The first step is to clear everything out of the bedroom. The bed can stay, but you may have to move it or lift it to get at everything underneath.

After the room has had everything moved out you may notice dirt, garbage and old things that can be thrown away. Take the garbage bags into the bedroom and start picking up all the trash. Teenagers aquire lots of it. Once your teen’s bedroom is cleared of all debris vacuum the floors.

After the floors are vacuumed put back the furniture that you may have moved out of the room. Place everything in the room in an organized manner. The dresser and nightstand should be near the bed. A desk might be across the room with a bookshelf. If your teen’s room does not have a bookshelf, add one now. Books may encourage teens to read.

Add a magazine rack to your teen’s bedroom to get things more organized. Teens love reading magazines, and a magazine rack keeps the magazines from becoming cluttered around the floor of the room. Add a shoe organizer to the bedroom door, especially if your teen is a girl with lots of shoes. It is a great way to organize pairs of shoes for each day of the week.

Use the totes for toys, games and gadgets that your teen collects. The small totes can be labeled and stored underneath your teen’s bed. Once the stuff is organized it will be easier to find and will require less clean-up time. The large tote can be used for swapping out winter and summer clothes or for the most used items in your teen’s room.

Make it easier to put away, harder to get out — For example, store picture books as a flip-file, standing upright in a plastic dishpan. The child flips through the books, makes his selection, and tosses the book in the front of the dishpan when he’s done. Compare a traditional bookcase, where little fingers can pull down a whole shelf faster than they can replace one book. Build the effort into the getting out, not the putting away.

 Organize bottom to top — Befitting a child’s shorter stature, start organizing from the bottom of the room, and work to the top. Most used toys and belongings should live on lower shelves, in lower drawers, or on the floor. Higher levels are designated for less-frequently-used possessions.

Working bottom to top, the best-loved teddy bear sits in a small rocker on the floor, while the extensive Grandma-driven bear collection is displayed on a shelf built 6 feet up the wall.

Label — When it comes to keeping kids’ rooms organized for the long haul, labels save the day. Use a computer printer to make simple graphic labels for young children. Pictures of socks, shirts, dolls or blocks help remind the child where these items belong. Enhance reading skills for older children by using large-type word labels.

Slap labels everywhere: inside and outside of drawers, on shelf edges and on the plastic shoebox storage containers that belong there, on boxes and bookcases and filing cubes. Playing “match the label” can be fun–and turns toy pickup into a game.

Involve your child in the design plan. Talk to your child before you begin and keep his or her opinions in mind as you decide what changes you can afford. As you plan each element, narrow down the options to a few choices you will allow and consult your child for the final decision.

Keep in mind that a child’s bedroom should grow with him or her. The Thomas the Tank Engine or My Little Pony wallpaper that your child loves at the age of four may become a sore point in a few years. Try sticking with a basic color scheme for walls and bedding. You can then add throw pillows, lamps and other accessories in your child’s favorite theme and replace them as your child’s interests mature.

The color scheme is a great place to begin.  Does he have a favorite color? Does she prefer bright hues to pastels? Select two or three colors to make up your basic color scheme. Choose wall colors and bedding that reflect your plan.

Painting the walls is an inexpensive and effective way to begin. If your child loves a bright color but you think it is too overpowering, consider painting an accent wall. The wall behind your child’s bed can be a good choice because the bed is the primary focus of the room.

Once your wall color and bedding is chosen, consider accessories. This is where you can bring in your child’s current favorite character or theme. You can add accessories like throw pillows and wall hangings. You can often find themed light-switch plates or drawer pulls to update furniture. Keep the original hardware, though.

Does your child’s room need more storage? Under-the-bed bins are great for storing toys or extra clothes. Modular closet organizers work well in a child’s room. Lower-hanging shelves put clothes in the child’s reach and add extra storage space.

Framed posters and pictures are another way to add personality. Consider framing your child’s own artwork, or buy document frames and hang achievement certificates from school or activities. You can group the frames on one wall and rotate in new certificates or artwork each year.

Don’t forget pictures of family, friends and pets. Cork boards, ribbon boards or photo holders (stands with wire stems to hold photos) are fun ways to let kids arrange and rearrange unframed photos.

