

I don't know a single child who doesn't come with lots of baggage. If this little one lives in your house, you'll have to find places to store all these treasures.
As you're preparing a room for a newborn or redecorating for a growing child, finding storage space is just as important as choosing the right color paint or bedding.
It's amazing how much can be accumulated to provide a child with clothes, toys, books, hobbies, and other necessities of life.
If you have an infant, you'll need space to put away tiny clothes, blankets, diapers, changing items, and gifts that they'll use later.
As a child grows to be a toddler, the clothes get bigger, their toys multiply in number, and books get bigger.
And an older child acquires more and more. More clothes, more toys, more books, more things related to hobbies or school.
Discovering space for storage or using just the right items to organize the things of a child's life will make the life of your child and your life as a parent more peaceful and orderly.
Read about places and ways to find great storage space for your child's loot.
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Out in the Open
Lots of things that a child uses can go on shelves, book shelves, hang on hooks, or rest in containers on a desk or tabletop. To keep things looking neat and orderly, keep books neatly arranged, games in boxes, or toys hanging on pegs on the wall. You can also place smaller items into coordinated baskets or plastic boxes for a neat look on open shelves.
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Out of Sight but Close at Hand
For things that just cannot be made to look neat, use shelves or a chest of drawers in a closet, arrange boxes in an armoire, or slide things in shallow boxes under the bed. Stacks of clothes, hobby supplies, school bags can easily be hidden behind doors, but remain convenient and ready at any time. For the ultimate organization, use boxes, files, or storage baskets to keep things organized.
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In-Room Organization
Probably the most useful and convenient storage space in a child's room is the closet. This is where things go that the child (or parent) uses every day, including clothes, books, school supplies, or toys. Place seldom-used items near the back of the closet, with items used frequently up front and accessible.
If closets are small or inconvenient, look to furniture pieces for storage space. A toy box can hold toys, a cradle is a great home for a collection of dolls, or an armoire offers both hanging space for clothes, shelves for organization, and drawers for smaller things.
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Out-of-Sight Storage
Find areas away from the bedroom for storing outgrown toys or clothes that you can't part with, seasonal sports equipment, or treasured school work or art works.
The areas that come to mind in a home that work well for out-of-sight storage are the attic, under the stairs, in a garage, or in a dry basement. Use weather-tight storage containers to protect items from moths, mildew, or dust.
You might feel that every space in your child's room is filled and there's not an inch of space to put one more thing. But with a keen eye and dogged determination, you'll discover space for just about anything.
Look around you-- with our help.
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In a Closet
A closet is a space dedicated to storage. A big box really. You don't have to hang clothes on the pole and put stuff on the shelves high above.
You can arrange a closet any way that works for you. Use it to the best advantage for everything that your child owns. If the child is small, put the things that they will get at themselves down low at eye level. You probably won't need much hanging space, so add shelves, drawers, and boxes to store things.
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High Overhead
Adding shelves 12" to 18" below the ceiling, all around the room or just on one wall, will offer lots of display space and storage area. If you need things out of sight, put color-coordinated storage boxes on the shelves. Carefully mark each box with contents, using a label maker or press-on letters. Or collect baskets to hold things out of reach. To make them decorative, you can spray paint with a color to coordinate with the room's decor or tie pretty wired bows on the outside.
This is a great place to display sports trophies, collections of almost anything, pictures or child artwork, or out-of-season clothes, neatly folded. You'll find more shelving ideas and projects here.
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On Shelves
Book shelves are not just for books! In fact, book shelves work for storing almost anything. Make sure there's enough room to put everything, and for an interesting look, make room for stuffed animals, dolls, or cars on the same shelf as books.
Or to hide away some small pieces, use colorful or clear plastic boxes with lids. Or choose boxy baskets that will slide easily on and off the shelves.
Use a low book shelf at the end of a bed or on the side as a bedside table.
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Under the Bed
Some children's beds are built with pull-out drawers under the box spring--how clever! They offer built-in storage.
But you can add similar space by rolling boxes under a regular bed. To keep things dust-free, cover the boxes. This is a great place to store out-of-season or outgrown clothes or old school work.
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Inside a Chest of Drawers or Storage Bench
Add a great piece of furniture to provide storage space in a child's room. Drawers work for almost anything. Be sure they cannot pull all the way out! A storage bench is great for odd-shaped things like balls, skates, and other sporting items. Be sure that the hinges are safe and the top won't fall down on little heads or tiny fingers.
If your child has too much stuff, maybe you should try to get rid of some of it. But when you're down to the stuff you just can part with, you'll need to find some place to put it.
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Put Shelves Along a Wall
You can buy inexpensive shelving that you construct yourself from any home improvement store. Install 2 or 3 units side-by-side, connecting each one to the other and ]securing them all to studs in the wall. You'll have yards of space for lots of storage. For a custom look, add crown molding around the top of the joined pieces and baseboards around the floor.
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Add an Armoire
It's amazing how many uses there are for an armoire. You can hang baby clothes, fold sweaters and slacks, stack games or hobby supplies, and install a computer center. With hanging space, drawers, and shelves, it provides maximum storage options in one piece of furniture.
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Find Drawer Space
Instead of using a small table next to a bed, choose a chest of drawers. A mar-proof finish on the top will protect it from water marks and the drawers will provide great storage for toys, bedtime reading, pajamas, and extra blankets.
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Window Seats
Creative parents can build a window seat that provides room for storage and a place to snuggle to read. Instead of a lift-up lid on top, consider big pull-out drawers or shelves for easy access. This is great space for bedding, blankets, and big toys.
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Organize Small Pieces
It seems as though kids have lots of small stuff, no matter what their special interests are. Doll clothes, tea sets, jewelry, puzzle pieces, and games are stored well in plastic boxes or shoe boxes, carefully marked with contents.
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Treasure Those Memories
You'll want to have a special place to store photos, school work, special toys and clothes, and mementos of special occasions. A file cabinet in a closet works well or use acid-free boxes stored on shelves in a closet. Keep everything together and sort through and organize the items frequently.








