Entering parenthood is eye-opening. It pretty much rocks your world and everything you thought you knew. It also completely transforms your interior space. Having a room to design into a nursery is special and sweet. But the entourage of essential equipment (infant car seat, stroller, pack ‘n play, diaper bag, bottles, pumping gadgets, highchair, and more) is what physically takes over your home.
Coincidentally, a lot is going on for you in this early phase, so you may be distracted enough to not be bothered (unless you’re a fellow HSP and are VERY aware/coping as best you can—I feel you!). As you find a rhythm and your little one becomes more active and aware, your home undergoes more change. The baby playmat becomes a bigger, brighter, louder exersaucer. Stuffies multiply and every corner turns into a construction zone…wooden blocks, magnetic tiles, and those infamous bricks that present a whole new challenge the smaller they get.
If you tend towards minimal and tidy, these changes may feel like sensory overload. Here are some prompts to see how you naturally react when things get messy:
Can you stay in the room or do you need to walk/run away?
Do you feel a sense of joy and think, “Yay! What fun!” or do you start to stress, get fidgety, and think, “Omg, what a tornado…again!!”?🫣
If the visual mess or clutter of kid stuff initiates a fight-or-flight response, you’re not alone. Studies have shown that kids themselves get overstimulated by too many toys. With a floor full of options, there’s no space physically or mentally for them to create, imagine, or play. Fortunately, being aware of your innate reaction to the chaos gives you the power to approach tidying up differently.
Toy takeover circa 2019. Even my girls don’t know what to do with themselves in this mess!
While kiddos may not understand clutter or organizing at a young age, they do know what it’s like to trip and fall. It hurts and is unsafe. So instead of focusing on tidiness and order, try making safety the priority. After what felt like a solid year (2020) of fights and failed methods to get our girls to pick up their toys, my husband tripped over our daughter’s baby doll crib and split open his toe (ouch!). As we worked the blood out of the carpet, we realized the perpetual mess was triggering more than overwhelm. It was an everyday hazard that needed to be addressed ASAP.
Making safety the purpose for putting away toys was a much simpler concept for our kiddos to grasp. Signaling tidy up time with the rhyme, “when you’re done with play, put it away”, helped the idea stick and honestly gave me a go-to phrase to say instead of yelling! It wasn’t an overnight switch but it was a rule we could all get behind and the start of a better way forward.
what's your natural response to visual mess or clutter?
Numerous studies have shown that mess and clutter in homes increase anxiety, distract from focus, drain energy, and/or make us feel like we’re failing or falling behind. I'm incredibly fascinated by how our interior environment impacts our health and well-being. It's a huge part of my why and drive to help people, especially parents, transform their space to better their lives. If that sounds like a shift you want to make, follow me on Instagram for more engaging content and conversations!
Always,
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