Messy Room

[HouseofWool]

Jenn - at 8 we are still way into legos. And at 2 Sophie asks to "pay Yegos"

[BonBon]

Jenn, G is still all over the Legos and has plans of being a "Lego designer" when he's grown up. I think N still has a ways to go. (But does this mean you can get rid of Thomas in the front yard at Christmas???)

Bob, we had a HUGE problem about a year ago with toys being everywhere. (I have 4 kids 7 and under) First DH and I pulled out all the toys they had grown out of and showed them to the kids and talked about how our family is so fortunate to have the means to buy lots of toys but there are plenty of kids out there whose mom and dad can't even provide enough food, let alone toys. So wouldn't it be so nice of us to donate our toys so kids with NO TOYS AT ALL (!!) could have some to play with. They were appalled by this situation and quickly agreed to get rid of the toys as well as purge some of their own that they don't play with any more. We also collected all the stuffed animals they received over the years as gifts and gave them each four quarters to "buy" four stuffed items each. We then carted EVERYTHING in the basement all organized into bins and do toy rotation. It has made a HUGE difference. Cleaning up their rooms takes 5 minutes. Everything has a place and toys have their own bins. I've made it their responsibility to keep stuff together because I don't have time to look for Polly Pocket's shoes. They're okay about it...when I find stuff that's not where it belongs, it goes into a box in the basement and will get sorted later. Unfortunately, they will often tell me to just put something in the basement when I point it out rather than they put it back where it belongs. (I make them put it away)

For your daughter's room, I would make everything as simple as possible for her. I don't know if you have storage space to do toy rotation or not but that's really what saved us. Our house was BAD. I would also purge while she's in school - get rid of all the crap. If my kids had their way they'd keep every little shiny nothing too. Yet, they will admit that they vastly prefer their rooms neat and tidy. (Room to play in!!)

Lest I give the impression of being a militant housekeeper I am not!! But this IS my house and I do expect the kids to keep their rooms tidy. I am DONE DONE DONE stepping on tiny hard plastic objects (legos!), tripping over stuff, and having to carefully step through rooms just to put clothes away.

[HouseofWool]

See, now Chris - I am Caleb (8) put his own clothes away. Has done this for about 2 years. It started out by handing him a stack of shirts and explaining where to put it. Then handing him the stack of pants, etc. Now I just set the basket on his bed and he does it on his own. One thing that helped is putting 2 small baskets in his undies drawer. One for undies and one for socks. It really helped him keep it tidier.

As for keeping his room clean? Mostly I ignore the mess and purge when applicable.

[houseelf]

Legos aren't as cool as they used to be with the 11 y.o. Now he displays the sets neatly in his room. The problem is that the ones that he wants are Lego Mindstorms that fetch $200 to $300 . This price ticket competes with stuff like gaming systems, etc. so he doesn't choose them as big gifts as often anymore.

[MrsK]

First, I'd try teaching her about passing along lesser used toys to less fortunate children. Maybe if she knows the toys will have a good home, she'll feel better about parting with them. Also, try "one in/one out." If she wants a new toy, she needs to part with an old one.

Also, make it easy for her to clean up. Can she reach the shelves? Is there open storage? You'd be surprised how opening a closet drawer or lifting the top of a toy chest can challenge little ones. Try a couple large open baskets -- Target has some great plastic buckets for about $6 in it's storage/laundry department -- they should be small enough for her to move around but big enough to hold lots of stuff and have no lids. It's a lot easier for kids to toss stuff in a bin or hang it on a hook than it is to hang clothes on hangers or put stuff in drawers.

[MrsK]

That was "closet door". You may want to try removing the doors from the closet. I know it sounds crazy but the doors could be an impediment for her.

HI,
Rooms can have an acceptable, level of mess until someone wants a visitor. Then rooms need to be cleaned. If kids want new clothes/toys/whatever they're required to go through their crap, and get rid of whatever doesn't fit is no longer cool.
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