for everything and so I’ve been seeking out fun but useful toy storage solutions. Anya’s new room is quite small so I also want toy storage ideas that work for small spaces. I’m not a fan of plastic boxes or anything modular and also I thinks toys should be tidy but visible because they add fun and colour to a room so I’ve had to dig a bit deeper to find some quirky and fun storage ideas. Here are 5 that I’m loving:
This is such a fun way to store those soft toys. Wire baskets cost pennies so you can have as many as you need and they also make really quirky wall decorations. I love these circular ones but you could get bigger rectangular ones which will store even more soft toys. So much more practical then lining up the toys on the bed which is what Anya used to do and then each night they were thrown all over the room!
You know all those teeny tiny toys that always get under your foot and seem to make their way in to every single room in the house? Yes, those annoying little toys can be housed in a shelf like this. A shelf with lots of little shelves and you can even wallpaper the backs to make it pretty like they’ve done here.
Nothing beats toy storage sacks and storage baskets. You can get such cute ones which look great in a kids room and the best part is that they allow you to tidy up in a hurry. Also they are great for all those toys that you can’t find any other home for. I will definitely be getting at least a couple of these for Anya’s room and I’ll be getting them from here.
Coat hooks aren’t just for coats – you can hang so much stuff on them. In a small room, instead of having a dressing up box that takes up floor space, coat hooks are a great alternative. They can hold a lot of stuff and the stuff is all very easy to get to. And I love the idea of having the cute dressing up stuff on display.
Using an outgrown or unwanted piece of furniture like an old cot is another fun idea for storage in a kids room. Even a moses basket that is no longer in use would make a great storage solution. You can use it to keep so many things like soft toys, games or books. And it looks so much cooler than boring chests of draws or plastic storage boxes. Even if you don’t have one you could find a vintage crib in a junk shop which will look even better than a modern piece.
With all these fun and creative toy storage ideas, I am really hoping the days of mess will be behind us. I’m especially loving the coat hook idea and the wire baskets for Anya’s room. They save space leaving more floor space to play and they add colour and character to the room.Do you have any ideas for keeping your kids room tidy? Do let me know in the comments.
I came across this fun entrance hall storage idea a while ago and have been meaning to share ever since. This is such a colourful and fun way to get your kids organised. Everyone has stuff they need to pick up on the way out or dump on the way in so instead of messily piling everything up on a bench or table you can make these really easy storage spaces simply separated by blocks of colour. Of course you don’t have to stop at the kids but each person in your home could have their own space.
In this entrance hall created by small fry, I love the bold colours they’ve used and the painted stools that match the walls. But if stools don’t provide enough storage for you then you could do the same with shelves or small storage cabinets. And you can of course choose colours according to each persons favourite. It looks so striking and will encourage the kids and even you to be neat! This simple idea can also work in a shared kids room or any room where each person needs their own little space. You’ll find all the how to’s over at small fry.
With Anya’s birthday in December and then Christmas, the build-up of toys, games and gifts is endless in this house. We gather more stuff in December than the rest of the year combined! So I’m always looking for ways to store all her junk new belongings. I am partial to toy storage sacks as not only do they look stylish but it’s oh so easy to tidy up – just throw all the toys and mess in to them and you’ve tidied up in minutes. Here are a few toy storage sacks I’m loving at the moment and having a hard time choosing between. Many of them come in different designs and colours so just check out the links to see more. And any of them would be great to store all the new Christmas goodies:
These have got to be the cutest toy storage sacks ever! Even though they’re made of paper they’re durable and the little faces and hearts are all hand painted on. We are hoping to move house soon and if all goes to plan, I’m definitely getting a couple of these for Anya’s room and maybe even a black heart one as a laundry bag for me. Such a simple and sweet idea… too cute!
Ebabee Likes is a style guide for babies, kids, teens and their mamas. It’s all about inspiration, ideas and indulging yourself and your brood. It’s written by me ~ Nomita ~ a style loving girl from Mumbai who now live’s in London. Read More...
