What are Your Tips for Combating Kiddie Clutter?

Moms Talk is a weekly feature on all Lehigh Valley Patches in which local parents, caregivers and other members of the community are invited to share opinions and advice on parenting issues.

This week’s Moms Talk topic relates to combating clutter:

Kids come with a lot of stuff. (Husbands do too, but that’s a topic for another week.) Think back on all the baby baggage -- bottles, burp cloths, diapers, and creams and ointments galore. It gets worse as they got older. There are all those precious papers from the preschool that quickly overtake your refrigerator, kitchen table and your passenger seat. When they’re small, the toys are big and you think, “things will get better when I can finally get rid of that train table and replace it with actual dining room furniture.” (They don’t.) Then, you are constantly amazed at how badly you can sprain an ankle on teeny, tiny Lego pieces. With the holiday season upon us and, for many, entirely new batches of kid clutter about to come through the front door, there are many parents out there who would likely benefit from some tips on combating the clutter. Which papers do you hold onto and which ones do you toss? Do you sell the old toys or donate them to charity? Do you purge while the little ones are watching or sneak things out of the house under the cover of darkness? Share your thoughts:

What are your tips for fighting kiddie clutter?

Our Moms Council members include: 

• Lisa Amey of Upper Milford Township is a stay-at-home mom to an 8-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl. A past president of the MOMS Club of Emmaus and longtime member of MOPs (Mothers of Preschoolers), Lisa is an Independent Consultant for Arbonne International. 
• Lisa Drew of Emmaus is a certified nutritionist and personal trainer, wellness and fitness coach with more than 17 years of experience. She is the mother of a 13-year-old girl and a 9-year-old boy.
• Jennifer Elston of Emmaus has almost two decades of professional experience in child development and counseling. She is currently a stay-at-home mom to two beautiful girls. Together with her husband, Chris, she owns Christopher Elston Photography.
• Jeanne Lombardo of Nazareth is the mother of a 10-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl. She’s new to the Lehigh Valley, having moved to Nazareth from Bergen County, NJ in January.
• Lisa Merk of Lower Macungie is a stay-at-home mother of four boys – a 12-year-old and 6-year-old triplets. Lisa is a past president of the MOMS Club of Lower Macungie East. In her “spare” time, Lisa teaches piano to school-age children.
• Megan Patruno of Allentown is a mother of three – an 11-year-old boy, an 8-year-old girl and a 6-year-old boy. Megan also works as an admission counselor at Muhlenberg College in Allentown.
• Zoila Bonilla Paul of Bethlehem is a stay-at-home mom to two girls – a 5-year-old and a 14-month-old. Zoila is a member of her local “moms’ club” and says she is “well-versed in the fun that children can bring.”
• Beth Sharpless of Emmaus works part time in a local emergency department as a nurse and part time from home as a customer support specialist. She has two children -- a boy who is almost 2 and a 5-year-old girl. She says they love spending time outdoors and dancing.
• Jennifer Willenbrock of Nazareth is mom to two beautiful daughters, ages 5 and 6 weeks. She was previously employed by Catholic Charities, where she worked in a girl’s group home in Philipsburg, N.J.

If you would like to become a part of the Moms Council and/or have ideas for future Moms Talk questions, please email jennifer.marangos@patch.com.