Do you have little ones?
Where do their coats and shoes and backpacks wind up?
For me the kitchen chairs seem to call to the coats and bags… We have chairs with pointy little peaks that tend to jab me right in the ribs on a regular basis when I’m sweeping the kitchen floor, and the kids’ coats decorate the chair peaks.
And the little shoes multiply on the floor until they become tripping hazards.
At least they did until I decided to make better use of my kitchen space. I had our spare chair stored in the corner by my cabinets. It, too, was covered with junk – diaper bags of various sizes, things just needing put away… I decided THAT corner had a better use!
I didn’t want to use a drill to put holes in the wall for coat hooks; after all, the hooks will need to be moved up in a couple years since my kids are just 2 and 4, and then I’d have to repair the wall… So I opted for some of those 3M hooks that just stick to the wall. I found a pair that can hold up to 5 pounds each – plenty strong enough for little kid’s coats.
I found an unused crate downstairs, left over from my husband’s college days, and thought that would be the perfect box for little shoes to be tossed in. It’s large enough to hold sun hats in the summer or winter hats and mittens this winter. They can also put their super cute backpacks in it.
My kids love having their own “special place” to put their stuff. It only took a few days of reminding them to put their shoes in the shoe box, and now Mommy’s not tripping over little shoes all the time.
And the junk that was originally in that corner? The extra chair went to the basement until we need it. Since I no longer use most of the bags that were on the chair, they got donated. I keep one bag packed, ready to go, sitting next to the kids’ shoe box where it’s easy to grab while gathering shoes.
How do you handle the kids’ coats, etc.?
Kristen says
It looks great! What a fantastic idea. We have a closet just for our girls in the mudroom but they keep making a mess of it. I have been on them this year to take better care of their things and they are trying but I guess this will always be one of those areas I will need to follow behind them to make sure they are doing it.
admin says
I made a little mud room in the garage, too, mostly for the husband’s stuff.
I love that your girls have their own closet. At least if it’s a mess you can close the door – and as they get older I’m sure they’ll learn to take better care of it.