Our children are probably the biggest clutter creators we have in our homes — even more so than the dreaded paper flow. It starts out innocently, when we find out we are expecting; then the purchasing frenzy swings into high gear and does not let up until, well, let’s just say many years down the road.

The clutter begins on the highly anticipated homecoming day when our countertops fill quickly with samples and instructions from the hospital. The bottles of formula, diapers, blankets and wipes all begin to take root on the counters and any and all other flat surfaces. You can kiss that nesting mode goodbye and say hello to survival mode!

Stage 1: Infant Organization

Obviously, organizing for an infant is the sole responsibility of the parent. The main areas for infant organization are:

• the changing table
• the diaper bag

The nursery’s changing table is a great place to start with simple organizing techniques. Divide the shelves below the changing surface with baskets; fill one with diapers and wipes, one with crib bedding and blankets, one with onesies and socks, etc. Baskets are a great accessory for the nursery because they are portable, lightweight and decorative. They are also readily available everywhere from discount stores to high-end decorating stores.

Next, the diaper bag can be your best friend when stocked and organized properly. Take some time before your next outing and take inventory of your contents. Diaper bags today have all these great little dividers and compartments for storing all your stuff. Upon returning from your outing re-stock and refresh your bag, so you will be ready for the next time you go visiting.

Stage 2: Toddler-Preschool Organization

Organizing this active group can be a challenge, but there are several organizing exercises in which you can involve your child, including putting away:

• books
• videos
• toys

The clear plastic containers that you can find all over these days are great kid-friendly storage solutions. Try labeling each one with a picture of its contents to make for easy cleanup for those little non-readers (store advertisements and catalogs are a great picture source, as well as printing pictures from internet sites).

Baskets are also great for storing their favorite books and videotapes, though you might want to store them out of reach to prevent them from constantly being dumped out on the floor! Little hands can manipulate a basket with much more confidence than a tightly stuffed bookshelf. Lastly, designate an area in your home for the toys. It is important for your child to understand that their toys have a place and need to make their way back there before bedtime.

Stage 3: School Age Organization

By this time, your kids are busy with many of their own activities and all the required “stuff” that goes with it. As frustrating as it may be the tenth time you have to remind your child to put away their belongings or straighten up their shelves, do not give in to the temptation to just do it yourself. This is a critical time period for developing life-long habit and you will both gain from a little patience and consistency.

Encourage your children to keep a calendar of their activities and after school commitments. Display a master family calendar, so everyone is informed and no one is left ride-less or out of the loop.

Laundry at this stage of parenting can become quite an overwhelming task. Invest in basket-sorter hampers for the kids’ laundry; your kids are quite capable at this age of sorting their dirty clothes by color. The pre-sort saves you time on laundry day.

Stage 4: High School and Beyond
Keep up the encouragement — these young adults have a lot on their minds and schedules. This can be an extremely stressful time with the college applications, spring break plans, graduations, not to mention a full course load and endless extra-curricular activities. Good time management skills are critical to maintaining these over-extended calendars. Paired with time management skills, organizational skills will help create a smooth transition to whatever path your children choose (restocking the diaper bag now seems like a cinch, doesn’t it?).

Rest assured that all your hard work building a good organizing foundation will remain with your children throughout their adult life. Who knows — maybe they will win the lottery one day and know exactly where they filed their winning ticket because they were raised in a home that stressed organization, and to show their gratitude share the prize with mom and dad.

Copyright 2004
Bridget Messino

About the author
Bridget Messino is a Professional Organizer and co-owner of Clutter Free Living, Inc. Her work frequently appears on many Internet sites and on her own organizing site Clutter Free Living as well as in her monthly Home Organizing Newsletter How to Be Clutter Free. Subscribe to the FREE monthly e-newsletter by sending a blank e-mail to cflnews-subscribe@topica.email-publisher.com

While washing your clothes, there are several ways to stay earth-friendly besides reverting to the washer board. Wash in cold water and help prevent global warming. Also wash full loads instead of you’re your child’s uniform or your favorite fat pants. Always check labels and use non-chlorinated bleach and phosphate-free detergents. You can also purchase an Energy Star washing machine which will save you a little over $100 per year. This washer also conserves water by using between 18-25 gallons of water rather than the typical whopping 40 gallons that most washers use for one load. There are Energy Star models available in top-loading or front-loading. Both model also spin the clothes extra dry and will help your clothes stay better looking for even longer. Plus, if you use a clothes dryer, less drying time is needed.

