Sorting the Chaos: Spring Cleaning Made Easy
Are you in spring cleaning mode and about to head to your charge’s messy bedroom with every cleaning product under the sun? You may be wondering how you are going to sort through the chaos of toys and other children’s playthings without overcrowding the house. If you’re a nanny who’s been tasked with spring cleaning, follow these tips for organizational success.
Pint Sized
The first rule of thumb is to keep things within the child’s reach. Putting toys and other playthings within their reach in an organized manner reinforces their independence, but also enables them to clean up after themselves.
Small Wonders
One of the best ways to organize small toys like cars, doll accessories, toy dinosaurs, and just about anything else that you wouldn’t want to step on with an unshod foot is to buy colored stackable crates. These crates can range in size and shape and they make for a fun way to coordinate and contain. Find them for as low as $2.00 and at most any department store.
Tote-ally
If you are looking to stash things in another way, using plastic totes also works well. Totes can be as small as a shoe box or as large as 50 gallons. They range in price according to size. As an organizational connoisseur, I like to purchase different sizes of totes depending on what I am storing. You can store anything from coloring books and crayons and seasonal items to your hot glue gun and glue sticks for easy access. Using totes helps to keep things together while also allowing portability.
Shelf It
Turn your storage mission into a fun DIY project. Find an old bookcase or cupboard and paint it to match a child’s play zone to add extra storage plus some fun. Think outside the box and store more than just books on the shelves.
Changing Station
If you have younger charges who require diapers, wipes, and similar essentials, install shelves in your charge’s closet to store extra stuff without taking up extra space. Shelves can be very inexpensive and found at any home improvement store and even some department stores. Ask DadBoss to grab his drill and make it a weekend DIY project.
Make It Fun
No matter what organizational technique you may choose, remember to include your charges and encourage them by showing them that tidying up can be fun! It will show them how to be responsible with their things and also ease some of your burden (a tiny doll shoe being jammed underneath your toes? Not fun…). Once everything is in its place, everyone will certainly have a smile on their face.