Why would anyone want to pursue minimalism with kids, how is that even possible?
Those were questions I asked myself. And here are my thoughts about it.
Why spend so much time cleaning when I could be playing with my kids? The less clutter and STUFF we have the less time I have to spend fighting it by putting it Just where it goes and having more time for other things.
Following minimalist Instagram accounts and watching tiny house videos has helped me and also made me realize how much we CAN live without. Plus I love watching tiny house videos to see all the ideas people come up with in order to store things they need in their tiny house. I'm not talking a small apartment or a small house. If you don't know what a tiny house is, they are almost RV like structures that people live in, often on wheels and can travel around with their owners. It's pretty awesome!
I have found that reducing our clutter and donating/ selling what we don't need or use has GREATLY reduced my anxiety! (don't get me wrong, I still have anxiety but it is FAR less the more and more we seem to get rid of). Toys, clothes, extra stuff in the kitchen, etc. I want my kids to have quality toys that they ACTUALLY play with. I want them to LOVE their toys, but not have so many that they don't play with them much!
Storage in the stairs of these tiny homes! How smart!!!
Love the look of this interior tiny home. Color, wood etc. LOVE!
I have found that reducing our clutter and donating/ selling what we don't need or use has GREATLY reduced my anxiety! (don't get me wrong, I still have anxiety but it is FAR less the more and more we seem to get rid of). Toys, clothes, extra stuff in the kitchen, etc. I want my kids to have quality toys that they ACTUALLY play with. I want them to LOVE their toys, but not have so many that they don't play with them much!
Experiences over things:
I have struggled with this. When friends or family give gifts we are super grateful but our kids don't need anything (besides diapers and wipes) we have everything we need!
How do you nicely tell friends and family instead of things we want experiences rather than things (more toys, clothes, etc.) when they ask us for our wishlist's around birthdays and Christmas? I would rather have my kids get gift cards/ experiences (like a family pass somewhere) or time with their family members to take them on a little date and make them feel special and make memories with them! This means so much more than more THINGS. I want them to be able to have experiences rather than tripping over all the material items in our 2 bedroom 1 bath, 745 square foot apartment. We have reduced the toys in our home recently to our best quality toys, and the ones that get played with the most! Saylor is actually playing with the toys she does have now instead of digging through toys! Typically most of the toys that we kept don't have batteries. I wanted our girls to be playing with toys that promote open ended play!
How has it benefited us?
I have found that reducing what we don't need/use/love has also helped Saylor. She isn't tripping over as much, (which has been an issue for a long time and due to my guilt with getting rid of something that was a gift, or something we might need in 6 months) and seems happier and more carefree to run (with what room she does have) and play!
Leave a comment below if you have any advice on asking family members for experiences/ family passes rather than things!
My favorite minimal Instagram accounts to follow that have the best tips:
The.Minimal.Mom
Minimalist.Motherhood
Minty.Minimal.Mama
Morganized_Living
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