One of the easiest ways to save energy while laundering your loads is to let them air dry because next to the refrigerator, no other appliance uses so much unnecessary energy. With a bit of wire and a few clothes pins, you can make yourself a good old fashioned clothes line and hang up your clothes after washing them. There are several different models of clothes lines available, such as the umbrella-style, pulleys and hooks, poles, wooden racks, and wall-mounted dryers. The bottom line is to let your laundry air dry inside during foggy, rainy, damp, or freezing weather. However, on sunny days, let your clothes air dry outside and pick up wonderful natural scents that all the abrasive laundry detergents keep trying and failing to duplicate. By air drying your clothes, they will last longer and smell better. Plus, clothes dryer are a leading cause of house fires which result in injuries and even deaths. There’s a simple solution; air dry your clothes. The earth will thank you, as will your husband when he gets the lower energy bill!

As you can see, doing your laundry the earth-friendly way has many benefits. Your family will have great-smelling clothes, you will save money on your energy bill, and you will feel great knowing you’ve done your part to help preserve the earth.

Kelli turned to the calming properties of natural lavender essential oil to make both her baby and herself tranquil again. “I use Aura Cacia’s lavender essential oil to calm my sweet baby, and to bring back my sanity,” says Weber. “It helped with the transition to my new motherhood lifestyle.”

Lavender’s relaxing properties have long been acknowledged. The use of lavender-based herbal sleep pillows, for example, goes back centuries. And now there’s growing scientific evidence supporting lavender’s soothing properties.

Medical journals have published research conducted at universities and hospitals around the world that suggest the aroma of lavender can affect our moods by altering our brain (EEG) activity. A classic study at the University of Miami School of Medicine in 1998, for example, found that subjects exposed to the aroma of lavender for just three minutes showed more positive moods, greater relaxation and increased drowsiness.

Mindy Seiffert, the mother of twin four-year-old boys and the aromatherapy manager for Aura Cacia, a leading U.S. manufacturer of aromatherapy products (www.auracacia.com), offers these tips on using lavender to enhance the experience of caring for a baby:

• Massages: Both baby and mom can benefit from a lavender massage. Ready-to-use lavender massage oils are available, or a few drops of lavender essential oil can be mixed with sweet almond oil or unscented lotion.
• Baths: A soaking bath with lavender is another way to relax. A variety of lavender bath products exist (be sure to use an all-natural product), or simply add a few drops of lavender essential oil to the bath water. For a baby’s bath, use just two or three drops; for Mom, use five to ten.
• Quick touch-up: No time for a bath today? Rub a few drops of lavender into a baby’s hair for a fresh, floral aroma, or add 2 to 3 drops of lavender to a bowl of warm water to enhance a quick sponging off.
• In baby’s room: Sprinkle a few drops onto a simple terra cotta diffuser, or use an electric diffuser to disperse the scent of lavender throughout the room during naps and bedtime. Another option is a lavender mister. And don’t just limit these to baby’s room — a lavender diffuser can help Mom relax during “down time.”
• Laundry: Add a few drops of lavender essential oil to the baby’s laundry (including the crib sheets), not only for the aromatherapy benefits, but also for the soft, clean aroma.
• In the car: Parents are usually excellent multitaskers, but trying to calm a fussy baby while negotiating traffic is never easy. To help keep calm in the car, try sprinkling a few drops of lavender onto the baby’s car seat or a handkerchief or use a special car diffuser (which plugs into the lighter) to spread the lavender aroma throughout the car.
• Diaper cream: Add a drop or two of lavender oil to diaper cream to help protect and soothe baby’s bottom after diaper changes.

Essential oils are extremely concentrated. Follow usage directions carefully and keep them tightly closed and out of the reach of children. For more information on lavender, essential oils and aromatherapy, visit the Aura Cacia Web site at www.auracacia.com.

Courtesy of ARA Content