RV Living and Organizing Kids’ Belongings

When we bid goodbye to our spacious suburban house embracing a nomadic existence, the singular nagging concern haunting me was – how would we fit all our belongings accumulated over decades of raising a family into 200-odd square feet?

Being parents of two growing kids – a preschooler and a third grader then – the sheer volume of constantly expanding stuff from tiny trinkets to enlarging equipment felt overwhelming and crammed into a motorhome! Rationally I knew endless possessions shouldn’t define quality living. But the hoarder in me panicked at the thought of losing touch with sentimental things as we downsized the majority of items cherished through the kids’ early childhood.

My spouse remained far calmer about proposed shedding urging me to consider purging non-essentials constructively. We researched tips from seasoned RVing parents and bought recommended sorting solutions to separate true necessities. As I consciously reorganized making space for our family’s vital facets within mobile walls, I gradually found liberation in limitations. Innovative organizing essentials gave me flexibility in continuing the kids’ enrichment minus drowning under piles accumulating in bigger houses with more unused room. Through the adjustment pain ultimately emerged a lighter nurturing nest on wheels filled only by belongings central to harmonious mobile living.

RV Living and Organizing: Valuation of Essential Assets

Our first challenge in becoming space-constrained RVers was distinguishing needs from wants regarding the kids’ belongings. We discovered just how much was non-essential through this process!

Segregating True Necessities

I conducted an audit sorting the kids’ things into buckets: critical needs, nice-to-haves, and unnecessary. Items supporting health, safety, and development went into the ‘critical’ pile. This included warm clothing, protective gear, school supplies, creative tools allowing self-expression plus treasured comfort objects.

The middle pile held supplementary enriching things bringing joy but non-vital. Only truly beloved toys, gear, and keepsakes are cut. Anything not actively used in the past year or easily replaceable was eliminated. This filtering left us with the core possessions for sustaining happiness in limited quarters.

Shedding Excess Stuff

That final non-essential pile shocked me with sheer volume once I dispassionately assessed utility. So much were impulse purchases, party favors, and prize tchotchkes the kids seldom looked at after initial delight. Such episodic clutter has overtaken past houses too but got camouflaged in ample attics and basements before.

Facing square footage reality, I stopped feeling guilty about permanently offloading overflow kid paraphernalia not needed daily. Only their special creations were preserved as keepsakes. This purge freed up precious real estate on board while teaching non-attachment.

Optimizing RV Storage Areas for Kids

With refined belongings, fitting children’s necessities inside RVs needs customized storage adapting to tiny footprints. Through much furniture reconfiguration, we devised some specialty storage hacks accommodating our kids’ possessions.

Repurposing Every Inch Hidden Under and Over

Tip-toeing around belongings spread out across floors means constant injury risks for children in hazardous mobile interiors. So we implemented vertical storage using every square inch inside cabinets, our bed platform, etc. installing shelves and bins optimized per odd nook size.

Interlocking plastic organizer drawers double as under-bed roller seats saving inches. Cabinets now have kid-height inserted racks for easy independent access to snacks, stationery, etc. Even the hallway holds collapsible personalized bins with the kids’ names labeling designated bath accessory shelves and clothing rods installed. Where horizontal planes ended, we started stacking up and down for decentralized storage.

Multi-Functional Exterior Storage Solutions

With inside real estate maxed out despite best efforts, the next frontier lay outside. Standard exterior RV compartments still held gear needed only occasionally like off-season clothing. But the front trailer triangle offered unused potential for frequently accessed items. We customized a weather-proof exterior locker here secured via magnetic latches allowing independent kid retrieval holding daily sports equipment, shoes, etc.

Small personalized plastic crates riding shotgun inside vehicle cabins store snack bags, and travel games minimizing living area chaos during rides. Outdoor modifications keep recreational add-ons secure yet handy so limited indoor organization stays tidy for essentials alone.

Curating Toys Optimally for Small Spaces

Living tiny with young kids who crave variety means rotating accessories and minimizing permanent possessions without depriving play. Through the seasons of parenting in 200 sq.ft., I learned some toy rotation tricks that stimulate imagination despite confinement.

Following The Minimal Toy Guidelines

The parenting maxim suggesting limiting playthings to what fits reasonably in main living areas works well for spatial harmony with mobile kids too. Beyond essential developmental basics like puzzles plus creative staples such as art supplies, all other toys become optional variable add-ons upcycled monthly.

We store this rotating stock in vacuum bags conserving square footage which gets swapped seasonally during transitions. I coordinate swaps based on weather permitting new outdoor activities then. As kids outgrow certain toys, we pass them forward fostering sharing too. These practices keep a lease on life for beloved possessions despite accumulative impulse buys over the years now curtailed.

Promoting Imaginative Skill-Building Play

Rotating toys works best when the permanent staples encourage pretend, constructive play – from dress-up kits to building sets and toy kitchens. Open-ended toys have infinite scenarios stretched by imagination while requiring few accessories. So my kids re-create epic sagas for months with just wood blocks augmented by handmade props like capes and signs as needed.

