Simple Kids Shared Closet Organization: 1 Year Update

How do you organize shared children’s closet?

It’s been a year since  we organized this closet and turned it into a closet for two.

When we first designed this closet our girls were 3 and 5 years old.

Since then a few things have changed, and they are now responsible for putting their laundry away independently.

With this big change I was noticing that the closet needed some Mommy attention.

So although I think the original shared girls closet design was really good, I knew we needed to revisit it and tweak it to make sure it was still meeting our needs.

When my mom asked to take the girls back to school clothes shopping I decided that was a perfect time!

So I went into their room to check it out and see what was going on.

If you’d like to  watch me clean up the closet on YouTube you can do that HERE.

Kids Shared Closet Organization Issues

At first glance, I thought I could decipher what the issues were, but I wanted to get the girls involved.

I think that if I give them some say-so in how the closet ends up it might actually help with keeping it organized.

So I checked with the girls to see what they were struggling with.

This is the list of issues that the girls told me.

Kids Shared Closet Organization: Issue 1

They don’t like that they can’t close the drawers all the way.

I can’t be sure, but I’m guessing the reason this bothers the girls has more to do with the fact that they have scrapped their backs on the open drawers than the way it looks.

This has become more and more of an issue because they are putting their clothes away on their own, and I haven’t actually taught them how I put pants/shorts away.

Kids Shared Closet Organization: Issue 2

They don’t like that some of the baskets are too high for them to put back up on their own.

This is mostly just the swim basket.

The very top basket is full of sheets and pillow cases, so they don’t ever get into that basket.

But the swim basket is used regularly in the Summer.

Kids Shared Closet Organization: Issue 3

They don’t like that they can’t reach their dresses.

I hang their dresses up on the top rack because they are long and I don’t want them hanging in the shoe basket.

This is also an issue because the step stool that used to be in here was moved to the bathroom because the step stool that was in the bathroom was too little.

So we’re playing musical chairs with the step.

And why would any reasonable 4 or 6-year-old go to the bathroom and grab the step to put the swim basket back where it belongs?

That is simply too much work haha!

Kids Shared Closet Organization: Issue 4

They don’t like that their shoes are hard to find and look messy in the baskets.

Again, I think this issue is more related to not being able to find the shoes that they want, than it has to do with the way it looks haha.

It happens often that we will be on our way out the door and they can’t find the exact pair of shoes that they want and then they end up frustrated that they are wearing undesirable shoes.

Please tell me I’m not the only Mom of littles who battles with shoes!

Kids Shared Closet Organization: Tweaking the Closet to Solve the Problems

Okay, so now that we knew what the problems were it was time to solve them.

This is the process I used to help get the girls shared closet organized again and it worked really well for me.

Clean out Closet: Give Yourself a Blank Slate

I not only took everything out of the closet, but I also wiped it down.

I was surprised by how much dust was actually sitting on those shelves.

As I took everything out of the closet I was putting it in piles in the room.

Donate Pile. Trash Pile. Swim Pile. Dirty clothes. etc,.

This made it easy to put everything back when I was ready to do that.

Evaluate What Isn’t Working

Now that the closet is empty it’s time to start fixing the problems.

Move Basket Lower on Shelf

To solve the swim basket problem I lowered the basket down a shelf.

To do this with this closet system I needed to move the pegs, which was simple.

Now the girls are able to grab the basket easier AND they can put it back.

Go Through Shoes & Decide What Stays & What Goes

Am I the only one who has such fun memories of trying on shoes with her Mom?

When I do this with the girls it reminds me of sitting on the floor at the store and having my Mom stand me up and say “Wiggle your toes.”

In all honesty, I still think she is the best at this.

(When they got back from school clothes shopping I went right for the shoes to see what sizes she landed on with them haha!)

Some memories stick with you.

But after we were done with this we noticed some shoes had been put back in the wrong basket and so many no longer fit.

This helped so much with the shoe problem.

Show Girls How to Put Pants Away

Now, I want to believe that having a conversation with the girls about how to put their pants away will solve this problem.

But I have a sneaking hunch this is going to be an on going discussion with multiple lessons on the proper way to put pants away.

With our 4-year-old, I’m actually prepared to change my style and adopt a new method if it becomes too much of a struggle.

But so far the drawers don’t look bad.

But it’s only been one week so we have plenty of time for them to get wrecked haha!

Search for a New Step Stool

This is the only thing left that I didn’t fix yet.

The girls have been very understanding with the dresses not being lowered.

So I want to honor that and find a step stool sooner rather than later.

This just gives me a great excuse to go to the thrift store more often haha!

Bonus Issue: Under Clothes Falling Out of Baskets

While I was working on the closet I was finding undies and socks ALL over.

So when I went to put these baskets back up on the shelves I remembered that I needed to address this.

The fabric the baskets are made out of makes them easily collapsible.

Which would be fine if that’s what you wanted, but that is not what I want.

Because then we end up with underclothes all over the closet.

So I cut an amazon box up and slide the pieces into the basket to make it slightly sturdier.

It might not last, but it was super cheap.

So I figured I’d give it a go and see how it works.

What I Learned When I Asked the Girls For Their Thoughts

The truth is the problem they pointed out are some of the things I was noticing.

But I’m not sure I would have put 2 and 2 together on the swim basket and the step stool issue.

So I’m really glad that I took the time to ask them.

This actually made me think about their  entire room makeover that we did last year.

I love their room and I think it looks beautiful, don’t get me wrong.

But sometimes when I scrolling through  Pinterest or  Instagram and see those beautiful simple cottage-style girls rooms I get kinda sad.

I wish that they had chosen  a different style of wallpaper.

But then, something like this happens, and I realize that when I give them a safe amount of ownership over things I’m doing 2 things:

1. I’m building them up and showing them that I believe in them, and instilling confidence.
2. I give them autonomy which helps give them a little extra motivation to be responsible with the space.

So, do I still wish we had cute cottage wallpaper on the walls with a chair rail and board and batten along the bottom…yeah somewhere deep inside of me I probably do.

But the desire to raise these girls up so that they are responsible and confident women far outweighs my desire for the style of little girls room that I long for.

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Have a great week!

XoXo

Open Your Doors,

Aliya