Even under the best circumstances, two siblings sharing a bedroom can be…trying.
There never seems to be enough space for both of them, and it always seems like everyone’s stuff is getting lost or being misused in some way. This can go double for things like flu season, when two kids in a confined space like that is bound to lead to sickness and other fun topics down the road.
While there’s only so much you can do to make your kids get along better, you can absolutely make the room itself a little easier to cohabitate thanks to storage!
Shared Kids Room Storage Ideas
One of the easiest ways to navigate the trials of a shared kids’ bedroom is by providing enough storage space for everyone. Making sure everyone has enough room for their own stuff without a lot of commingling can help make life easier for everyone (including the parents), and can help your kids stay a little more motivated when it comes to cleaning and organizing their toys and clothes.
Involve your kids
The first thing you should do when planning to organize a shared bedroom is to get your kids’ input on what it should look like and what might help them. Even if the most helpful thing they suggest is to buy stuff in their favorite color, letting them feel like they had a say will make it much easier on everyone and can help them feel more involved and comfortable with the process.
Focus on giving each kid their own space
Even in the smallest rooms, if your kids feel like they have a section that’s all theirs, it can help them feel more at home and reduce any sort of inter-sibling tension. Carve out a corner of the room where they can each fit their own storage options, and maybe a home desk or two, to let them feel like they still have a place that’s ‘theirs’.
Tailor the storage to the needs of your kids
Anyone with kids knows there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to the various messes and needs they’ll encounter as they grow up, and the same goes for bedroom storage. Talk to your kids to figure out what’s most important to them, and what they’d like to organize in their room – for example, is one of your kids a big reader that would benefit from some more bookcases? Do your kids need a lot of wall shelves for their favorite toys, or an end table where they can charge up their favorite handheld game system or tablet? Asking your kids what will help them the most can make the room work better for everyone.
Find furniture that can pull double-duty
Space is probably a premium in any shared bedroom, so finding furniture that can get a lot done at once will help keep things from feeling too cluttered. A lot of bedroom shelves offer both inside storage and a flat surface up top that can work as a side table, for example. Bedroom benches can act as a place to sit, a way to help your kids get ready, and an extra bit of storage for shoes or toys. Wherever you can, try to multitask with your furniture choices to help save space.
Remember the walls
Once you’re out of floor space (which, fair warning, will probably happen faster than you expect), there’s still one more place you can look – the walls. Things like wood wall shelves (hung at a kid-safe height) and coat hooks can do a lot to reduce clutter and clothing piles, while keeping everything easily accessible for your little ones.
While we can’t promise your kids will magically start getting along better after their room is all set up, you can be confident that knowing where everything is will make life that much easier!