1. The first thing to consider when decorating your nursery is safety. Be sure to check out safety guidelines before buying or borrowing nursery furniture. You can also look up product recalls on government websites. This is a good thing to do before you start shopping for furniture.
2. Start visiting swap meets, tag sales, and garage sales as soon as you know you’ll be needing baby things. Use any secondhand sources you can think of, particularly for items that you’ll use for a very short time, such as a bassinette, walker,  or jumper.
3. Select furniture and furnishings that will convert to good use as the child grows from infancy to the toddler stage. Planning ahead now will really pay off in the future. You’ll only have to buy once.
4. Choose colors for the nursery that will coordinate with the colors of toys. Then the toys become decorative items themselves.
5. The best way to save lots of money is to do as much of the work as you can yourself.  Paint furniture, sew curtains and quilts, paint the walls, and put up wallpaper.
6. Use your money to buy things that will last through childhood - or at least a few years. Invest in a good bed and chest, but borrow or shop at discount stores for everything else.
7. If friends will be having a baby shower for you, this is a great time to get some things that will enhance your chosen room theme. Register for some things to decorate the room, such as bedding, furniture, and accessories.
8. Select a paint color for the walls that will “grow” with the child. Pale pink or baby blue are adorable for an infant, but may not last long.
9. Use baskets, drawers, and shelves to store toys, clothing, and other infant essentials.
10. Expand storage space by building shelves and adding extra clothes rods for the closet. You can buy simple do-it-yourself kits at home centers.
11. Instead of trying to wallpaper the whole room, paint the walls and decorate with a simple border or stencil a design around the windows, ceiling, and doors.

Want to give your kids free rein to decorate their rooms without the wall looking like something from a swiss cheese factory? Now you can with the creation of a new wall covering that is a magnetic primer, which contains non-toxic iron particles. You’ll need at least two base coats of this special primer under the paint of your choice. The resulting surface will hold magnets, which in turn can hold artwork, including posters. (For best holding power, use broad, flat, or ultra-strong magnets.) Now when your kids change their pictures, either daily or monthly, there won’t be a trail of holes left behind in your newly painted walls. 

Where To Buy:

 Organizing a kid’s room can be a challenge.  You need to place things where your children can pick them out, and when finished, be able to put them away for next time. Being able to do this allows the child to feel a sense of responsibility and accomplishment and it allows us parents to feel less like a personal maid service.

Below are a few tools to consider when reorganizing your child’s room. Hopefully, these tips with make it easier for both parent and child.

1. Closet Rods — We all have them. But for a child, the height may make it impossible for them to hang up or take down items without making a mess. To hang children’s clothes without letting them drag the floor, you’ll need a rod height of around 32 inches. If it is possible, lower the rod to about 4-6 inches lower than the height of your child. Or install a new rod at the lower height, and leave the upper rod to hang out-of-season or dress clothes. Allowing kids to reach the rod will help them be able to help organize their clothing.

2. Small Toy Bins — Using one huge toy box for all of your toys can actually end up creating more problems. What happens when they want a toy? They dump the whole thing out. One giant toy box may be convenient for cleanup, but it actually causes more cleanup by its nature. Try using smaller bins that allow toys to be sorted by their type or use.  Sorting and organizing toys can be an educational activity for your child.

3. Hamper for Laundry — If your kid’s room is piled high with dirty laundry, the problem may not be your child; It may be the hamper.  Older children may benefit from a divided hamper that allows them to sort out whites, colors, and linens. Younger children may need a fun incentive to put their clothes in a hamper. Try mounting a basketball goal above the hamper, and let your kids slam dunk while they organize their laundry. Some companies now have animal hampers that let you feed your dirty clothes to a wild animal.

4. Workable Bedding — Simplify your child’s bedding. If you have ruffles, sheets, duvet covers, and multiple pillows, the bed can seem impossible for a child to conquer. Simplify the contents down to what they use. Beautiful beds with multiple pillows, blankets, and sheets don’t look that great when they’re unmade. Trade in the bolsters and multiple shams for simplicity and a neatly made bed.

5. Hooks — The hook is a simple yet wonderful organizational tool. Hooks at an accessible level can allow children to hang their own hats, bags, scarves, backpacks, and more. Hang a few hooks on the back of the closet door and put labels above to remind your children of what to put there. Remember to label items with pictures and words for non-readers.