Organizing 101: Kids' rooms

Give your children a fresh start by uncluttering and organizing their personal spaces. Here's our easy two-step approach for children's bedrooms, from newborns to teens. Of course, things will get cluttered and messy again – that's just what happens with kids.

TIDY IDEAS
Set up a room for a growing child and keep clutter in check with these effective tips.

Babies
1 Store extra items like surplus diapers and clothes that don't fit yet in a plastic container on casters under the crib.
2 Hang a mesh storage hammock, available in the baby section of department stores, from the ceiling in a corner. It's great for storing the zooful of stuffed animals infants often receive.
3 Add a combo dresser/change table (or a change table and wall shelf) with lots of storage for baby supplies.
4 Keep it simple: use shelves and a few portable baskets or bins for storing toys and books.

Toddlers and preschoolers
1 Add a low bookcase or shelving unit (bolt it to the wall for safety) where children can put away their books and toys; place larger toys on the lower shelves for easy access.
2 Use baskets, bins or other portable containers for book and toy storage.
3 Buy plastic drawer units on casters for dividing smaller toys into categories; for instance, blocks can go in one drawer, cars in another.
4 Mount shelves near the ceiling around the perimeter of the room to store and display fragile mementoes and collectible toys.
5 Add a crafts table if you have space. Keep supplies for supervised activities, such as markers, glue and Plasticine, out of reach on a nearby shelf.

Grade schoolers
1 Give children in this age group their first proper desk and chair. Mount a shelf or cubby unit above the desk to keep it clutter- free.
2 Purchase a bunk bed with a built-in desk or a space below for play or tabletop work instead of a lower bunk.
3 Store props and costumes for dress-up games in a special section of the closet or in a large wicker trunk.
4 Stack board games on lower bookshelves. When the boxes get worn, replace them with labelled store gift boxes and put the pieces and instructions in labelled resealable bags inside the box.
5 Add a shelf or night table beside the bed for a lamp and bedtime books.