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ADVICE & INSPIRATION

5 Ways to Declutter Your Space and Keep Your Kiddos Organized

Every new year is a new opportunity to finally get organized. But, if you’re anything like us, this hope to finally declutter your home gets pushed the bottom of the list behind endless errands, homework, dinner time, bath time, and almost everything else.

But this year, we’re inspired to help make decluttering your space actually doable. And we’ve got one word for you: storage. Storage not only makes decluttering possible but also helps get your little ones in the habit of putting things away. We partnered with Nicole DiGiacobbe of This Lovely Life to see how she gets creative with storage solutions without sacrificing style.

Read on to hear Nicole’s 5 tips for an organized space:

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1. DE-CLUTTER : This seems obvious, but it’s one of those things that is easier said than done. Once you take the time to do it, it feels SO great though! Less is more. I’ve managed to de-clutter quite a few rooms in our home, but still have a ways to go. I did manage to de-clutter our playroom though and our daughters’ rooms. You’ll quickly realize there are many toys that you’ve never even seen your child play with. These toys make great donations! Then, group toys by category and find the corresponding storage that works best for each type of toy. Use shelves for books, smaller boxes or bins for building blocks and puzzles, and larger baskets for stuffed animals and balls. A tip to make the best use of the toys you keep are to rotate them.  You can make this easy to do by rotating different baskets out filled with their toys each month.

2. USE PRODUCTS THAT GROW WITH YOUR CHILDREN:  Beautiful wicker baskets can be used anywhere in your home, and not just for children items. The items we fill them with will change over the years, but for now, they serve a great purpose in our daughter Olivia’s room. I put wicker baskets on top of her armoire to store items that aren’t regularly used, such as winter hats, gloves, scarves, and other items. Her large round basket is currently used to store stuffed animals and other toys she decides to put in there and eventually, it will be used as a hamper.

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3. DESIGNATE PLAY AREAS: Create identifiable toy zones so cleanup is easier and faster. An arts and craft area, a playroom, an area in the living room to color and read, a reading nook; all of these places will help your child know this is their own little area and that they are responsible for making sure it is clean when they are finished playing. It sounds a lot better to them when you tell them to put the puzzle back in the basket two feet away from them, rather than all the way upstairs in their bedroom.

Stackable storage boxes

Stackable boxes are so useful!! And they are currently on sale here!

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You can never have enough stackable storage options for arts and crafts, drawings, photos, etc. Other items pictured  above found here: Sherpa blanket (Olivia has had hers since she was born) – Stuffed BunnyCotton Rope Pink Storage basket – Gray Canvas Changing Table Storage

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Baby Doll Cradle – White Wicker Baskets- Pink Lamp- Pink Cotton Rope StorageBook Case

This book case was so easy to assemble and the quality is amazing. I love that it has open shelves so I can arrange the baskets and use different sizes too. This is a piece of furniture that will be with us for the long run.

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4. CHOOSE DECOR THAT FUNCTIONS AS STORAGE: I wanted this wicker giraffe shaped basket the second I saw it! Besides the fact that it is incredibly cute, it offers a nice amount of storage as well. I also chose a wire rack for the wall that I can store books and other items on it. In the giraffe, I chose to store all of Emmy’s baby blankets, but it could be used for anything… clothes, books, dolls, cars, puzzles, blocks, etc. One of my favorite things about wicker baskets and storage baskets in general are their e n d l e s s  storage options.

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This gold moon & star storage is perfect for the theme of Emmy’s nursery. I filled it with blankets, books and a stuffed animal for inside of her tee pee (currently used mostly by big sis). Crib can be found here and pink tulle bed skirt here.

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5. UTILIZE WALL SPACE FOR STORAGE: Wall-hung storage helps maximize space by keeping things off of the floor. My OCD mind is at ease when I see Olivia carrying a handful of toys downstairs knowing that they have a place to go and I won’t have to carry them all back upstairs. You can find this easy to assemble and beautiful wall rack here for what I found to be reasonably priced.

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What are some storage solutions that work in your house? Let us know in the comments!

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