As January draws to a close, many of us have let our resolutions fall by the wayside. But if there is one goal that it pays to keep up on throughout the year, it’s banning the clutter that goes along with family life. From birthday party goodie bags to “can-we-please-get-this” moments-of-weakness at the thrift store, objects have a way of entering our homes despite our most valiant efforts to be minimalists. Check out this blog from earlier this month or the real-mama tips below for inspiration and ideas on living clutter free with kids.
” In our house the bathtub is a place for relaxing and getting clean. Not a plastic-filled playpen where half-used bottles of baby shampoo go to die. We’ve tried to instil these values in baby Henry since day one by keeping his idea of the bathing ritual- and the accessories that go with it- to a minimum. Baby-mild soap, a body brush, one wooden toy and a candle (his favourite part!) are all the bath time goodies we keep on hand. This keeps our bathroom healthy and feeling clutter free. ”
— Laura, Mama of 8 month old , Vancouver BC
“I think the best way to prevent clutter is to buy less in the first place, and I try to stick to that rule both when it comes to toys for the kids and things for myself. However, our kitchen island has a tendency to become overloaded with kids’ stuff – drawings, crafts and papers from school/preschool. I ended up getting a couple of simple storage bins for the girls’ keepsakes, which they keep in their closets. Whenever I clear off the counter, they can grab what they want to keep and put it in their bins, whereas the rest goes in the recycling. ”
–Linda, Mama of two girls, 3 and 6, from Indiana
“With Christmas coming on the heels of Sofie’s fall birthday, she ends up with a lot of new stuff. I try to begin the new year with a de-cluttering mission: I clean out closets and wardrobes while Sofie purges some of her toys. If she received two new dolls as gifts, I ask that one or two old dolls be passed on. It does take several persistent reminder from me, but Sofie will gather games, books and random toys that she doesn’t use much anymore, so that the amount of stuff she owns never threatens to overwhelm her bedroom. We donate the used toys or pass them on to her younger cousins.”
— Donna, Mama of 8-year-old, Warwick, Rhode Island
—Manda, aka The Green Mama to two kids ages 4 and 8
We try to have a place for everything, and keeping clutter out of the house. This is best accomplished with regular deep cleanings. Once it comes into the house it has to have a place or be shown the door.