Skill toys teaching real-life applications – magnesium fire starters, kid walkie-talkies, bird-watching field guides, etc. also foster hours of wholesome experiential entertainment outdoors. Since envisioning fantasy worlds or picking practical skills demands no parental spend, the joy lasts longer than any flashy toy with a single-minded function I’ve discovered.

Organizing Schoolwork on the Road

Blending travel adventures with consistent education is central for roadschooling kids. Keeping changing lessons and projects orderly during transit is key so homeschooling progresses smoothly despite mobility.

Portable Personal Desks

My first attempt at homeschooling on tiny RV dinnettes proved backbreaking. So I built compact lap desks from smooth plywood, padded faux leather, and grippy rubber base allowing comfortable writing on the couch or bunk. Add-on features like slide-out trays accommodating workbooks, cups, and supplies minimize school clutter sprawl further.

Light clip-on book ledges prop up textbooks ergonomically without occupying table space. Using ultra-slim velcro-flap organizers, personalized daily homework folders plus subject divider binders stay sorted so different topics don’t blend despite crammed study zones. These customized desks provide handy school space regardless of tight seating options in motion.

Efficient Art and Craft Storage

Glue sticks, safety scissors, paint tubes, and reams of paper clutter quickly with creative young learners. So I installed a rail above the table allowing clips securing bulk supplies like paper rolls handy for quick unfurling while projects progress. Interlocking mesh cubbies adjacent stash brushes sorted by tip styles while hanging pencil bags tidy writing tools.

When moving, customized stacking and standing bins minimize supply chaos containing separated projects. Tiny pieces get sectioned in old camera film canisters preventing losing game pieces from bouncing around. With every medium imaginable easily accessible for two kids, arts and crafts stationery remains orderly amidst the organized chaos enabling educational fun.

Maintaining Hygiene in Limited Bathrooms

Cramming a family’s toiletry and healthcare essentials inside tiny RV bathrooms needs strategic organization to prevent cluttered messes.

Easy-access Medicine Storage

I mounted slim medicine cabinets with unbreakable mirrors on once-useless bathroom walls. Sections organized by symptoms and family members help locate needed ointments, prescription pills, etc. quickly in emergencies without stressful rummaging.

First-aid inventory and thermometers fill stacked utility buckets so critical supplies stay accessible not jumbled with everyday items. Wall-mounted compression bags behind cabinet doors offer overflow capacity when restocking medicines and toiletries during transitions. The medical organization keeps little bodies healthy in confined mobile spaces.

Optimizing Kids’ Bathroom Essentials

Suction cup racks vertically utilizing tub walls corral shampoos in one spot preventing slipping risks. Corner mounted towel bars near showers accommodate multiple kid towels minimizing exterior moisture damage. Tiered over-door hangers have double robe hook capacities while mesh pockets store brushes.

Freestanding utility carts stationed near doors serve as changing tables plus instant hampers for compartmentalized clothing, cloth diapers, and linen segregation. Kid-height drawers organized intelligently house bath accessories at their level and stay tidy so every necessity has a designated place minimizing clutter despite limited dimensions.

Maintaining Harmony Long-Term

Despite the shortage of square footage, with thoughtful customization and organization geared toward harmonious shared living, family necessities fit comfortably in our tiny mobile home. Solutions optimizing storage space meet enrichment needs for both kids and parents.

Our bespoke mini-desks foster educational continuity on the road. Specialized toy rotation sustains variety preventing boredom with fewer permanent possessions. The medical organization keeps health essentials easily accessible for family mobility. Customized bedroom and bathroom storage tackles clutter creatively.

Getting creative with every niche while regularly purging non-essential excess allows peaceful shared inhabitation even through additions to the family so far! Our RV ensures all members’ enrichment despite space constraints through deliberate organizational effort. Over time as the kids grow out of certain categories we will adapt to shifting needs. But durable foundational practices established now will guide harmonious mobile living for years ahead.

Related FAQs

How can you utilize awkward small spaces in an RV?

• Odd leftover gaps get maximized through specialized storage items secured via screws or velcro. Angled magazine files mounted underneath dinettes keep little storybooks accessible yet tidy. Vertical hanging shoe racks inside tight closets double capacity. Custom-fitted cabinet deer organizers prevent piles of mittens and hats on winter days. Take measurements of random spaces and seek storage solutions matching unique dimensions.

What are space-saving desks suitable for RV kids?

• Light lap desks with slip-resistant padding adjustable to fit younger kids on couches serve well doubling as portable surfaces during rides. For older kids needing proper workstations, wall-mounted drop leaf tables take up negligible floor space when folded yet accommodate foundations for desktop organization when opened. Multi-purpose furniture converting odd unused spaces into desks enables ergonomic schooling.

How to contain educational supplies with limited interior room?

• Utilize bed platforms and hall walls by installing storage rails with spring-loaded arms keeping bulk supplies handy but hidden nearby for easy access minimizing permanent piles. Label customizable craft caddies by project sorting contents needed together. Have a special cool-weather bin holding seasonal gear swapped when weather shifts containing mittens, and snow tools inaccessible during hot months. Being meticulous yet flexible helps secure supplies easily despite confined square footage.