As your family evolves over time, so will your organizational needs. The storage options needed in a nursery won’t provide the right closet for a teen. This is where custom closets for growing families can be a saving grace. At Rocky Mountain Shutters, Shades & Closets, we want to help you make a smart investment that will serve your family, providing flexible storage solutions that transition your family through the ages and stages of childhood.
The Nursery Closet
If you’ve heard the phrase, “Good things come in small packages,” you know it applies to that sweet infant in your life, but definitely NOT all the “stuff” that comes along with the newborn phase. Nursery closet organization will serve you well as you navigate the first two years of your child’s life. Teeny tiny outfits, from newborn to 2T are often hung and arranged according to size. That means a lot of adjustable hanging. Then, there is diaper and wipes storage…diapers on adjustable shelving, wipes in drawers. Onesies, bibs, burp cloths and itty-bitty socks…how could something so tiny need so much? By customizing the organization of the nursery closet, you’ll find things easier and feel more prepared as you adjust to this new stage of life.
As you baby-proof and childproof your home, closet systems are a great way to keep kids safe, allowing them access to what they want, with shelving and units secured in place. When taking steps to ensure your family’s safety, don’t forget about the window coverings in your child’s room.
The Preschool Closet
Before you know it, you’ll be swapping diapers for little backpacks, as you child heads off for new, yet short, adventures. You’ll start collecting artwork and teaching them to tidy up their room. Custom closets for growing families means adjustable shelving for books and small toys within reach and a hamper basket that holds stuffed animals for simple clean-up and easy access. We call this “low to high organization” as you can easily determine what your preschooler can and cannot have access to. Little suits or dresses hang for when they are needed. Seasonal items, like jackets and snow pants are kept up and out of the way, just waiting for the temperature to change. In this phase, it’s smart to have a basket for items your little one has grown out of. Once the basket fills up, you can move it into a longer storage area, or donate.
School-Age Closets
They’re still little, but organization is BIG. Kid-friendly closet systems are a life-changing investment, including space to hang clothes, store clothes, manage books and organize school supplies. Pull-out baskets will be helpful with toy storage. Closet organization systems are a great way to continue to teach about everything having a place–making tidying up an easier endeavor, even if it doesn’t happen as often as you’d prefer. Adjustable shelving and baskets transition well into this phase, with your young children capable of helping make labels and decisions about where things belong.
Teenage Closets
We all thought that the toddler stage would be the messiest part of raising children–and the joke was on us. The teen years of a child’s life make toddlerhood seem like a breeze. What you wouldn’t give to witness a tantrum over a pink cup as your teen faces friendship challenges and body image struggles. While storage and organization won’t help you navigate some of parenting’s trickiest issues, the custom closet in your kiddo’s life will make their day-to-day a bit easier. They can take pride in being able to clean their room up properly, AKA: You better have that room cleaned up when I get home. Remember those lessons about everything having a place? It might not seem like they’re listening to you. But this is where those lessons begin to take shape. Baskets and bins with labels are still an asset for quick put-away. You’ll still want to have a basket for items that no longer fit–and they can help with that.
The Key to Custom Storage Is Flexibility
When we talk about storage solutions, it’s really about being able to change and adapt to life’s transitions. There’s nowhere that’s more apparent than in kid’s closets. Not only does it affect your day-to-day, it allows you to manage each stage of life with confidence. There’s less time searching for things and more time to enjoy the ages and stages of childhood. When you can adjust the shelving and hang bars of the closet, it makes it easier to adapt to new phases. When you choose a neutral color for the interior of the closet, it means less maintenance over the years as children change and grow. What once looked beautiful and perfect for a nursery closet, can transition to a teen’s sophisticated, organized closet. At Rocky Mountain Shutters, Shades & Closets, we love to help you discover custom closets for growing families, and what that means to you. Get in touch with us for your free design consult.