Post by Rebecca of Not-So-SAHM

Our kids really never met a sport they didn’t like (well, they like watching baseball more than playing it. But given that the stands are where the popcorn is, who can blame them?). And I love that about them. But sports equipment has started to overtake our house. In addition to the regular 8,324 pairs of shoes by our front door, lacrosse sticks, wrestling headgear, and soccer balls had started to pile up. And even though most of the gear was laying right out in the open, it’s a sure bet that no one could find their soccer cleats five minutes before game time.

So I got serious about some organization. We have a little nook in our basement perfect to corral everything. And even though it’s in the most narrow and dark corner of our house with very little natural light (so hard to photograph), it happens to be by the basement entrance which is key after wet and muddy games. I used a few new items from Nod and repurposed others to organize everything.

We’ve had a few weeks to try the new layout, so I thought I’d share a few lessons learned that might help you get your own athletes under control:

1. Keep Most Things Kid-Accessible

My main goal with the new space was to organize items so that the kids could take out and put them away themselves. Even the littlest of littles can help when they know where things go. The key there is to use storage the kids can see through. I love The Land of Nod’s Flea Market Wire Ball Bins are fabulous for this! We have them in grey and gold and the kids can easily locate whatever ball they need at the moment.

2. Think Outside the Box (or bin!)

Sports equipment can be odd shapes sometimes and I like to look for unusual storage for these items. Remember our Unpack Your Backpack Station? Well that same Linear Book Cart we used for backpack and shoe storage has been repurposed for unwieldy bike helmets. And the X-Ray Storage Boxes hold a few of our biking accessories on the top shelf.

3. Use ALL Available Space

Think linearly! We mounted the kids’ bikes on the wall and I am SO happy to clear the floor space a bit. Even a small area can work wonders when you use all the space.

4. Group Items By Sport

Nod’s Stack Up Metal Bins were an easy way to separate items by sport. Each of the kids’ main sports got a separate bin and I put the corresponding items for both kids in one bin. Need one kiddo to grab everyone’s wrestling gear? All in one place. (Even our new doggy Penny can help out).

5. Rotate Items Seasonally

place the items you need most immediately in the most accessible areas. Right now we are in the midst of lacrosse and soccer season. So soccer cleats and balls are at the top of the bins. Most of their lacrosse equipment is in gear bags ready to go. That means the equipment for other sports, such as wrestling and football, is put away and the bags folded under the Book Cart. I’ll switch it all out when the season changes.

It’s not fail safe, but I’ve been pleased with how it’s working out so far. Although those Saturday 8.30 a.m. soccer games are still killing me.

Rebecca is a mom to two young kiddos and, in her spare time (ha!), likes to pretend she’s a back-up dancer, craft cocktails, and run long distances. A relatively recent SAHM, she blogs family-friendly activities, DIYs and celebration fun at Not-So-SAHM.