How to Get (and Stay) Organized With a Toddler

Last Updated on October 27, 2021 by

This post is sponsored by BeraTex Industries. As always, all opinions are my own.

The words organized and toddler are almost the exact opposite of each other. Anyone that has or has had a toddler or infant knows how difficult it can be to stay organized with them at home. They are constantly moving from one place to another, pulling toys from here or there and leaving them behind, throwing food on the floor, pulling clothes from the drawer when you aren’t looking. Need I go on? I am a pretty ‘type A’ personality, so I like to have things neat and organized. I was in for a surprise when Levi started walking! When I start to clean one mess up, he is across the room making another one. At first, I was a little frustrated, but lately I have been learning to ’embrace the chaos’ and stay as organized as possible but also remind myself that life (and our house) are not perfect. I have found that staying organized does help our house to stay a bit cleaner and me to stay a bit more sane.

How to Get (and Stay) Organized With a Toddler:

Teach them to pick up toys. I know this isn’t easy and not practical for younger toddlers. We are still in the process of teaching Levi this exact thing. By making it a game and teaching him to put his toys in a toy bin, it helps me and saves time. 

Keep a bin in each room for toys, etc. We keep a large ‘toy bin’ or tote in our living room that his toys stay in. This saves us from having a toy box in each room but is also a place where toys can go to ‘live’ while guests are over. 

Rotate toys. This is truly a time and sanity saver. We rotate his toys out often so that he always has a ‘new’ toy to play with and also so that every single toy he owns isn’t thrown in the living room or his bedroom floor.

Organize Their Food. Now that he is eating more table food and mostly eats what we have for dinner, we have less baby food around. However, we of course still have certain snacks he loves and his pouches. I love this CleverTot Food Pouch Organizer! It helps to keep our pantry organized and keep his pouches in one place and easy to grab as we are running out the door! 

Minimize. I cannot stress this one enough. I am the world’s worst about purchasing every cute shirt or piece of clothing for him. I have recently though realized that with more ‘stuff’ comes more time spent cleaning and organizing. Instead of stuffing his drawers full of clothes, I am reminding myself that not only does he outgrow them so quickly but he also doesn’t need 45 shirts and 56 pairs of shorts. 

Organize the Necessities. I spend some time every 2-3 weeks and organize his drawers making sure that short sleeve shirts are in the same drawer, etc. This makes it easier when getting him dressed and out the door. I also make sure to stock diapers frequently and ensure we have wipes within easy reach. I keep diaper cream, his thermometer, etc. in a basket on the top shelf of his changing table and within easy reach. Keeping the necessities that we use daily organized helps to minimize chaos and frustration.

A few reminders:

Toddlers may care in the store that they don’t have a certain toy, but by the time they get home they will likely have forgotten about it. You don’t have to purchase every single thing they want.

More stuff=more clutter

Organizing the necessities that you use everyday (food, diapers, clothes) is key in staying organized and simplifying life with a toddler. 

Don’t be too hard on yourself. Most days our house looks like a tornado hit it, but that just means we’ve had a great day full of fun.