When you have children, you will suddenly realize just how little space you have, no matter where you live. Small space living becomes difficult as dishes can pile high and toys can be found in every corner of every room. Add in a few larger items like a bouncer or changing mats, and it can suddenly feel like there is little space for much else. If you live in a small home or an apartment, then it can be a real struggle to make sure that you have space for everything.
So, what should you do if you live in an apartment or condominium with children? One of the first things to do is to make sure that you are organized. From storage space that you make the most of in your children’s bedroom, to decluttering your kitchen’s drawers. There are a variety of areas to look at, and thankfully lots of wonderful solutions in order to declutter a smaller living space. Keep reading below for steps that you can take to get organized, and make the most of the space that you have.
For more on this topic, check out the full Get Organized collection
Light and Airy Spaces Feel Bigger
Adding a baby into the home can be a complete whirlwind! While it is a joyful celebration, it can also feel a little overwhelming. Suddenly there are a lot of things that you need for such a tiny person. You probably will find yourself searching for storage solutions for all of those baby essentials. But you do have options! Search around on Pinterst, or turn to HGTV for some fresh inspiration.
And after doing a little research, you will most likely find that the experts recommend keeping the decor in your home as light and airy as possible. Light colors will help to make a room look bigger than it actually is. And lighter colors can even can go a long way to lighten the mood!
[ Find great parenting resources for Baby’s 1st Year ]
Drawers Help Small Space Storage
In your child’s room, drawers are going to help a lot! While hanging space in a closet is nice, not everything a child needs can be hung up. Drawers can house clothes, as well as diapers, blankets, wipes, and toys. If the bedroom does not have a lot of extra space for a dresser, consider placing one in the closet under the hanging rack, or look for smaller drawer units that can fit under cribs or beds.
[Read: 4 Simple Steps to Organize Your Kid’s Closet]
Minimize Toys for Small Space Living
If you have a small urban home, then it is likely that you have a lot of open space, and perhaps no dedicated playroom. If this is the case, then you need to come up with a toy strategy before they take begin taking over your space.
You might be amazed to discover how just a few cabinets in one room, a couple of shelves in another, and a few nice large totes, can neatly offer a lot of options! And from there you will be able to get creative and find even more corners to create something that encourages play.
[ Read: How to Organize Kids’ Stuff at Home ]
Acknowledge lack of space
It can be hard living in a smaller space with children, but you do need to acknowledge it for what it is. Of course, having large playpens, toy kitchens, and yard toys can be great! But if there really isn’t the space for them, don’t bring them in. Talk to family and friends about this before they buy something oversized for your home or for your child’s birthday. If you don’t want a home full of toys, especially large ones, then you need to work with what you have, and just don’t bring them into your space in the first place. Children will have plenty of chances to play with these kinds of things elsewhere.
[ Read: Gifting Experiences (instead of toys) ]
Shoe organizer for more storage
Shoes, because everyone has them, and will have two on at a time, can really pile up. If you take them off near the door, then there can be mounds of them at any one time. That is why it is a good idea to make sure that shoes are organized. But you will need to work with what you’ve got. For some people, it will mean an Ottoman-style bench in the hallway that shoes can go in. For others, there will be a closet in the hallway, and shoes can go on shoe racks. Decide now what you will do, and make sure that you implement it. Your child might need a few reminders, but eventually they will remember where there shoes need to go.
[ Check out this step by step guide to an Organized Entry Closet ]
Deep clean your small spaces
When you are living in a smaller space, dirt and mess can build up quite quickly. If you don’t take control of it, then it can become overwhelming and feel like too much to handle. So it can be a good idea to have a super deep clean once or twice a month, and then do smaller daily and weekly cleans in between. It shouldn’t take long when you have a smaller home. But if you don’t do it, then it will become a bigger challenge. I have always found that it is much easier to maintain when there is order to begin with, then it is to deal with the result of complete chaos that has gotten out of hand.
[ Read: 30 Days to Clean House and Simplify Your Life ]
Use the vertical space you have
The floor space that we can have in smaller homes can often be a little limited. And if there are too many things on the floor, then it can feel super cluttered and messy. So think about the vertical space in the home, and use that. If you have a child’s bike just in the hallway, for example, could it be mounted on the wall, or hung from the ceiling with hooks? When it is up and off from the floor, you’d be surprised just how much more spacious it can feel. So look for new options that can be hung and free up your floorspace.
For more on this topic, check out the full Get Organized collection
