Toddlers.  We fear them with good reason.  They are bundles of never-ending cuteness and never-ending energy.  Their little smiles make them get away with almost anything.  It’s like a spell.  I am convinced!

As I was working on the blog yesterday there was a pause…silence.  All mothers know that toddlers and silence equal trouble.  I quickly went to check on my toddler and he was standing on a swivel chair in his brother’s room while feeding the fish in the tank….a WHOLE bottle of fish food.  He just smiled at me as I walked in.  Help me Jesus!

So we have now established that toddlers are not easy to keep in line and neither are their rooms.  We also know that despite the magical “Clean-up” song…we end up doing most of the work.  Cleanup needs to be easy for both parent and child.

Here is my toddlers room.  All the furniture was his brothers and that means that the furniture is 9 years old.  Math is my thing.

This is the smallest room in the house so we built out his closet before anyone else’s to help with storing all his items.  Here is his closet.

There is so much in this closet but it usually stays organized since everything has its place.  His room does get messy fast but it is quickly picked up thanks to all the systems in the closet.

You will notice a hamper in the bottom left; it is full of stuffed animals.  The hamper makes it easy to just throw them in there.  Above it is a basket that is full of balls.  Open baskets and containers are great for quickly putting away large items.

The closet is fully adjustable so as he grows I will adjust the shelves and rods.  I am a believer in having all hangers look the same because it instantly makes closets look so much neater.  Ours are inexpensive Wal-Mart hangers.

Legos.  We also fear them with good reason.  You don’t know pain until you have stepped on one of those colorful blocks.  Ouch!

I keep all his legos and small toys in these green containers.  In order to have my toddler help with the clean-up I added labels with pictures.  I suggest that you laminate the labels so that they last longer.

I store his DVD’s in the closet (most of them were also my 9 year olds).  I keep them up high because otherwise, they would all be all over the floor EVERY DAY and no one has time fo dat!

I have these little ceramic containers in this closet as well.  I keep little notes for the boys and sometimes I write down funny things that they might say.  I probably write down .001% of the funny things they say because I end up forgetting to write it down but I still hope they appreciate it when they are older.  I am so sappy…

I love hats on little boys and I am blessed with a son that keeps them on!  I put all his hats and caps in this flexible bin.  I also use these bins to store his swim trunks and water shoes.

I keep all his small books inside a bin because it is the only way to contain them in one spot.  I nest that bin next to his larger books.

On the floor I keep these three bins.  The bottom two are the next 2 sizes that he will be wearing.  Any size larger than that is stored at the very top of the closet.  The top bin (without a lid) is where I place clothing that no longer fits him.  It fills up fast!

So that’s the closet!  We purchased a toddler bed (at Wal-Mart) that has two thin drawers at the bottom.  In one drawer I place his small stuffed animals and in the other the small toys that would otherwise fall into the bottom of a toy chest.

Done!  That’s how I organize my toddlers room.

Just in case you were wondering, the fish lived.  They are now full.  They love my toddler.  And so do I!

Please share with me your ideas to keep your toddlers organized and out of trouble!

Happy Organizing!

Maria