It seems that when parents aren’t driving their kids to sports practices and games, they’re busy organizing all the equipment that accompanies their kids to those activities. Keeping track of all the uniforms and equipment for multiple sports — and sometimes multiple children — is a challenge, especially because items are constantly coming and going, need to be cleaned and are often transported to events in different cars, where they can be left behind accidentally.
Here are some ways to make sure you and your child can work as a team to ensure they always have what they need.
Label everything
Every piece of equipment and part of a uniform should be labeled. Not only so your child can distinguish it from teammates’ belongings, but also so parents can distinguish one child’s baseball glove, soccer shorts or helmet from their other children’s equipment. Labeling also makes it easier to put items away when there is more than one person in the house doing laundry. Sometimes this just requires using a Sharpie to write a name on a jersey or pair of shorts, but personalized labels, such as Mabel’s Labels, are also great for sports bags, water bottles and the inside of shoes.
Accessible location
Perhaps the most important decision you’ll make in terms of organizing sports equipment is where you’ll store the items. Wherever you and your kids most often enter the house makes the most sense, but if there are no options near your front door (the hall closet can’t accommodate coats, shoes and sports equipment), think about other options that have ample space where everything can be stored together. The garage is a fine option for balls, sticks, pads and other large (and often smelly) items that are brought home in between practices and games. A mudroom or a side hallway with hooks also works. Just make sure your kids know the floor by the front door is not an appropriate drop zone.
A bag or bin for each sport
As with all organizing tasks, it’s vital to have a specific place where items belong so everyone in the family knows where to store them. An easy way to do this is to assign each child a designated bag for each sport. If you use bags, they don’t have to be fancy name-brand sports bags; a small tote or a pull-string bag will do. If you’re using bins, it’s better to use something that can be easily wiped clean instead of a basket or fabric bin. Either way, label the bags or bins clearly.
It also may be worth designating a particular laundry bin for sports clothing so uniform components don’t get lost or separated in other dirty clothes piles. One client has a labeled bin in her son’s closet specifically for game uniforms. This way, those items are easy to find before a game, and her son knows not to wear those clothes to practices during the week.
Storage solutions
Regardless of where you’re storing sports equipment, the goal should be to get everything off the floor and in a place where it’s easy to put away. If your storage solutions aren’t easy or conveniently located, you’re starting at a disadvantage.
Fortunately, there are a lot of organizing products available for storing equipment, whether you need to put away baseball bats or ski boots. An easy solution for soccer balls, basketballs, footballs and volleyballs is a wire bin that makes it easy to see what’s inside and can accommodate a lot of balls. Another option is a rectangular divided bin to hold items such as rackets, sticks and bats. And vertical wall space is your friend for storing almost all other types of equipment. Hooks or a pegboard with hooks are helpful for helmets, tennis rackets, golf bags and baseball gloves. Bikes can be hung on hooks either vertically or horizontally, depending on your available space.
When you’re shopping for storage solutions, be strategic. Don’t pick random products before you know where you plan to put them. And even though everyone is tired after a practice or game, try to get your kids into a routine of putting their equipment in the proper spots every time. After each season, cull everything and pass along outgrown equipment to family, friends or a charity. Only properly sized equipment and uniforms should be accessible.