There are a million things on a new parent’s mind when the time finally comes to bring their baby home. As organized as you may think you were before the big day, there are so many unexpected challenges and changes that come up once you get into a routine at home. For example, maybe keeping your home clean and organized while caring for a newborn is more challenging than you had expected. Moreover, folding and organizing clothes may take up a longer time than anticipated. To help you keep your home organized, here are four tips you can use.
Keep daily used items close to the changing table
In the first few weeks, your baby grows so much. You may feel like they are constantly growing out of their clothes and onto the next size up. If your changing table is on your dresser, or close to it, keep those current sizes in the top drawer. If you change your baby in another room like the living room or your bedroom, keep a basket close by with all their current clothing and accessories for easy access. This way you won’t struggle to search for something that fits.
Use size organizers in the closet
Adding size labels to your closet is super helpful when organizing your baby’s clothing, especially after your baby shower, when you are overwhelmed with the amount of clothing your little one received. Additionally, hanging items are easier to see and grab rather than folded ones.
Most baby clothes already come on plastic hangers that are marked with their sizes, so all you need to do is hang them right up in the closet with the corresponding size organizer. Unfortunately, a lot of those cute clothes you got as gifts will end up unworn, with the tags still attached, if the size or season was wrong. Organizing clothing this way allows you to pinpoint which items they didn’t end up wearing so that you can make some returns if necessary. A trick for easy returns is to keep all of the gift receipts in the pockets or attached to the hanger.
These little plastic discs may not seem like much but can make a huge difference. They are inexpensive, fit most standard closet racks and can be found on most shopping websites.
Organize by item type
Keep socks with socks. Dedicate a section of the baby’s dresser to short-sleeve clothing and another to long-sleeve clothing. This way, If it’s a warm day, you’ll know exactly where to grab something with short sleeves; if it’s chilly out, you’ll easily be able to reach for the long-sleeve onesies. With a child that needs your attention, every second counts.
Keep a hamper close to your changing table
With a hamper within range, you can take the dirty clothes off the baby and toss them directly into it easily. As a new parent, your hands are always full – literally. You’ll realize it’s amazing what you can accomplish with one hand while the other holds the baby. Keeping everything you need close by makes navigating through the day that much easier.
Use a storage unit
To keep your home organized and clean, you can first declutter and remove all the unnecessary items from your home and move them into a storage unit. You can rent a storage unit for the long-term and access items in the storage unit whenever you need them.
If you have a lot of stuff that needs to be stored, you can choose a storage unit size that’s a bit bigger, such as a 5×10 storage unit. If you only have a few items to store, go with a closet-sized storage unit, such as a 5×5 storage unit.
At U-Lock Mini Storage, we have storage facilities across Greater Vancouver and Vancouver Island. Our facilities include self storage Victoria, self storage Parksville, self storage Nanaimo, self storage Burnaby, self storage White Rock and Surrey, and self storage Chilliwack. Contact us if you have any questions!