I have GOT to tackle the dds' bedroom. It constantly looks like a bombsite. Need tips on how to keep it tidy...

[notnowbernard]

... and more importantly, how to get THEM to help keep it tidy (they are 6 and 3)

They are good at helping to tidy-up after playing in the lounge or whatever but when it comes to their room, forget it...

I find it really quite disheartening at times (our flat is small, too)

I will watch this with interest to see everyone else's suggestions are as DD's room is a disaster zone most of the time.

DD who is 6 is dreadful at clearing things up. Her concept of tidying is to shove things under the bed or the rug(!!). I recently flipped and have instigated a new system. I'm trying lots of storage in big easy to handle boxes and a cull of rubbish every 3 months when she is out of the house otherwise she goes through the recycling and the bins and retreives her, "very favourite things how could you throw them away mummy!!!!"

DS on the other hand has a tidy gene. He is 2 and he is constantly putting things away when the mood takes him.

How can sibs be soooo different from one another?

Less stuff (honestly!) - have a massive clear out. Put it in bags and in the loft (or sneak it off to charity).

And boxes where things can get stuffed into, and sorted at the weekend or once a month - whatever.

We have a small house, no storage, and the above works great. I do spend alot of time tidying after them as there is a trail of destruction.

BTW, when I clear out the toys and tatt, they always play better - they are overwhelmed with too much stuff (as am I!!)

I agree - have less stuff. DD's toys fit in four small baskets that slot under the coffee table, plus a toy kitchen, a small chest of Duplo, one rocking horse and one dolls' house. She has a bookcase for her books as well.

I regularly clear out things that she has outgrown, GPs have all been gently coached to get her clothes rather than toys, and I think REALLY carefully before buying her any more toys.

It's the only way to stay sane in a flat.

Is your storage adequate and child-friendly?

I have invested in proper children's furniture for DD (desk with cupboard and drawers, wardrobe with child sized hangers and shelving) and that makes a massive difference to her ability to keep her room in order.

Also, cull toys etc regularly. And don't keep pens and art supplies of any description in a bedroom - have Ikea boxes and keep them elsewhere.

kerry.....playmobil is worse!!!

but we buy it anyway..

Clear out stuff that's broken or not used - give away, sell or store.

Invest in proper storage - shelves with baskets work for us (IKEA), doesn't have to be expensive. Make sure DCs can reach it all to get toys out and put back themselves.

Use (and label with words/pics) separate drawers for different toys, i.e. one for playmobil, one for bricks, one for train set, etc. This makes the toys much more fun to play with as they're not all jumbled up, and also much easier to tidy up. Involve DCs in deciding what goes where, get them to help make labels for each drawer, etc. That way it becomes their system too.

And finally, insist on tidying up every night. It won't be easy at first, but stick to your guns and they will get into the habit eventually. You will have to help them/oversee the process, otherwise they'll get bored/distracted. Make it fun/competitive - 'I bet I can tidy up ALL the dolls before you can get all the lego off the floor', or sing a tidy up song together (we use Frere Jacques - tidy up now, tidy up now, tidy UP, etc - it's got a hypnotic effect, honest!).

Second what PotPourri says about them playing better with tidy/fewer toys. The process of getting there is a P in the A to start with, but once you get into the habit it's so much better for everyone.

I've just spent ages clearing ds's room (age 7). Now that all his toys are sorted into collections (playmobile, Bakugans, Bionicles, marble runs -did i mention he's a boy!) he actually plays much better with them.

So my solution is plenty of small plastic boxes with lids - tupperware types - and clearing out the stuff when the dc aren't around. But it has to be an almost daily task to get it all back in the boxes each time. And agree wholeheartedly with BS - no pens/ colouring at all in the bedroom.

We decorated the dc's bedrooms about a month ago. Before we started we took everything out of the room. After decorating the stuff went back in, but everything was gone through (when they weren't about), and only stuff that was useful/played with/fitted/beautiful went back in. The rooms have been spotless since. DS1 who is 7 is a real hoarder of assorted crap, but he hasn't missed a thing. And he makes his bed every morning before school. Result!!!

HTH

Thanks, very useful suggestions there!

We have an Ikea storage unit with multiple drawers. Generally things are kept to their alloted drawers, but tbh it IS all the art and craft and paper-making rubbish creations that make it all so messy (dd1 to blame!) Maybe I ought to consider moving it all elsewhere? But where though?! Aargh!

