13 Things the Most Organized Moms Have in Their Homes

It's not enough to get one or two hefty bins and use them as catchalls for all your kids' toys — in fact, that's the key way to ensure that whatever is at the bottom of the bin will never see the light of day again. Instead, get lots of bins and baskets of varying sizes — small, medium, and large, at the very least. Into the small baskets go the smaller toys, like finger puppets, magnet tiles, or match cars. The medium baskets can hold blocks or train sets, and the large ones can keep stuffed animals contained.

When adding shelving to the wall of a kid's room, one of the biggest mistakes parents make is putting them all at parent-height. Sure, some shelves — those holding decorative keepsakes, for instance — can be built higher up on the wall, but it's to everyone's benefit if a few shelves are installed at toddler eye level so that they have more autonomy and ability to access the books and toys they want to. It teaches them a valuable lesson on doing it "all by yourself," and gives you a break!

Even if you think you'll remember where everything goes, one wild playdate can upend a room so disastrously that you'll appreciate the reminders. The secret to creating labels that last is by sticking to broad categories that kids intuitively understand — blocks, books, and dress-up, for instance. Plus, in doing so, you aren't limiting what goes inside too much. Another bit of advice: invest in a handheld label maker . . . the most organized moms own their own!

The refrigerator only has so much real estate for school art projects, and tacking crayon creations directly to the wall can be a bit of an eye sore. Creating one or two rows of clothespinned twine or string is an easy solution that looks great and allows for a more steady rotation of masterpieces.

When it comes to multipurpose home furnishings, there's one brand-loyal buy that all moms can agree on — and it's the Kallax series from IKEA. Available in a range of square configurations, it offers countless ways to customize it based on your needs. Want open shelving to display toys? Sure. Want drawers and doors? You got it? How about bins? No problem! It's so cheap and easy to tweak that you'll be constantly experimenting with new ways to contain the chaos.

Even if you don't know what you'll hang from them at first, hooks always, always find themselves used. As with shelving, consider placing hooks at differing levels so your kids can hang their own coats or backpacks.

Whether it's a reading nook, a play tent, or a pint-sized table and chairs, setting aside a specific place for coordinating activities helps deter kids from taking over the entire house. It's wise to make the placement of such a spot organic: a comfy bean bag chair should be right next to the family book collection, and the easel should be a short reach from the art supplies.

There's a lot to love about narrow shelving, not the least of which is how it prevents you from overfilling shelves with too much stuff that you rarely touch and that does little more than collect dust. Another benefit for kids is that it's easier for them to see books that are forward-facing! They're more apt to ask for a wide variety of bedtime stories with such a decorative display.