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If you missed any days of 40 days to home organization, you can start here!
Sippy cups, plastic cups, take & toss cups, sports bottles… they really seem to multiply in a home full of kids (or disappear, as some of my friends have said)! Organizing kids cups can be a challenge. Our house has a LOT of cups and here is how I keep them under control.
If a cup does not have the matching lid, it needs to be tossed. If you have cups that you do not use (ex: the free plastic cups from restaurants that are now faded and mis-shaped from the dish washer), toss them, too.
When you have your best cups left, find a way to organize them. I do not like to have mine out of the kid’s reach because then I have to be the one in charge of getting them every drink, so… hidden behind our lower kitchen cabinet…
I have “cup” baskets:
Basket 1- plastic cups and sippy cups (any cup with a lid) (You could separate this into two baskets: cups with lids and cups without lids)
Basket 2- water bottles If they can get the cups, they can handle getting a drink themselves. Even our two year old gets himself water and if he wants milk, he finds a cup with the matching lid and brings it to me. I am no longer in charge of this. I couldn’t tell you how long I used to spend getting drinks for our kids. Plus, I am trying to raise responsible kids to be responsible adults (taking care of themselves one day!).
Here are the baskets that we keep ‘hidden’ behind the cabinet:
Unloading the dishwasher is a breeze with this, too- just throw them into the basket (I bring the basket over to the dishwasher or the kids will do this (see my post on age-appropriate chores) & just throw them in. It is very easy and works great, since we go through a lot of cups!) I used to do the “one cup a day” thing, but I hated seeing their cup sitting on the counter all day long. Maybe I’ll try it again some time in the future, but for now, we just have the use their cup & put it right into the dishwasher when it is empty.
Back to the basket… it really works and it is easy to put into action. Remember- the more that we simplify things for our kids, the easier it will be for them to keep up with what we are asking. On the same page- the easier it is for them, the easier it is for us! In this stage of my life, with four kids ages 6 & under, I am always looking to keep things simple & organized!
Are you reading to move onto talking about organizing their plates, bowls & snack bowls.
How do you organize your cups?
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We do something similar. I have a drawer all their cups go in. I love it when we go to my parents’ house and my daughter checks the drawer she thinks cups should be in, because she is wanting to help herself to water!
We have a drawer with everything in it including cups and plates. The kids know where it is and if they want something for a snack they have to get the bowl or plate. Still in process of them getting anything but water for drinks, but they do know how to get the cups themselves.
Great tips! I separate my cups and lids, but I definitely need to go through and throw out those that don’t have lids. Found your post through Crystal and Co, and I’m your newest follower through Bloglovin 🙂
Great! Welcome! 🙂
I love reading organizational tips! Many times I read tips that I already do, which makes me feel like I’m doing it right. Other times I come across an article with a suggestion I’ve never thought of.
Thanks for sharing your system(s)!
🙂 yay!
We do something similar. Cups in a basket. Water bottles in a basket. All lids in a basket. But, I need to toss some. Great post!
Lids in a basket- smart!
I saw where you posted about how you don’t like seeing your kids cups sit on the counter all day and wanted to share a neat idea I saw. Attach magnets to the cups so after they get a drink they can stick them to the fridge and they will be there for their next drink. Thanks for your blogs.
OH MY GOODNESS- that is such a fun idea!