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Whether you are a pregnant mom nesting or a mom of three, it can be challenging to tame the chaos and overwhelm of the mounts of baby items in your home.
Let’s dive into a few items, systems, and strategies that can help keep your home organized and running smoothly.
Items for Organization
A few simple items I recommend for organization include:
Diaper Caddy
Drawer Organizers
Extra Toy Tub/Storage
Baskets/Bins
I absolutely love my diaper caddy. It holds diapers and wipes of course, but also frequently used items like lotions, diaper bum cream, hair brush, and a few other random items.
You can use a diaper caddy at a changing table in the nursery or hide it somewhere in your common living space. You may have a multilevel home so it makes sense to have two main changing areas.
We keep a twin baby in our baby’s room to use as a changing area. The diaper caddy sits there ready to go and is the primary place for all diaper changes since we currently live in a single-story home. Walking a few steps to the baby’s room isn’t a problem.
The diaper caddy works as a great catch-all. It keeps the mess at bay.
Periodically you are going to want to clean it out of course and put any items back in their proper home.
Drawer organizers are a lifesaver for little baby items. You could use dividers to separate the space or use baskets and bins inside the drawers.
Small items include socks, hats, bows, pacifiers, pacifier clips, hair care products, and so much more.
Most items you would use to organize a dresser can be used for a very long time. They may later be used to organize a bathroom or something.
These are not your typical wasteful baby products, but instead home organization items.
Another item to help keep the mess at bay is a place for extra toys. We like to use toy rotation in our home. This means some of the toys are not out and therefore need to be stored. We keep a large storage tub in our toddler’s closet. It isn’t the most aesthetic item, but it does the job.
If you want to learn more about toy rotation, check out this article The Top 3 Reasons Why Every Home Should Use Toys Rotation.
You may also need storage tubs or bins for toys that your first child has outgrown, but you would like to save for the next baby.
The Key to Long-Term Organization
The simple and honest key to organization is to have fewer items. Minimalism.
I am by no means a huge minimalist, but I try to implement minimalism where I can.
Look around your home and take inventory. What are your struggle points? What is taking up all of your time?
Is your struggle with laundry?
Is it a floor full of toys every night?
Find the struggle and make a plan to tackle it.
A couple of ways you can do this are to have fewer items in general or a smaller variety of items.
Take laundry for example.
When my babies were small I liked having only one type and size of burp cloth. For a while I had two sizes. This was one more thing to fold, stack, and put away.
I realize it might sound silly, but one type of burp cloth made a difference to me.
If you then repeat this theory or practice life gets easier.
Another huge clothing trick I use is to buy simple pants. I have two daughters and try to avoid patterned pants.
My favorite clothing option is jeggings. I like the simple stretchy jeans because they are pretty comfortable, typically look nice, and match just about every shirt in the closet.
This makes it easier to pair outfits together each morning. Thus making life easier!
Is the dishwasher your struggle?
Try using one type of bowl and plate. In our home, we only have a mint green plate and bowl set for our children.
We just grab what is next in the cupboard. This makes both mealtime and dishwasher unloading easier.
This is not expensive either. The plates were about $0.69 at Target when I purchased them.
Routine for Organization
Routines are a huge part of organization. When you repeat the same things your home stays the same each day. It’s like you are doing a reset without even trying.
We have very consistent morning and bedtime routines. Both my husband and I can do them interchangeably.
This is important for consistency. We can always find our daughter’s hair brush because we always put it back in the same place.
A specific product that has helped with organization in the form of routine is the Hatch night light and sound machine.
We love this product!
Our first child would wake up at varying times. We had a second baby on the way. As a nursing mom, I wanted a bit more structure in our mornings.
We used the Hatch light to get our first child on a more consistent wake-up time so that I could structure my morning around that.
Specifically, we worked our toddler towards waking up at 7:45 am. This allowed me to try to be up with the baby and nursing around 7:20/7:30.
Then my toddler was able to have time with mom and get those hugs and cuddles. I didn’t want my toddler to be jealous every morning.
The hatch gave us that feeling of routine and organization. We think of it as an alarm clock for toddlers.
If you want to hear morning about how an evening routine makes for a good morning routine check out How A Strong Night Time Routine Can Improve Your Mornings Each Day.
Cleaning Out & Decluttering
I hate to say it but having an organized home is constant upkeep.
The less you bring in the less you have to purge, clean, and organize.
The first step is not allowing junk to come into your home.
The next is to quickly purge it.
Toddlers acquire a lot of random little junk. I hate to call it that, buy it just. They may get a fast food toy, random holiday items, small crafts that they cherish for a week, and so much more.
Some of it you can avoid. My daughter has never had a happy meal from a fast food restaurant. Instead, I will get a large meal and share it with her. For example, a 10-count nugget and large fry.
You may go to your local library for storytime. They are going to bring home crafts and random items. A dentist appointment may result in a toy from the treasure chest.
I do not like all of these little toys. I try to get rid of them quickly. I will sometimes bag them up and just give them to Goodwill.
Sometimes you can find people through connections that can use them. Maybe you can give them to a teacher friend for their classroom treasure chest.
I prefer toys that go in large sets, like Legos.
Anyway, you need to frequently go through your children’s toys. You need to clean out the closet and dresser as your child grows out of small clothing.
You need to clean out your diaper bag every so often and do a restock. Once your baby is eating solids you need to clear out some newborn items, to make room for things like a bib, spoon, and little snacks.
Conclusion
When it comes to keeping down the baby clutter, find what works for you.
Find the right items for organization. Find the right systems to maintain it. Establish routines to keep everything running well and items in their place.
Little steps can make a huge difference. Focus on your specific struggle points and attach the chaos there first.
Check Out My Articles
The Ultimate Guide to Baby Care: 8 Essential Tips for New Parents
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The Ultimate Guide to Finding the Best Gifts for a One Year Old
