Organizational tips?

[threeboysmom]

We are a family of 5 - 1 very organized Mom (me) and 4 very unorganized "boys" I'd like to hear some ideas on how to keep our suitcases organized (we are splitting our stay between 2 hotels) and how to keep our room organized. I tend to get very stressed when things get disorganized & stuff is all over the room.....

Any help? I'll be forever grateful

 

[BrerMama]

There's always "put the outfits in a bag" trick. Buy a bunch of gallon size ziploc bags. For each day and each child, put top, bottom, underwear, socks in a bag, press out the air and seal. Label with child's name. Then pack the ziplocs inside the suitcase. Each morning as you're getting ready, you just toss each kid a bag and they can get dressed out of that. This is assuming your children are small enough for all their clothing to fit in a bag (although you can get larger ziplocs if needed). Then you have lots of extra Ziplocs for carrying wet clothes, etc.

 

[ReneeQ]

I have never tried this, but some people take an over the door shoe holder with clear pockets that they put on the bathroom door to hold things so everything isn't on the bathroom counter.

 

[crusoe2]

We bought each member of the family a hanging toiletries bag. I first saw them in an LL Bean catalog but you can find them at Walmart for much less $. It gave us a place for toothbrush, toothpaste, etc. and could hang on the closet rod or be taken into the bathroom at shower time. It even has a section that comes out and can go into the shower with you. I also designate a spot (usually the area under the sink) as our place to leave our shoes cause everybody always wants to kick them off as soon as we get back to the room and I hate tripping over the darn things. Another idea is to let each of the kids take a backpack with whatever toys they just can't leave home but specify that they have to leave room in it to hold their souveniers and whenever they are done playing with something it must go back in the backpack. Something else I did that seem to cut down on the clutter - instead of packing all the odds & ends (like our ponchos, battery-operated fans, over the counter meds, etc.) in seperate bags, I put them all in one medium sized suitcase. I set it up on the luggage rack and just took things out as needed. We had fewer bags to deal with and we always knew where to find all that stuff instead of having to dig through several suitcases trying to remember which bag we packed the ponchos in. Something I tried last trip that I won't do again - sharing suitcases. We got extra large duffle bags on wheels and my DD and I shared one and my DH and DS shared the other. It cut down on the number of bags but it meant that everything had to be unpacked and put in the closet or drawers to keep it from getting messy and to keep us from having to dig through so much stuff to find what we needed. It was also a short trip and all the unpacking and then packing back up used up valuable time. Next trip each person gets their own duffle bag and can live out of it for the few days we are there. Good luck - I hope some of this helps. And I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who stresses over the disorganized room.

 

[Jordan's MOM]

When we stay in more than one place on a trip, we pack for each hotel in different suitcases. WE decide what we will need each place and put just those things in a suitcase. We do pack one cosmetic bags that we use both places. Becasue we drive most places. We just leave what we do not need in the car, but flying, you can just sit the un needed suitcase in the corner. We also find that you stay 3 or 4 days or more, it's worth unpacking and finding a place for everything. That prevents the suitcase sitting out all the time.
Also, limit the toys you take, and stuff you buy. That adds up. If you are eating in the room, try not to over buy on the snacks. When we are on an upper level and have a balcany, we keep the cooler out there if the weather is cool. We just step out to get our drinks etc.


Jordan's mom

 

[NotUrsula]

Pack separate suitcases for each hotel stay, unless of course you will be at the first one long enough to do laundry and have to start over, anyway. As soon as you arrive, unpack every last item in the suitcase(s) and then put the suitcase at the bottom of the closet to hold the dirties. (If you don't like dirties in your suitcases, then bring along a collapsing hamper or laundry basket for that purpose.)

We have used a hanging toiletries bag for years, but I'd never allow each person in the family to have a separate one; except for toothbrushes, everything is communal when we travel. One toiletry bag takes up more than enough space, 4 would be a nightmare.

 

[threeboysmom]

Wow! These are great tips!! I'm so glad there are some organized people out there! I think I'm going to print this thread out so I can highlight the different ideas I want to try.

Anymore??