8 Nursery Organization Hacks You Gotta Try

When you have a kid, the amount of stuff can be overwhelming. Especially if you need to store things for a potential future nugget.

Coming from parents who kept everything (not hoarders, but definitely the type where every closet was filled to the gills with things they likely would never need/use again) I have a tendency to get anxiety from excess stuff, messes and an disorganized space. Not the best quality to have when you have a child - their entire life is making messes for the first few years!

I can't say I've totally solved the storage/organization problem in terms of Remy's stuff, but there have been some key things that have helped me not lose my mind the past two years: 

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The moment a friend was  having a kid, you better bet I was offering up Remy's Rock N Play, Swing, Play Yard, etc... I was VERY happy to both help a friend + temporarily relieve my home of all those giant bulky things that were taking up crucial storage space. The moment that mom didn't need the stuff anymore, luckily another new mom emerged. It's the community baby stuff (and we did the same with our maternity clothes - it was basically a mini version of Le Tote!) 

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Remy has an absurd amount of clothing. 99.5% of which I did not purchase. (First baby and girl in the family = spoiled with apparel.) 

A lot of these things were fancy dresses and newborn snow suits (she was born in April in LA) that she never even got the chance to wear. So to maximize our storage space of all this apparel, I've used those handy space saver bags that hook up to your vacuum to shrink down in size.

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I've organized them by size and use (Girl 0-6 mo, Gender Neutral 0-6mo, Sleep Sacks/Burb Cloths/Swaddles, etc...) and shoved them all under the crib (Which is reason enough to get a crib skirt, on top of the fact that it makes the room look so much more finished and adorable.) 

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Remy's room + closet are tiny. A double bed would fill it's entirety (so she's staying in her crib until she graduates high school.) Her closet is even tinier.

And yet she has so much STUFF.

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So for the closet we added an over-the door organization system from that ever-popular Elfa line from the Container Store (we registered for it!) This thing holds all Remy's teeny tiny shoes, as well as diaper pail bags, extra wipes, sanitizer etc...

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Then for her dresser (which is also her changing table) we used drawer organizers and go full-on Marie Kondo style. Top drawer perfectly fits diapers, wipes, wash cloths, and toiletries. Second drawer is sleep sacks, PJs, and onesies/t-shirts. Third drawer is pants, tights, socks, swimsuits and bows (and shockingly bows take up the most of that space thanks to a gifted Little Poppy Co subscription.) 

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For Remy's toys and books, I've relied heavily on baskets. The way that Jeff Mindell gripes about Kelly Mindell's rug issue - is how my husband feels about my basket obsession. If I see a big pretty well priced basket, I'm buying it. 

(I hear you complaining here Mike - and you're right - Remy's hamper was not well priced, but it was gorgeous and I love it and have absolutely no regrets.) 

When I'm cleaning up each day with Remy everything goes in a basket - one basket for plush toys, one for blocks, one for cars, a few different baskets of books. So much easier than placing books on shelves or organizing those blocks in a pretty stack (that Remy or the dog will undoubtedly knock over shortly after.) 

I've mentioned this before in my gift guide - but a great basket is a also great gift for a new parent. Some of my favorites are from Etsy, The Little Market, Target, and local flea markets.

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We put a few behind Remy's door to easily store her coats /backpack/hats. These take up no space and are so handy, and when you use really cool looking ones (like those shown above) you  create an artful way to store your things.

I found these cool lucite ones (shown above) from CB2. They hold books, art, stuffed animals, and some trinkets people bought Remy before she was born (that I don't want her yet able to reach as she'll just break them.)

Because they are so shallow, and clear, they don't take up a lot of visual space in the room either - and really just showcase the items they hold. 

There are a ton of great charities around that will accept donations of your lightly used baby gear and clothing. Red Tricycle did a great round up of options here in Los Angeles (many of which have national chapters for donation as well.) Or you can join local Mom groups on Facebook see who might need some stuff.

There are definitely needy families out there who would appreciate your wonderful baby gear that you no longer use (and don't want to pointlessly store!)