When You Need a Bigger Home

With baby number three on the way, my husband and I (mainly I) are starting to look into some space issues. I have begun tearing into many areas of the house, reassessing my organization, re-planning storage spaces and, quite frankly, throwing a ton of stuff away. There have been moments when I wish we could just buy a larger house but, like so many out there, that is not an option at the present time.

Instead, I have started thinking about how to best utilize the area in our home and still have happy children. There are so many toys that can take up quite a bit of space which many people (including myself) do not have. Not to mention, the more children you have, the more toys you have, the more things you have to clean. Each item in your home takes up precious space, time and money.

Rather than stuffing enormous boxes under the Christmas tree this year, challenge yourself and your children to expand your imaginations by using these alternatives to bulky, expensive toys:

• Kitchen Set. In my experience, this is one of the most common childhood items. Many people had one when they were children and feel it would be a great gift for their own child. If you have the space, it could make a wonderful addition to your child's playthings. If not, it is torture. They can be difficult to clean (on, under, and around), take up a bit of space, and may hardly be touched by your little ones.
  --Instead: Try cleaning out one small cupboard in your kitchen and filling it with old pots and pans, some fake food, and plasticware. Encourage your children to use the coffee table or kitchen table as a stove. My son likes to pretend a cubby in our living room is a microwave. In the warmer months, you can even use sidewalk chalk outside and draw stove burners on your driveway.
• Slides. I was recently in a home where the children had a plastic slide in their bedroom. It took up quite a bit of space and looked out of place. The children probably rarely use it and yet, there it remained, cluttering the room and creating yet another item to clean.
  --Instead: Pull out a mattress (twin is easier, but queen can offer more entertainment) and prop it against your couch. Surround it with pillows and couch cushions and encourage your children to become acrobats in your living room. Many children will probably find this even better than a plastic slide in that they can perform many more maneuvers. Also, it is something that is easily put away when you are done and does not happen often so the kids will not grow bored with it. We find it to be a great rainy day treat!
• Tents. Whether a standing indoor play tent or one that spices up a child's bed, tents can make a room look much smaller than it really is. Though many tents can be put away, they are often times bulky and difficult to store and setting them up and taking them down daily could become a busy parent's nightmare.
  --Instead: Make your own! Provide your children with a few queen- or king-sized bed sheets (fitted work too) and send them loose in the house. Allow them to use their imaginations to create tents with furniture, cushions, and pillows. To add some extra excitement, purchase a six foot tunnel (like the Pacific Play Tents Multi Color 6' Tunnel which we own and love) that effortlessly collapses down for easy storage in a closet or under a bed.
• Play Furniture. Tables, chairs, couches, bean bags and so forth are great steals on Black Friday but take up an awful lot of room while lasting only a couple of years until they are outgrown. I have seen many homes filled with play furniture that has not been sat in for years.
  --Instead: Toss the large children's furniture that can be a pain to clean and encourage playtime on the floor. If you are doing an activity that would be best at a table, consider an adult-sized table and chairs that will last through the teen years. No space for that? Set the kids up at the kitchen table. We have a padded table cloth that is easy to wipe clean to prevent damage to our table while allowing the children to paint, color, glue and more! If your kids really love having their own chairs then consider folding chairs that can be easily stored in a closet instead of bulky plastic or cloth chairs that take up unnecessary space.
• Toy Boxes. Toy boxes are a personal pet peeve of mine. Though they seem to store quite a bit while keeping the room visually appealing, they can quickly become a haven for dirt, germs, and long forgotten toys.
  --Instead: Toss the bulky piece of furniture and opt for something slightly more space saving and organizing-friendly like shelves with bins or collapsible crates that allow the children to see what toys are kept inside. You can clean out a dresser drawer and use it for toy or book storage. Also, if you have the space, try plastic tubs kept in the closet to keep the toys clean and organized.

Whether you are trying to make room for a new child, streamline your cleaning process, or just would like a little more space, I highly recommend trying these methods in place of bulky and expensive toys. Children do not need much as long as they have actively engaging parents and an environment that encourages vivid imaginations. Just think of all the fun you used to have with a stick and a box.

Tomorrow, I will give you tips on some of my favorite inexpensive toys that are easy to store and clean and will offer years of entertainment and imaginative childhood fun!

Don't forget: I'm Racing My Sister's Uterus! Please head on over and like my Fanpage. Thank you for your help in my sister rivalry!

/>