And dd2 is into her teddies and dollies so she regularly empties her clothes drawers to dress them. It just looks like a jumble sale in there most of the time...

we always do crafting in the kitchen! Painting obv (and paints kept on a v high shelf...), but the dc also like to do drawinhgs at any time, and they like the fact that I'm around.

painting etc is done in the kitchen

But dd1 has a desk that she likes to sit at and do her art and craft (the non-messy sort). But ends up with reams of cut up bits of paper that are Terribly Important and can't be thrown away - so end up in piles on the floor rather than the bin

I am very guilty of binning things when they are not looking (or charity shopping them!). If they do see, I make a big thing about recycling - so the very important, must not be moved bits of paper are recycled, with a big discussion about what they might end up becoming next, and the toys are going 'in the baby bag' or 'for boys and girls who don't have so many toys'.

Right, have made some progress

Already got a carrier bag of rubbish, a recycling paper pile on the go and a large carrier full of bits for charity

They have so much TAT

I have put 3 recorders in the charity bag (still leaving them 1 each!)

Halved the play food/tea set stuff (so much replicated, unbelievable)

Have a long way to go though...

Wow - that's quick! Keep going, and repeat every few weeks. It will work wonders, and chances are they will never even notice.

I use mid sized plastic tubs - and they go under the bed. ds forgets all about them and then finds them months later and has a whole load of 'new toys'.

I got one of the hanging net things from ikea and all the smaller soft toys go in there.

Can you recycle some of your dd's old clothes into a special dressing up box for her teddies - so she doesn't empty her drawers of current clothes?

Don't forget about freecycle.org.uk (I think) - people come and pick up stuff from you - as I can never be arsed to go the charity shop.

I'm not sure how these rooms end up so bad.

You need sufficient storage. If there are still too many toys after that, you have too many toys, get rid of some!

Keep it tidy, teach them to. If they continue to mess it up and they are old enough to understand, toys are removed.

Be tough, don't stomach it!

Hi nnb
My DD is the same with bits of paper and other creations. I bought a set of plastic drawers from Argos to keep paper and pens etc in. One of them we left empty for her creations to be kept in. When it is full she has to sort them out and get rid of some. Might be worth a try?

Now I am in the process of clearing, I realise that actually they don't have LOADS of toys. And whatthey do have, they play with

It's mainly the paper (and art and craft stuff generally)

Accumulation of bloody comics and magazines (Ta v much, MIL)

Little plastic 'bits' from afore-mentioned comics and Xmas stockings etc

And dollies' clothes and accessories etc

We have the storage space, it just needs to be USED properly

The other issue is DD1's 'ornaments', trinket boxes, clay models she's made etc (I could go on) We have nowhere to put them so all surfaces are cluttered

danceswithfools I will try that idea, thanks

Having a break now for coffee, will be back re-arranging soon!

I chuck the dc's 'creations' in the recycling when they are in bed or when dd is at preschool . Keep a few bits but so much of it is just scribbles or random cutting/sticking. My friend has an a2 art folder for each of hers and it all goes in there.

I have a lazy susan with mini bites tubs on-one for pens, one for crayons, one for pencils, one for chalk. The children's scissors are on there too. Paper and colouring/sticker books are in a box, when it gets full I donate some to preschool or toddlers.

Trofast in the bedroom, each type of toy has it's own box (and some eg rocket and pirate ship go on top). DD has another box under her bed for beads etc and ds has one for his peppa pig playground stuff.

We also have something like this for all the random bits that don't belong anywhere else eg magic wands & fairy wings, barbies, yoyos etc.

We do have way too many toys though because we also have a toybox in the sitting room with some of the bigger toys in as well as a dolls house and a wooden castle (and dd's kitchen & till in the shed as well as all the bikes, scooters etc) BUT they are all tidy and organised and it all fits. I cull fairly regularly but find that they each play with different things so it's hard to cut them right down.

Blimey, you are organised!

Mary - will put up more shelves, I think

Thing is, dd1 is 6 so her 'creations' are more than random cuts, sticks and scribbles (dd2's head straight for recycling, she's 3)

She KNOWS if anything is missing...

Must crack on

If you don't want to spend money on storage, can I suggest that you get plain old large cardboard boxes and let them decorate them in any way they feel. Cheap and fun for them. DD and DS have about 3 each of these and although they are not quite how I imagined their bedrooms to be decorated, at least it means things get put away and not left on the floor.

Can I also second getting into the habit of clearing up every night before bed. Even if you are doing most of it yourself at first, they will get into the habit eventually.

Finally, be ruthless in clearing out every couple of weeks. My technique is to put stuff in my wardrobe for a month or so and if they haven't noticed it has gone then I remove it from the house permanently.

We got Ikea's Besta (I think) storage units. Nice bright red glossy doors - so can be decorated with large stickers.

Loads of book/shelf storage inside and can close the doors. I can't be doing with all boxes etc on show - just as messy imo.

Also got nice bright red lack floating shelves from Ikea - for dino displays.