Many a parent has complained  to me about feeling like a maid when it comes to picking up toys on the floor left  discarded  by their children.  There is nothing more stressful to parents then  walking in a room and seeing toys strewn all over the floor.  As a mother of five children I can relate, I have been there done that.   Picking up after my children’s messes not only made me feel more frustrated, it also made me feel like a failure as a parent because I was taking the path of least resistance (ie. Doing the cleaning myself to avoid children’s whining).  In fact that method was the WORST thing I could of done, because then all I was  doing as a parent was making lazy children.

Alas, I have grown wiser and no longer clean my children’s messes.  In fact I also enforce a no whining rule because no one wants to hear that.  The little mess makers (our children) really do need to learn top pick up after themselves at a very early age.  Failure to teach your children how to clean and organize their belongings can cause great aggravation to their future college roommate, spouse and future mother in law! 

The secret to getting your kid’s toys picked up and organized?  Provide innovative storage  and toys that won’t leave a mess all over a room.  I love  Zip Bins!  You can start teaching your children at 2-3 years old cleaning up their toys and the Zip Bin is a great way to start.  I found this product on line and think it is a God-send to busy parents!   Legos are great but if you don’t have a container to store them in plan to step on a few of them!  So here are my three tips for getting your children to pick up their toys.

1.  Start teaching cleaning and organizing toys at 2 years old.

2.  Have proper storage containers, toy chests etc, so the child has a place for everything to go.

3.  Get a Zip Bin.  The Zip Bin is one of the most innovative ways to keep your child’s toys organized and creates magical play.