DaytonDailyNews.com

For someone with five children, Jennifer Boldman knows how important it is to keep order in her Maineville house. Toys for children ranging in age from 1 to 7 years can multiply without a strong organization game plan.

But she somehow manages to corral everything from a ball pit, pretend kitchen play area, electronic games, castle pieces and itsy bitsy Polly Pocket accessories in her family's finished basement living space.

Always an organizer, Boldman is a stay-at-home mom and former engineer who says she learned her habits as a child from her mother. That is the same sensibility she is trying to pass on to her two sons and three daughters.

When the children receive gifts for birthdays and holidays, they know a container or storage bag is soon to follow, keeping the smaller pieces together. Boldman, 34, laughs when sharing how 6-year-old Chase recently went to the kitchen for a storage bag for a single piece to a toy. While it wasn't necessary, it shows he is learning the importance of staying organized.

Boldman's philosophy is simple. With so much potential for mess, it would be more of a chore to keep cleaning up large messes than to stay one step ahead.

She's onto something and experts agree there are many benefits to staying organized.

"Organizing will save time and money," said Jeff Becker, general manager for retail and design at Cincinnati-based Organized Living in Sharonville. "You aren't always trying to look for something. It saves time and makes things more attractive."

He adds that having the kids on board at an early age is helpful, too, for teaching self-reliance and good habits down the road.

New year brings renewed resolve

Many people jump into the new year with grand ideas that this will be the year to conquer the clutter that comes from children's toys. In fact, Becker says this month heralds his busiest time of year. But he cautions that a space must be organized carefully to make it something a family can maintain for the long haul.

"The day after Christmas, this starts our holiday season. Everybody has the new toys on their mind and they are trying to store new clothes and holiday items. Getting organized is one of the top resolutions people want to set for the new year. People are just crazy for the next month. Many start the process but don't set up anything functional," Becker said.

For playrooms in chaos, Becker suggests parents and children tackle a space together. Starting from the beginning, the space should be cleared with everything identified as something to keep, trash and sell or donate.

When deciding how much to keep, it is important to set limits.

"For example, take 50 stuffed animals down to 20 or 30. Get them involved in the process and explain that we're setting limits on different categories," Becker said.

Using the right container

They might have four sides, but all bins are not created equal for storage of children's toys.

Shallow storage containers work great for small toy pieces in Boldman's home and help avoid the problem of her children dumping out a large container looking for a tiny piece. She also likes large bins with lids for stacking when placed away in the closet.

Becker suggests containers on wheels with various drawer sizes for their flexibility in rolling to the pick-up area. They are also good options for storing various craft accessories and easily can be pulled out and put away.

Adjustable shelving systems are also good investments that grow with children as their interests and ages change, Becker said.

Set up for success

An organized playroom should be able to be easily accessible and able to be maintained by parents and children.

Boldman has containers for everything her children play with and they know where it goes. She has two closets and uses one for more frequently used toys and keeps less-used toys separated in a back closet.

When the kids have friends over, she keeps the closet locked up after pulling out several toys chosen in anticipation of the friend's preference. This avoids the common problem of play-date disaster zones.

"Before they have a play date, we make sure there are plenty of toys out to play with and harder-to-clean-up items are put away."

Her system works so well the kids know they need to put a toy away before another toy can be brought out of the closet.

"We all pick up before we move on to the next thing," she said. "It's very good incentive."

Rethink traditional ideas

The back of a door and the lower half of closets are two places to turn for unusual storage tricks, according to Becker. From barrettes to Matchbox cars, over-the-door organizers provide plenty of pockets for small pieces that are readily accessible for little hands.

Many closets are fitted with standard bars that are mounted nearly 60 inches high. For little ones, that can be tough to reach, according to Sarah Aguirre, an organizing expert with the online resource About.com. Install a bar at a lower level to hang clothes at an easy-to-reach level for children. Use the higher bar to store out-of-season clothes.

Boldman found some attractive storage containers with hard lids that hold the children's toys in the living room and can double as added seating around the coffee table in a pinch.

Consider presentation

For storage that is hidden away in closets or toy chests, Boldman doesn't mind using clear plastic bins. But for those displayed in her living area or on open shelves, she prefers using attractive cloth-lined baskets.

Keep up with the clean out

Boldman generally does a major cleanup twice each year, where she sells toys and tells her children ahead of time how much they'll get from the pot when they bring the items to Once Upon a Child. She also reserves a shelf in a second closet in their finished basement playroom for toys that haven't been used in a while. When the shelf space fills up, she clears it out.