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Moms of Toddlers, organizing?

CrunchOoEezyMamaCrunchOoEezyMama
in Eco-Friendly Family

I'm trying to get a hold on the books/toys/art supplies and set up.  We live in a townhouse.  Right now we have books in all of these locations:

DC's bedroom (2nd floor)

Living room (main floor)

Playroom (basement)

It kind of bothers me that her book collection is all spread out.  Does it work better to keep all books in one location?  Or should I leave them scattered like that?  If you have your kid's books scattered, do you rotate them?  I aks because the playroom books get read the least, and the bedroom ones the most.  The problem i sthat the bedroom ones are so distracting when she's trying to go to sleep lol.  

OK, second part of the question.  I want to set up a family art center with all sorts of supplies, so DC can be creative.  The main area of the house we live in is the main floor (living room dining room, kitchen), but it's the only nicely decorated part of the house.  It would be easiest to put the art area in the playroom, but it's not central to the house.  I want DC to be able to pull out art supplies and draw and create when the whim strikes her.  If it's in the playroom, she has to go to the basement.  I am guessing as she gets older though, going downstairs alone will become easier?  WDYT about an art area?  

Any other toy/art/book organizing ideas?  

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Re: Moms of Toddlers, organizing?

  • Lotte134Lotte134
    We have books all over the place.  I like it because they're always accessible and DS loves to be read to and having them around encourages that.  Ours generally get rotated naturally because DS will carry them around with them, but if that didn't happen I could see trying to rotate things just to keep them fresh.  In terms of organization we have book shelves in many rooms of the house because DH and I love to read as well so we've made room for DS's books along with ours and try to get them picked up each evening (ok at least once a week anyway Stick out tongue).
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  • CrunchOoEezyMamaCrunchOoEezyMama
    Thanks Lotte, I do like that she can pick up a book wherever she is.  I guess I was just thinking about how you should have "centers" for activities, like a reading center with comfy chair, etc.  It just confused me that we seem to have reading centers on every level of the house.  I def think I will start rotating the books, DC never carries them to different levels of the house (she has to use both hands to climb the stairs). 
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  • nseesnsees

    I also keep books in all of those locations and have found that it encourages reading in our house.  DS will bring them to me when the mood strikes to read them, and I often find him reading on his own (which makes me melt!).

    As far as craft supplies... we have a craft center with a long desk (that fits about 4 chairs across) with shelves above for supplies in our basement which is also our playroom.  I keep most of our art supplies here.  I also keep a smaller basket of supplies with some paint, coloring books, markers, and crayons in our upstairs coat closet.  We use these supplies when we are in the kitchen or sunroom.  In both locations, DS must ask for me to get them down.  I found that giving him total access leads to much chaos in our house as I prefer coloring on paper and not the walls :-) 

    It works very well for us!


    Big E (6) & Little E (2.5)
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  • Lotte134Lotte134

    imageCrunchOoEezyMama:
    DC never carries them to different levels of the house (she has to use both hands to climb the stairs). 

    Well, DS seems to think he can climb the stairs while carrying 3 toys at a time.  You can imagine how well that goes...

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  • PDXPDX
    We have one shelf in our living room bookshelf for DS's books, but we keep some in his bedroom (bed time stories) and some in the family room too. I like having them spread out so that he has plenty of exposure to books, but I also like that one shelf where I can store them if we have a party or something.
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  • crackerjackprintercrackerjackprinter
    I'd leave the books scattered and for a craft area keep things out of reach but make sure she knows they're there.  Also building it into your daily routine will help her be aware that the option is there.  We have a folding table that is kid sized that DD just got for Xmas and it sits behind her toy basket so it's here, easily accessible.  I too have found that when I leave crayons and such out other things get colored on.  So I leave them in sight but up high enough that she can't reach them.
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  • proudarmywife08proudarmywife08

    We have books in her playroom and bedroom. Plus she drags them everywhere :P I'd maybe rotate them if they don't all get read, that's what I do so I don't go crazy reading the same book over and over and over.

    I'd put her art stuff in her playroom. Does she go downstairs by herself? DD just started going up and down by herself when she wants to.

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  • CrunchOoEezyMamaCrunchOoEezyMama
    Thanks ladies!!  I'll leave the books spread out.  DC can go down the stairs by herself but I don't let her stay down there very long alone, because my sewing stuff and the litter box, etc are down there.  I am reading The Creative Family right now, and I'm all inspired to have an art area, but I just don't think we'll use it as much in the basement.  If I lived in a SFH I'd totally make a dining room the art room :) 
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