Our Home: Kids Closets

my top + jeans + slippers + hat  ||  houston’s top + similar jeans  ||  baskets + step stool4

If you know me, you know I love a good organized space. The clean simplicity of it is something I just crave. It is really something I have tried to teach my little people + show them how nice it feels to be in control of your space and your things. It is definitely still a teaching work in progress with them, but it has been so worth it!! Since it has been a little while since we dove in to any of our #organizewithkailee tips, I thought today we be the perfect time to take you inside our Kids Closets! I didn’t want wasted space just for closets, so everything had to be very functional + serve a purpose.

So below we’ve broken down in detail how we organize everything + what is actually kept in their closets, as well as shared a few tips to helping you organize your own kids closets in a simplified way! So let’s get started!

wide gray baskets (top shelf)  |  large gray baskets  |  similar small gray baskets

:: DRAWERS + BASKETS

First up, let’s talk drawers! I don’t know about you + your little people, but for us when it comes to “clean” or “organized”, my expectations are a lot higher than theirs. I knew the more stuff we had out and exposed, meant the more stuff I was going to want to look a certain way. Nothing was going to be folded perfectly like I would want because they are kids. Which is why we went with these custom made nice deep drawers. While each drawer has a purpose, how it actually looks insider is a free for all. But guess what, it is FINE because nobody sees inside them! The baskets are the same way. Leggings, tanks. swimsuits, blankets, anything we just want tucked away goes in those baskets.

baskets + tags + string

As you’ll see in the picture below, once you open the drawers, they are broken down into categories.  There is one drawer that holds pajamas, underwear and socks. Another holds all their extra shoes that they don’t keep up in their lockers. Nothing is folded and perfect because it can be tucked away…out of sight out of mind!

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:: LOWER HANGING RACKS

Another tip to organizing your kids closets is to keep things they need regular access to at their level. If they can’t reach it, it is going to be left on the ground or chucked up on the shelf because that is the best they can do. We made sure both the boys closet and the girls closet has plenty of low hanging racks for all their regular every day clothes. We try to keep it organized by sections; shorts, t-shirts, long sleeve, church clothes etc.

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:: BEDDING

Every time I show any glimpse of the boys or girls room, I am guaranteed to get 2 questions. One, where is all their bedding (pillow + blanket) they sleep with? And two, where are all the toys?! As I’ve shared before, our toys are all in the playroom closet. We keep them all organized and housed there, so they don’t take over our whole house. They can of course take them out and play wherever, but they live in the playroom closet, so bedrooms stay as a sleeping space.

As for the bedding, you’ll see in the picture above, there is an open shelf where they store their pillow and favorite blanket they choose to sleep with. By storing them there, it gives the room a nice uniform simple look once the beds are made. It may not be something that works for everyone, but it fits our style and minimal look we love.

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Now that I’ve given you a little look in to how we organize the kids closets, let’s talk tips to making it happen! It has taken us plenty of trial and error, but these couple of things really seem to make the difference when it comes to keeping it organized once you get it to that point!

:: PLAN OUTFITS FOR THE WEEK ON SUNDAY

If you have opinionated children (who doesn’t?!) this will be a GAME CHANGER for your mornings! It has completely simplified our morning routine, and taken away so much stress + drama. At the beginning of the week, we plan out the kids outfits. For the  boys they grab bottoms and a top. The girls is a little more complicated and full of more opinions (Hayden), but the same idea. Once you’ve picked out the outfits, we hang them in the order they want to wear them. For Hayden that is “ugliest first”, because she loves to wear her favorite on Friday. Whatever floats your boat! That way, when morning rolls around, there is no thinking about it and wasting that time. You grab the hanger in the front and put it on! Quick and easy!

baskets (available in a variety of sizes in black, white, gray, pink, or teal)

:: CLEAN OUT THEIR CLOSETS SEASONALLY

One of the biggest reasons kids closets (and adults as well) can get so out of hand is because they just have TOO MUCH STUFF. We tend to bulk up our closets with all the things. When you really take a step back and look at it, you probably wear 25% of it. The same goes for your kids. We try to clean out their closets with them seasonally. By the time a new season rolls around they have either grown out of things, or in Hayden’s case, completely changed what they are ok with wearing at the time.

Keep in mind it is their closets, and they deserve some ownership. If they say they don’t like an item of clothing, chances are they aren’t going to ever wear it, so don’t let it stick around and crowd your space. Try to have some compromise when shopping so they will love what they wear too!

When you are doing this + when you are shopping for new pieces, always try to think of things that are versatile. We tend to buy dresses or tops that will go with multiple pairs of leggings or the other way around, so we can make multiple outfits out of fewer pieces.

Hopefully that helps answer all your organizing questions when it comes to our kids closets and their space! If you want to take a look at their full rooms, you can check out the boys room here + the girls room here! If we left anything out, please leave your questions here so we can add them in!

photos : aubrey taiese