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As Seen in Better Homes and Gardens Kids’ Rooms:


In this edition of Better Homes and Gardens Kids’ Rooms, and on their website, Professional Organizer Lea Schneider shared wisdom on tackling child-related clutter. Her advice included:

“Everyone is suffering from what I call TMS disease, or Too Much Stuff. Children, and their parents, continue to acquire more things, with the inflow greater than the outflow. Practice the one-in, one-out rule: For every new toy or book coming in, have the child choose one to part with. Teach generosity by donating to charity, or teach about money by having a yard sale.”

“Due to the generosity of parents and grandparents, young children's rooms often are a sea of toys. Children can become overwhelmed with the clutter and with the lack of play area. Get several boxes and fill them with a portion of the toys. Move the boxes to the top of the closet or other storage area. After a couple of months, renew interest by taking out the stored toys, which are fresh and new again to the child and then box up some of the other toys. This method keeps the child’s interest, reduces clutter and makes more room to really play.”

“The over-the-door shoe holder with clear pockets, is my very favorite organizing gadget. I will confess that I have never put shoes into one. Turn it into an art center by filling the pockets with art goodies lying about. For a girl’s room, it is a great to corral accessories from scarves and purses to belts and all those ponytail holders. It can hold video games, CDs, socks, 24 or more Barbie dolls and her wardrobe or anything you can imagine.”

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