Tips for keeping your toddler's room clean and organized
If you have a toddler, you know how easy it is for their room to go from clean to disaster zone in no time flat. Dozens of toys, clothes, books, and other things in children's rooms can often make it difficult to keep the room clean.
There are ways, however, to make sure your toddler's room doesn't get so out of hand. The following are some tips for keeping your toddler's room clean and organized:
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Use small boxes instead of one large toy box. Large toy boxes can actually create more messes, as children will dig through them (often dumping toy on the ground) as they look for certain toys in the box. Organizing toys in smaller containers helps to eliminate this problem. Use clear bins, and organize them by type of toy, such as doll clothes and accessories, small cars, toy animals, and so forth, so the same kind of toy will all be in one area.
Make organizing the room and keeping it clean fun. There are a number of ways you can do this. You can set a timer, and play a "race to beat the clock" game. Or, you can put a basketball hoop on the top of a laundry basket, so the child can practice shots with his clothes.
Let kids help with organization. Ideas such as letting kids label containers themselves by coloring pictures of the toys inside and taping them onto the bins keeps kids involved in the clean up and organization process.
Teach kids to clean up. Even toddlers can learn how to clean up a bedroom. Ask your child to join you when you are cleaning his or her room, and show the child the different places that each toy goes. Teach your toddler to put everything back in the toy boxes once he or she is done playing with it. As your child helps you, eventually he or she will be able to clean the room by himself. Teach your child to make sure the room is tidy before leaving it or before moving on to something else. This will help to develop good habits and avoid having to clean up large messes later.
Limit the number of toys used at one time. A room can quickly become messy and disorganized when there are a number of toys strewn across it at once. Teach kids to only take out a toy or two at a time, and to put it back before getting another one out.
Use tools to keep things organized. Place hooks for hanging clothing and bags at a smaller level, so your child can hang things up by himself.
Use storage space when possible. There are many types of beds and furniture you can put in your toddler's room that are functional as well as fun. For example, many toddler beds have drawers or storage chests built into them. Using these will help the room to be less cluttered with toy bins or dressers.
Even with dozens of toys, clothes, and crayons, you can still keep your toddler's room clean and organized. Keeping toys together, utilizing storage space, and teaching your toddler how to clean up will all help to keep the room neat and clean.
