MAKING SPACE FOR FAMILY LIFE: CLEVERSTORAGE SOLUTIONS FOR BUSY HOMES

By Boom Buddy Rebecca Becca & The Girls Crew

With two little ones, I’ve quickly learnt that family life comes with a LOT of stuff! From toys and books to outgrown clothes and endless spare bedding, finding somewhere for everything can feel like a full-time job. But you don ’t need a huge house or expensive storage systems to get organised. Sometimes, it’ s about making the most of the space you already have.

Look up, down and everywhere in between

One of my favourite tricks is using the space above wardrobes. Adding a few baskets up there is ideal for storing seasonal clothing, which you can swap around as the weather changes. Under-bed storage is another winner. We have a divan bed, so we use that hidden space for clean bedding and towels – things we need regularly but don ’t necessarily want taking up valuable cupboard space.

Even the space under our sofa has proved useful! Our children ’ s obstacle course lives there, ready to slide out whenever we fancy an indoor adventure

Make toy storage work for you

Toys can take over a house surprisingly quickly, so I like having baskets in different rooms filled with accessible toys and books. It means the girls can play wherever we are, without everything needing to live in one room. I also switch the contents around to keep things fresh and interesting

We ’ re big fans of IKEA KALLAX units, too. We use some of the open sections to display toys for our toy rotation system, while the pull-out boxes at the bottom hide away everything else. For smaller toys, puzzles and little bits and bobs, reusable zip-lock bags are brilliant. They keep everything together and are particularly handy for taking toys on journeys.

Clothes, clothes and more clothes!

With two children, we’ve been able to save lots of our eldest’ s clothes for her little sister. I keep these in clearly labelled boxes in the garage, making it easy to find the next size when we need it. I also have a separate ‘Vinted’ box for items to sell and a ‘to be kept’ box for sentimental pieces.

If you ’ re short on space, vacuum storage bags are a great alternative, compressing bulky clothing and bedding. You can even use empty suitcases to store things you don ’t need all the time.

Don’t forget the garden

Outdoor storage boxes and benches are brilliant for keeping balls, bats and other outdoor toys together. They help keep the garden tidy while making it easy for little ones to grab what they need for playtime.

Ultimately, my biggest tip is to make sure everything has a home. It doesn’t have to be Pinterest-perfect, and it certainly doesn’t need to cost a fortune. When everything has its own place, tidying becomes much easier – and there ’ s less time spent searching for that one missing toy when you ’ re already late getting out of the door!

Follow more of Rebecca’s family adventures over on Instagram! @becca_andthegirls