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Have you thought about becoming a minimalist mom? Minimalism can help moms simplify their lives and make space for the things that really matter in life.
Becoming a mom is exciting and overwhelming all at the same time. The years fly by and you grasp for ways to tone down the chaos and create special moments for your family.
As a mom, I am going to share the ways I have found that have really helped me to start becoming a minimalist mom.
You are going to learn about some easy ways you can start dabbling in becoming a minimalist mom today and into the future of your journey in this mom life.
This post is all about the areas of mom life that lend themselves easily to becoming a minimalist mom.
Best Minimalist Mom Tips:
1. Minimalist Mom Wardrobe
Creating a minimalist wardrobe for yourself is such a great place to start becoming a minimalist mom. We hang onto so many things unnecessarily out of fear that we will need them someday.
If you are completely overwhelmed, something’s gotta go. In her book The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up, Marie Kondo recommends starting with clothes when you start decluttering and tidying up your life. The process revolves around what brings you joy. You pick up each item one by one and determine if it brings you joy. You also take into account if you need and use the item.
I like Marie Kondo’s style, but it may not be for everyone. There is no one right way to declutter or start living more minimally. While you may let go of some things that you regret, that subsides with time. I don’t think anyone will ever regret improving their life and exchanging things that don’t matter for the things that really do.
The idea of having a simple, small collection of clothes, accessories, and shoes that you love, that are comfortable, that make you want to live your life — yes. That’s what it’s all about. It’s amazing how much we don’t actually need but think we do. Letting go creates the space for other more important things in life.
2. Minimalist Wardrobe for Kids
I’m so excited about the idea of a minimalist wardrobe for kids. What’s the number one thing moms can’t seem to get under control? If it’s not laundry, I don’t know what it is! Haha. But seriously, the abundance of clothes is just one area of life that doesn’t need to be overwhelming.
Until very recently, I was saving so many baby clothes, and I was going down the path of saving a few cherished items from each age and stage. I had a moment where I realized that this just wasn’t a sustainable plan for me. It wasn’t necessary. We have so many pictures of them in their favorite clothes. I realized it was more of a burden to try to save all this stuff. It took up room in closets that could be used for other things which helps cut down on the general household clutter.
Consider letting go of clothes in the previous size. When you can tell they are growing out of the previous size, you might do one sweep of the too small clothes once you have built up enough stock of the new size.
Pick a color scheme for your kids’ wardrobes and stick to that color scheme as much as possible. There aren’t any strict rules with this. It’s all about doing what makes your life easier as a mom. You might stick with one type of pants in a few basic colors like navy, denim, and black, and then have more variety in their tops. Whatever system you choose, you get to take back control of reeling in the unnecessary child wardrobe excess. The end result of this plan is less chaos in the closets, dressers, and the laundry room.
3. Hanging vs. Folding Kids Clothes
Some moms on the minimalist mom journey may choose to hang all the tiny clothes. Others may choose to fold all the clothes. Or you may choose both. I was doing both for years because I thought I had to, until I realized keeping everything in drawers just worked better for us.
Whatever system you choose, remember that the only people it needs to work for are the ones living in your house. Don’t hang baby clothes because you think you are supposed to (I did this). If a toddler pulling hangers off the rack drives you insane, just don’t use hangers. You will be amazed at the freedom that comes from this mindset of doing what works for you and letting go of the mental clutter of what we think we are supposed to do.
4. Toy Rotation System (or Not)
The concept of a toy rotation system is genius: only have out a manageable selection of kids toys at any given time. Create a separate storage space for the other toys to rotate into their experience at periodic intervals.
I started out without a toy rotation system. With everything accessible at all times. It was too much. It was overwhelming to me to look at. I’m sure it was overwhelming for our first baby to look at.
I came across the concept of the toy rotation system and it did help me to get things under control. Anything is better than having all kids toys out at all times.
But I found that the idea of having to rotate in toys every 2 weeks or every month was also stressing me out. When I got rid of nearly all of the baby clothes, I realized that I had freed up more storage space for other kid stuff. I had a new storage place for a small selection of toys and activities that weren’t currently in use.
When I was trying to keep up with a toy rotation system, I had 2 large bins in the garage storing extra toys and activities that weren’t in use. I got rid of most of it, or whatever didn’t fit in the newfound storage area in their bedroom closets.
I no longer try to keep up with a toy rotation system. If a toy rotation system works for you, great! If not, that’s ok too. Just like with your clothes and your kids clothes, you get to decide how many toys your house can hold. And it doesn’t have to be an elaborate system of attempting to manage clutter.
5. Household Bedding
I have heard a lot of advice about having 2 sets of sheets for babies and toddlers. It really is great advice. Some minimalist families go with one set, and if that works for you, that’s great!
I have chosen to keep 2 sets of sheets for each child because when I go to change the sheets, I like to have a clean sheet ready to re-make the bed. It takes the pressure off of having to have the laundry done in time for nap time or bedtime.
For each child, I have two mattress covers, two fitted sheets, one bedspread, and a few cozy throw blankets that they love. Decide what bedding and linens are actually being used and get rid of the rest. We don’t use the top sheets that came with the kids’ bedding sets, so I just donated them.
Minimalist Mom Tip:
Just because something comes with a set doesn’t mean you have to keep all the items in the set if they aren’t all being used.
I also have two sets of sheets for the other beds in the house (our bed in the master bedroom and the guest bed). My rationale for two sets is the same as for the kids: it’s all about taking the pressure off the laundry cycle to have a bed made in time for sleep.
6. Declutter Kitchen Counter Tops
Decluttering the kitchen counter tops is my baseline reset for feeling in control of the house and my life. Learning to live with bare kitchen counter tops takes a bit of an adjustment, but once you do I promise you will never want to go back.
This takes more work initially to find a place to store away almost everything that is currently out on the kitchen counters. The exception being of a few small appliances that you use everyday (like the coffee maker) and maybe a few small decorative items. Once everything has a place to get tucked away, then clearing off the kitchen counter tops after each meal becomes an easy routine.
The kitchen counters will still get massively “cluttered” with everything when you are preparing a simple meal or bringing in the groceries. That’s what they are there for! But the standing clutter will no longer get in the way. It’s also visually calming to look out at your kitchen at the end of the day and see a peaceful scene.
7. Gifts for Kids
Through her books, Marie Kondo helped me to see that gifts serve their purpose in the giving and receiving of the gift. They bring joy in that moment to both the person giving them and the person receiving them. Beyond that, sometimes it’s just too much. I’m pretty sure many moms can relate to this.
I recently discovered a great way of looking at kids gifts. As a minimalist mom, it’s ok to have boundaries for how many clothes and toys are out and accessible at any given time. When your child receives a ton of toys and clothes for their birthday and Christmas, it’s nice for them to have some extra items to use. They can enjoy the gifts.
But after a period of time, it’s okay to evaluate if the items are working within your household. There will likely be a few items you can tell your child cherishes because they use them all the time. But for the items that aren’t in constant use or are never used, I have learned that it’s ok to take control of anything that has simply become clutter.
Becoming a Minimalist Mom Is a Process
Becoming a minimalist mom is ultimately about setting your family up for success. As a mom, you are less stressed when there is less clutter. You give yourself more time to be with family because with less stuff, there is less to do. Less to maintain, less to worry about, less to get to.
As moms, we are doing the best we can to learn how to be the best versions of ourselves and to pass that along to our kids. Letting go of unnecessary stuff helps us to clear the way for the best versions of ourselves to emerge and to be present for our families.