KonMari With 2-Year-Olds

Marie Kondo's Netflix series "Tidying Up With Marie Kondo" has somewhat caused a decluttering craze around the globe. And because I felt like our dressing room was being taken over by the twins' clothes, I had to try it out myself.

Based on the KonMari method, we choose what stuff to keep by holding an item in our hands and asking ourselves if it "sparks joy." If the answer is yes, keep it. If the answer is no, discard it.

Now, Audrey is kind of like my shadow. She follows me around wherever I go and so when I asked her if she wanted to KonMari some clothes with me, she said yes without missing a beat.

A few minutes into the activity, I discovered she had an ulterior motive. Here's a video of Audrey trying the KonMari method.

Sneaky, huh? Well, the KonMari method also says that we should not discard anyone else's belongings without their permission so Antonino had to be on board too. Obviously they needed guidance because they're only 2 so I suggested fitting some of their clothes which looked tiny.

Me (K): Audrey/Antonino, why don't you try this on?

Audrey/Antonino try on clothes and they're tight.

K: Those don't fit. Let's put them here to give away.

Audrey/Antonino (A/A): That's Adee's/Ninos!

K: Try another one.

They try outfit #2 and both are still good.

K: Still fits! Let's keep them.

We did this for a few more pieces of clothing. Sometimes I would just hold a shirt or pair of pants against them to see if the length is still right. I was able to add lots of 18-24-month sized clothes to the donate pile.

Then I think they both realized we were getting rid of a lot of their stuff so they started picking random clothes from the pile while saying "Still fits! Still fits! Still fits!" They didn't want to give their stuff away! So I explained to them that they won't be able to use those clothes anymore because they've outgrown them but they can keep a lot of their other clothes that still fit. I also told them that because they're helpful kids (they really like to help out and love being praised for their helpfulness) we can give the clothes they've outgrown to Ate C's (our all-around helper) baby niece. I was so amazed at how understanding they both were after our short chat especially since they're only 2 years old. So whenever I would say something no longer fits, they would say "Give to Ate! For baby!" After 2 hours of sorting, we were able to fill 2 paperbags with tiny clothes. Wow  toddlers really outgrow clothes faster than you can ask "Does it spark joy?"

After another hour or so of folding, we gave the clothes to Ate which made her really happy and also made the twins beam with pride when I said "Wow Audrey and Antonino you're so helpful. Thanks for helping me declutter and for sharing your clothes with Ate's baby niece."

Then for the rest of the day they began picking up random objects asking me if it was "for baby?" Ooooops!

To keep up to date with the twins' antics, follow @startermama on Instagram.