OK, it’s day two of our organizing week and we’re working on our unruly sink drawer. This post isn’t a play-by-play of before, during, and after photos (that’s later today); it’s a clear explanation of the system that finally helped us tame the mountain of Clara-related stuff that threatened to take over the house. We get asked often: “Can you share how you organize Clara’s things?” So here’s the rundown of what actually worked for us.

When Clara was a baby the setup was simple: a small ottoman, a single basket with rattles and soft toys, a swing, and a blanket for tummy time. Once she became a toddler, though, everything changed. The single basket system didn’t stand a chance against books, crayons, toy dishes, drums, stuffed animals, pretend food, buckets, blocks, cars, and dolls. Even with promises to buy less, hand-me-downs and gifts accumulated until we were overflowing with stuff.

For almost ten months I was terrible at maintaining any real system. I shoved things into seven different baskets and ottomans with no consistent grouping, and sometimes toys stayed on the floor because I was just too tired to sort them. Then I had an organizational epiphany: turn one big ottoman into a toy store. Instead of leaving every toy out all the time, I chose only a few favorites to keep accessible and stashed the rest in the ottoman. That single change made a huge difference.

I pulled everything out and kept only the “best-of” toys—the ones Clara plays with consistently. The rest went into a storage bin. It took maybe half an hour to decide what stayed and what went away. The result was one manageable basket of favorites. That basket became Clara’s go-to selection, and I could rotate items in and out easily. This kept playtime fresh and prevented her from getting overwhelmed by too many choices.

In the basket right now: a few favorite stuffed animals, a wooden pull toy, several balls, a small purse from Grammy, a couple of baby dolls, a dress-up skirt she insists on wearing, and a pot she uses to transfer small items in and out. The real hit is a small fabric pouch that holds her tiny favorites: a few small cars, a toy phone, a wooden train, a small ball, some plastic animals, a plane, a shaker, two rhythm sticks, and a scarf from music class. That pouch gets pulled out multiple times a day, and everything fits back into the main basket at night so cleanup takes minutes.

Alongside that main toy basket, we use two book baskets—one in the office and one in the living room. Having designated baskets for books makes it easy to keep them from spilling into toy piles. Books have a clear home, so when Clara brings one into another room we know exactly where to return it.

We also recognized that Clara spends time in different “zones,” which made it easier to limit the number of toys available in any one place. For example, she has a small coloring desk stocked with a zippered pouch of crayons and a pouch of stickers. Marker time, play dough, and chalk are supervised to keep the mess under control. In the hallway she has a small rocker where she’ll wander off to calm down. Her play kitchen stores dishes and food in the cabinet beneath it and a small thrifted shopping basket, so those items have a dedicated spot too.

Under her dresser we keep two shallow baskets—one for blocks and one for puzzles. Shallow baskets work great for puzzles because the boards and pieces stay together instead of getting scattered into deep bins. That simple change eliminated the daily hunt for missing pieces. Each night, as part of bedtime tidy-up, I make one quick walk down the hall to return puzzle pieces, kitchen toys, and anything else that wandered into other rooms.

There’s also a small book basket in Clara’s room with a bucket of wooden blocks beside it. These usually stay in her room, but if they travel, they’re returned to their home during the nightly sweep. We’re also starting to ask Clara to help put things away—she even sings the clean-up song sometimes—so she’s learning that things belong in specific places.

We keep a drawer in the kitchen for special supervised activities we bring out occasionally. Because they aren’t always accessible, these activities feel fresh and exciting when they appear. For outdoor play, the rock box has been a hit. It’s a separate zone where she can dig, explore, and play with larger toys like buckets and trucks. We’re planning to add an outdoor storage bin for items that don’t fit under the cover, which should make outdoor cleanup easier.

This system—one small basket of current favorites, a bin for rotation, designated baskets for books, shallow baskets for puzzles, and clear zones for specific activities—has simplified daily life and made playtime more engaging. It will likely keep evolving as Clara grows, but for now it keeps clutter under control and makes cleanup quick. What organizing tricks do you rely on for kids’ stuff? There are many approaches, and it’s great to hear what others find useful.