The Family Home: The Dress-Up Dilemma
Clever ideas for corralling the kids' costumes
I'm not sure if it's this way for all kids, but my children love to dress up. I've noticed that when they are between the ages of 2 and 6, dress-up is at its prime.
Most days, my 3-year-old appears as Batman, a cowboy, Mr. Incredible and a slew of other superhero combinations, all before 10 a.m. His frequent costume changes, while entertaining, create a mess that often has me loathing one of his most loved activities.
In an effort to control the mess while still encouraging his creative side, I decided to check the Houzz archives to discover ideas for getting a handle on our dress-up situation. If you have a little performer in your home too, these are ideas you won't want to miss.
Most days, my 3-year-old appears as Batman, a cowboy, Mr. Incredible and a slew of other superhero combinations, all before 10 a.m. His frequent costume changes, while entertaining, create a mess that often has me loathing one of his most loved activities.
In an effort to control the mess while still encouraging his creative side, I decided to check the Houzz archives to discover ideas for getting a handle on our dress-up situation. If you have a little performer in your home too, these are ideas you won't want to miss.
1. Use a shelf with hooks. If you have an extra shelf with hooks lying around, put it up in the kids' room.
2. Display dress-up clothes on pegs. If your child's room, play area or an empty hallway has the space, consider hanging favorite costumes on simple pegs at little ones' eye level.
3. Store costumes on a coat rack. To limit how many costume changes occur during the day, place dress-up clothes out of reach.
5. Use inspiring materials. Repurposing unusual materials, such as this branch, to display dress-ups will add a touch of pizzazz to the space. Also, notice the mirror placed low enough for children to admire their superhero or princess appearance.
6. Make use of what you have. If your clothes drying rack isn't getting much use in the laundry room, try moving it to your child's space to store costumes.
7. Out of sight, out of mind. Sometimes it's nice to be able to stash things away and distract children into other activities. Storing dress-up clothes in a trunk like this one will keep them safe and neat while your children have fun elsewhere.
8. Hang a clothing rack. If you'd like to display costumes in a room without a closet, installing a simple clothing rack is the solution for you.