nursery organization tips...

i am begninng to organize my nursery.
i have 4 small drawers, 1 big drawers and two shelves covered by a door. the babies also have a closet with a pole to hang clothes.

after my shower we unpacked the clothing by just hanging it up and putting things in drawers.

i have no idea what needs to be on the changing table (wipes, cream, diapers?) and how i should organize the closet and drawers. i wasn't sure if i should have a hamper in the closet or buy some baskets for under the crib to store more things? should i keep their sheets in their room?

where do you keep their bath items? snot sucker/clippers/etc?
where do you put the receiving blankets, burp cloths, etc?
do you keep tops/pants together? onesies with their pants?

sorry for all the questions!
thank you!!

 

I'm only in my 1st trimester with the twins, so hopefully some twin mommies will give you some tips, but I can respond to what we did for my son.

I would definitely have your hamper near the changing table. When there's lots of spit up, poop explosion, etc, you're going to want to be able to get to the hamper quickly (course if it's poop, you'll still want to wash out first.) And when they get a bit older, they start squirming and fighting you every diaper and clothing change, so you want stuff with easy reach.

You'll want diapers, wipes, A&E (or whatever diaper rash ointment) by the changing table at minimum. I keep one of our nasal aspirators in the cubby there too - perfect opportunity to catch stray boogies. I also like to wrap up my poop diapers - even with the diaper champ - they start to smell pretty quick. So, I buy the small scented Sassy or munchkin bags for that (you could also just put some produce bags or something there too. After a while, you may want to designate "changing table toys or book" so they have things to occupy them.

I keep my crib sheets and everything in the baby's room. Having crib sheets handy if you need to change the bed in the middle of the night is a lifesaver. If I had more space in my bathroom, I'd probably keep the towels and washcloths there.

If you need extra storage space, under the crib is a good place, however, depending on the style, as you lower the crib, you may run out of room. I installed an extra bar on one side of DS' closet. I keep current size clothing on top bar and use the bottom bar for the next size up - especially at the beginning. They are growing so fast, you should try to keep at least one size up handy and washed. I also found that some brands were different than others, so it was often surprising what might not fit.

As far as hanging goes, I usually put outfits (top and pants) together if they are obviously a set. But, even if they came as a set and are more generic (jean shorts or something), I usually hang them separate, but I started doing that more as DS grew older, so you'll work out your own system easily enough. You may also have family helping you hang up laundry, etc., and you'll find that they'll do it their own way. So, I wouldn't suggest OCDing on this one.

Wrote way more than I intended... can you tell I DO NOT want to be working? Anyway, my $.02 for what it's worth. Congrats BTW - unpacking from the baby shower was one of my favorite things!!!

 

Oh - and I forgot to mention that another storage solution might be to buy one of those plastic rubbermaid storage bins or mini chest things with 3 drawers - if you have room in the closet, it could go underneath the clothes. Their little clothes take up so little room height wise. I hang up all clothes, so the only drawer items are bibs, socks, sheets, towels, and blankets. (But some of those are quite bulky)

 

Organization is one of my strengths, being an Interior Designer and mother of a 19month old.

Start with the closet.....
Get youself an organizer (white wire type at Home Deopt?)
You should have at least 2 hanging bars the length of the closet.
Then continue 2-3 short shelves down one side for basket items (shoes, hats, bibs)
I also keep the crib sheets on one shelf.
I recommend the laundry basket on the closet floor. This is where I also store my over flow diapers and wipes. Purchased in bulk at Costco. (also great $$ for formula)

On the changing table...
Get the diaper/wipe organizer (clear type with side bins sold at babys-r-us)
Get the wipe warmer, this goes on top with the wipes.
I keep my diaper cream, hand sanatizer, and lotions on the side bins
of course the changing pad

I keep the sleep sacks, blankets and burp clothes in the drawers and hang up most of the clothing.
The clothes are so small it is easier to see everything if they are hanging up.

Good luck!

 

This is a GREAT question! I can't wait to see all the answers (the ones posted are great already!).

I am a first time mom to be as well, and am just starting to get our "nursery" organized. Problem for me is that, in addition to not really knowing what I'll need, we have zero space (small apartmentin Brooklyn). The babies will be sharing a room with the guest bed, all of our excess household stuff, and their father's clothes and desk, books, and papers (he's a resident). So I do not have closet space.

We have cleared enough space on one wall for 2 pack n plays (the kind that comes with a changing table!). In one corner I have a short set of drawers (3), and over that I have added four wire shelves with canvas bins I bought at Bed Bath & Beyond. They're green, cream and brown, and are so cute! There is a little label window on each bin, and there are about 9 total bins. I figured they'd be good for clothing and blankets and whatever doesn't need to be hung up ... and the top of the dresser can be used for things that need to be set out, like all the diaper changing equipment, and maybe a humidifyer. I'll probably put sheets ad things, things that are bigger, in the drawers. I am not sure what to do about clothing that needs to hang...or about a laundry hamper...So all of this is to say...you're way ahead of me just having closet space!!!

Good luck!

 

I guess I'm the only one that doesn't hang very much stuff (but I don't have girls, either). I really don't have a problem w/ their clothes wrinkling...they're so small and lightweight. In fact, we took the doors off of DS's (and also the twins') closets to give the tiny rooms more visual space. We put some cube-style storage units in there for toys, books, and misc. in addition to the shelves that we already had. About the only thing we hang is coats and the super dressy stuff - which is like...1-2 outfits/year. And like already mentioned, they're so short that they just hang above the bookcases in one corner.

Dipes, wipes, diaper cream are all on my changing table. I keep a dresser right next to my changing table so that I can keep one hand on baby and get clothes out for him at the same time. I also keep a small basket in the dresser drawer w/ things already mentioned - q-tips, nail clippers, etc. They're used, but not every day...but they're within arm's reach whenever I need them. I have a small lamp on the dresser w/ a dimmer switch on it which is really helpful for late-night changes and such. Definitely keep the trash and/or diaper pail nearby, too. The biggest thing that I found to be helpful was to keep whatever you might need for a changing within arm's reach.

Eve

 

If you don't want to put in an extra "bar" in your closet, they have some "extenders, that can give you a second bar hanging from the top bar.

Also, I have a bottle of "spray and wash" hanging from the hamper for quick squirts to get rid of stains...

Also, put some liner paper underneath your basket on the changing table. They tend to scratch up your dresser/table from moving around so much. and keep a toy in there to entertain the baby you are changing...

Ikea has these awsome "drawer dividers" that you can put inside the drawers like socks in one, onsies in another, hats in another and they are all in their individual compartment. I love them!!!