As well as being the owner of A Tidy Mind – Midlands, I’m also a new mum, having just had my second little one. I’ve had a sharp reminder of how quickly those mini clothes can get out of control! If you’re expecting a baby, these are my top tips for how to organise baby clothes.
Victoria Trevor
- Think ‘quality over quantity’. It’s easy to get carried away and end up acquiring loads of clothes for your little treasure. But then before you know it, they have grown and you have hardly used some things. This can be especially true with occasion wear and garments which may be slightly less comfy for your baby to wear. So choose to have less but higher quality things to avoid waste and you’ll have a head start with organisation too.
- Use draw dividers. We advocate draw dividers for many homes but they really come into their own with baby clothes. Given their smaller size they can easily become a jumbled mess in a chest of draws and the turn over of use means using dividers to keep draws tidy is invaluable.
- Use age dividers in the wardrobe. There are those that say we should all dress for our age. However a babies wardrobe can be filled with a range of clothes in different age groups. Gifts received and bargains brought for use at a later date mean good organisation for the wardrobe is essential.Dividing clothing on a rail up by age group will help you focus in on what’s in current use. If you’re looking for an innovative gift for some expectant parents these are a great idea, and can be brought online. They can however be just as easily made from household cardboard. Use a saucer to cut out a circle, cut a small inner circle, a straight cut through the loop to push over the rail, label them up and your good to go!
- Consider skinny hangers. Slim, velvet hangers aren’t just for adults. Mini sizes are available and they take up so much less room than wooden or plastic varieties. Remember to say no to hangers in shops too.
- Keep a “too small” laundry bin in the babies room. Babies grow quickly! They’ll be in an outfit one day and you’ll go to put it on the next and there’s no way it will fit. The turn over can be immense. Keeping a basket or laundry bin in the babies room means you can keep them tidy until you have a chance to filter out anything you want to keep for memories or future children, those that can be gifted to friends and family, a group for charity and those inevitable ones that go to the rag trade.
- Store clothes you won’t use for a while. If you have clothes your baby will take months to grow into. Or if you want to keep smaller clothes for future children, use vacuum seal bags to store them away by size i.e. 0-3 months, 3-6 months etc. Don’t forget to label the bags – then store them under a bed or even in a loft since they’ll be protected from dust and damp.
- Plan for emergencies. Keep a small stash of simple clothes at each changing station….for those messy moments! All parents of newborns know they can create a lot of bodily fluid mess! Frequently and at the most in inopportune moments.I use a little trolley in our living room as a second changing station separate from her bedroom where her clothes are kept. Save yourself at least some of the work and keep a few clothes where you spend your time in the day, preferably close to the washing machine as well!
Most importantly remember the best parenting quote of all “the days are long but the years are short.” Keep everything in perspective, don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.