How to Organize a Shared Kids Closet and Keep It Organized

This is part 3 of the shared kids' room transformation. We are getting so close! I shared our  plan first, then I shared the  wallpaper installation. Now is the closet makeover!

Okay, guys let’s get real here. I do more laundry (assuming I’m not boycotting it) in one week than any person should. Our two little girls produce more laundry than I ever imagined possible.

So, when we decided to do a makeover and put the girls in the same room, I was so excited! I would only have 2 closets to carry clothes to now.

But the best part is, when we designed their closet, we did it in such a way that we completely got rid of their dressers! I walk to the closet and I can put everything away.

Pants. Shirts. Socks. Dresses. It’s one-stop shopping.

I’m not walking around the room multiple times going from the closet to the basket, then to the dresser back to the basket, and so forth. You know how it is.

When this started, it seemed nearly impossible to condense 2 closets and 2 dressers into 1 closet.

BUT WE DID IT!

Before

Here’s a little before and after so you can see how far this closet has come.

How to organize a shared kids' closet?

Today I want to share the tips I used to condense 2 closets and 2 dressers that looked like the before picture into the after picture.

You can do it and I’m going to show you how!

Step 1. Divide the Closet Evenly – Closet System

The foundation of the design is the closet system. It’s the reason this shared kids' closet was possible.

We put the closet system tower in the middle of the closet and then gave the girls each aside. We also made sure to add an even amount of drawers to the tower and divided that up evenly too.

Utilize BasketsUnder Clothes Storage

While the closet system created the foundation for the organization of a kids' closet isn’t able to do it all. So we added baskets.

This is actually a funny-not funny story…

After the tower was installed and ready to go, I put one of our rectangle wicker baskets on the bottom shelf on each side for the girls under clothes.

But when our oldest reached up there to get the basket down and pick out her underclothes the basket came crashing down on her poor little face. It was too big and too heavy.

I want the girls to have autonomy when they get dressed so I decided to go to Target and see if we could find some baskets that were lighter, softer, and maybe smaller.

When I walked in the front doors I saw the perfect baskets in the $1-$5 section! (This section is always full of little treasures!)

They’re made of fabric material. So not sturdy by any means, but also lightweight. I’m not sure they will last for years to come, but they seem to be good enough to get us through. We just need them to last until the girls are tall enough that they aren’t dropping the baskets on their pretty little faces anymore.

We did run some tests while we were at Target just to make sure everything would be okay when we got home.

Shoe Storage

We also found some metal baskets for their shoes. I’m not a HUGE fan of storing shoes in a basket like this. Just thrown in there. But again with 2 little girls, it seemed like the best way to store their shoes.

It’s easy for them to keep their shoes where they belong, and they have the ability to pick their own shoes each day.

Step 2. Add a Step Stool

We added a step stool for the obvious reason. Our girls are too short to reach the bottom shelf from the floor. I felt bad that the basket had come crashing down on my daughters face, so I added the step to help them reach their things without having to remove the baskets.

It’s actually perfect because it tucks up under the bottom drawer and can go away when they don’t need it.

For little girls, this step stool has been a game-changer. We use step stools in the bathroom and in the kitchen. So why not in the closet?

Step 3. Add Fun Inspiration for Growing and Moldable Minds

Did you read my post about writing notes to the girls? If you didn’t, go check it out.

In that post, I talked about this little letter board that my sister gave to me.

I LOVE IT!

My 4-year-old gets it down and practices writing messages back to me. It’s been a beautiful experience. I recommend finding a way to incorporate this into a closet for many reasons, but mainly because…

when I’m getting ready for the day it would be wonderful to hear “You’re priceless” or “Your smile is the most beautiful accessory!” or “You are beautiful: inside and out.”

If I had this in my closet I might walk in feeling down, but I’d walk out feeling more confident. This is something I desire very deeply for my precious babies.

Step 4. Purge – Less is More

Outside of the closet system, the main ingredient to creating and keeping a shared kids' closet organized is purging. I looked at all the things we were storing in the closet and realized it wasn’t necessary to store board games, 4 sets of sheets, 10 extra blankets, sentimental stuff from when they were babies, etc. in this location.

By analyzing what I wanted and needed in their closet and removing everything else we were able to organize it.

The best part is we have been living with it like this for about a month now, and I could walk back in there today and take pictures that would look very similar to the ones I took right after it was finished.

The girls know what goes in the closet, they know where it goes, and they are capable of doing it all themselves.

It’s messy, let's not pretend.

But everything is generally where it goes and indecently organized fashion for a 3 and 4-year-old. Sure there are hangers on the floor, and random socks in the shoe baskets.

But for the most part by purging and only keeping the things we needed for the girls in the closet we are able to keep it much more clean and organized.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Head over to the blog and join the mailing list and never miss a thing! I'll be sharing an update on the girls' room progress in a couple of weeks!

Have a great week! XoXo

Open Your Doors,

Aliya