Keeping a tidy house with kids in tow is not easy. We can already imagine you nodding your heads in agreement.
Think about it (if you aren’t already).
- Kid’s toys all over the living room/bedroom/bathroom/ every single room.
- Biscuit crumbs leaving that telltale trail to your children’s whereabouts.
- Homework projects liberally scattered across your kitchen counters.
Are you getting the picture? Have we described your home?
How are you supposed to cope with the mess? Short of confining your kids to their bedroom for the rest of their childhood, there are ways to keep a tidy house, no matter how many children you have in your home.
The first thing you need to do is eliminate the children’s clutter. Sit down with your kids (if they are of an age that will listen) and explain the situation to them. Ask them for their opinion on what toys should stay and what should go. Let them know that they need to make room for more toys for Christmas and birthdays. Tell them that other children less fortunate than they are can make use of anything they no longer play with. Enlist their aid in keeping a clutter-free home, and you will have far fewer toys to worry about later.
The next thing you need to do is buy more storage space. From shelves to toy cabinets, purchase anything that will accommodate the mass of stuff your children accumulate. Storage furniture can be bought online, through popular marketplaces such as Amazon and Eames. You can buy Eames furniture at eames.com or head over to Amazon.com and see what is on offer. Once bought, place the storage in those rooms where a mess is guaranteed, and follow our next point to help you keep your home tidy.
Set ground rules for your children. Your children need to be responsible for the mess they create, so provided they are of an age to understand, set down those ground rules that will encourage them to tidy up after themselves. The 2-minute ground rule is a useful (and stress-free) example, so follow the link to find out more. And be consistent with any rules you make, as your children may only fall into bad habits again if you don’t.
Then set up designated eating, homework, and play areas. By confining the mess to one area of the house, the less work you (or they) will have later on when it comes time to clean up. Their bedroom is an obvious place, so provide everything they need – desk, play mat, toy boxes – to manage their homework and toys. Confine them to the kitchen or dining area when eating something. And let your children know the no-go areas of the house, setting up another rule to eliminate the possibility of a mess in other parts of your home.
Finally, don’t add to the mess. Don’t buy them more toys and games than they comfortably have time to play with. Set yourself a rule that you will only buy your children new items on special occasions, and only when you have eliminated some of their older toys and games first. And don’t conform to untidy habits with your belongings, as your children are never going to learn the art of tidiness if you don’t role model the behaviour first.
We hope this tidbits of advice were useful, but let us know if you have any further tips for our readers. Thanks for reading!
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