Top tips for managing kid chaos at home

It’s that time of the year again. And as parents heave a massive sigh of relief in advance of their offspring’s return to school, there’s work that can be done on the home front to make the new term less stressful.

Local lifestyle management guru Tracy Ross makes a living out of turning chaos into calm, meaning she’s ideally placed to offer advice on stopping kid clutter from taking over your home.

Here Tracy shares her top tips on achieving calm in two key areas: school and toys.

Have a system

It’s important to know where to put things such as school bags, lunch boxes, reading books, letters, etc. when the kids come home.

Be prepared

Try and prepare what you can the night before to avoid a frantic morning, ie. when the kids are in the bath you can lay out school uniforms for the following day or prepare packed lunches when you are preparing the evening meal.

Everything in its place

Unless you have a playroom it’s important to have a dedicated space for toys in the house, ie. bedroom (majority of toys), living room (small selection of toys and books) kitchen (craft cupboard) and shed (garden toys). Toys should stay in these allocated areas.

Keep things moving

It’s a good idea to rotate toys between rooms every two or three months so the children play with all of their toys and are less tempted to spread everything all over the house.

Find out more about Tracy in tomorrow’s (September 1) Herts Ad Property pages, or by visiting her website: www.blissfullyorganised.co.uk.