Recently, I worked with a client who had just given birth to her second child. When she went into labor early, the room wasn't organized when the baby was born, so she became overwhelmed and called me for help. This post shares the tips we used when organizing a nursery, based on our practical experience and what worked for a professional organizing client.
Jump to:
- Before Organizing the Nursery
- Clear out the cluttered areas.
- Organize the Changing Table
- Organize the inside of the changing table.
- Organize the Changing Table Upper Drawer
- Assign a Home for the Diapers
- Use Bins to Hold other, not Necessary Things
- The Crib After Decluttering
- How long did it take to declutter this room?
- Other Organizing a Nursery Tips
Before Organizing the Nursery
Here is a picture of the crib in my client's home. Don't worry; the baby wasn't sleeping in the crib until after we organized the room. =) No judgment here. The client was judging herself more than I could ever judge her.
This post shows how we transformed the disorganized and stressful nursery into a tranquil room the baby could sleep in from now on.
Clear out the cluttered areas.
First, we started by clearing out the areas. We went through pile after pile of baby clothes and got rid of anything too small. We were able to give away three large boxes (affiliate) - yay for us!
In the closet, we added totes (affiliate) at the top to store blankets and other clothing we would donate. The clothing that was used was stored in these upright, stackable bins.
We determined hanging one-piece outfits was a waste of time, so we folded all the clothes and only left the nicer outfits on hangers. We used the bins in the closet for various types of outfits. Since the containers are removable, the mom can move the heaviest items to the top when it gets colder.
Below are some closet organization options and baby room organizing (affiliate) products for organizing a nursery, which I found on Amazon (affiliate).
ClosetMaid Wire Shelf Kit with Hardware, 4 Ft. Wide
Buy Now →
Closet Hanging Rod, Width and Height Adjustable Closet Extender Hanging by STARTOSTAR
Buy Now →
Hanging Closet Organizer 6 tier, (Grey)
Buy Now →
ClosetMaid Wire Basket 4 Drawer Organizer Unit
Buy Now →
Buy Now → (affiliate)
Organize the Changing Table
The changing table was following. Here is the changing table closed. On top, we placed a bin for wipes, a row of diapers, and baby cream for quick changes.
Organize the inside of the changing table.
It appears that we didn't take any action. Well, we did! Here is the changing table opened. Check out the magic! We started by adding a plastic shoebox bin and placing the baby's shoes (affiliate) and socks (affiliate) in it. It didn't need to be neat, just accessible.
The baby did have an extra changing table pad just in case he soiled himself on the other one, so it now had a home in this drawer.
Organize the Changing Table Upper Drawer
The next drawer we organized was the one closest to the top of the changing table. We placed all the necessary items here to be within arm's reach of the changing pad. So, when the baby was on the table, she could stay near him while retrieving the things she needed from the drawer. Refer to the image below to see where we placed the changing table pads and socks (affiliate)/shoes (affiliate). We didn't label (affiliate) this drawer since she could easily see everything she needed.
This drawer contained the necessary tools (affiliate) for the baby, such as nail clippers. The bottom drawer contained clothes that were not often used, such as pants.
Assign a Home for the Diapers
Diapers are stored in the left-side cabinet of the changing table. They all fit! They needed to be as close as possible so she could access them when needed. Woo hoo!
Use Bins to Hold other, not Necessary Things
Another organizing task we completed was organizing the extra supplies. The right side of the cabinet was designated for extra supplies, such as wipes, Diaper Genie refill bags, and extra shampoo and baby moisturizer. Since these items were extras, we used the other side cabinet. Although these items didn't need to be conveniently accessible, they could be accessed reasonably easily if needed. We used a plastic shoe bin to store the extra baby supplies.
The Crib After Decluttering
Here is the photo of the baby's crib after we finished decluttering. If you have other family members dressing your child, label (affiliate) everything, as we did here.
How long did it take to declutter this room?
It took us two hours to finish decluttering and reorganizing the nursery. She was so happy with the results. It made her feel like she could handle anything.
Other Organizing a Nursery Tips
Now that she is organized, I wanted to share other organizers that may work for your home.
The first one is a hanging diaper caddy.
Many diaper caddies are designed to work with a changing table that doesn't have storage. You can put all the diapers in them and add wipes and other essential things when changing your baby. They strap to the dresser or changing table. Here are a few I found on Amazon (affiliate) (affiliate).
Baby Delta Children Eclipse Changing Table with Changing Pad, White
Buy Now →
Buy Now → (affiliate)
The second one is Foldable Drawer Organizers
Foldable drawer organizers (affiliate) are an excellent option for organizing the small clothing in the drawers for your little one. Then, when you no longer need all of them, they can be easily collapsed and stored in the closet.
Foldable Underwear Drawer Organizer, Closet Dividers, Storage Box for Clothes, Socks (6 Bins, Gray)
Buy Now →(affiliate)
Please note that this post contains affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I will earn affiliate fees if you decide to make a purchase.
I hope you liked the nursery organization transformation process! Please share with your soon-to-be or new parents!
Below are some additional baby room organization tips and gift ideas!
Linda Samuels says
I love how you helped this overwhelm mom of a newborn to organize and create calm in her nursery. It's amazing you did all of that in two hours! Bravo!!!!
Having a newborn is wonderful and stressful. Lack of sleep and raging hormones are present. When things aren't organized, that can add more stress. Helping her with something concrete made such a difference. Using labels is great, too, because anyone else who is there to help out will know where things are.
Julie Bestry says
Baybeeeeeeeee! OK, I guess I get a little excited about anything for children and especially babies. Although I've never had a baby, I've organized a lot of nurseries, some of which having started out as the family junk room. That requires total decluttering, sanitizing, reorganizing furniture, and setting up all the great kinds of systems you display. I don't think new parents realize how important organization (especially of a changing table) will be for them, especially during those sleepy 2 a.m. feedings and changings.
Great points, and I loved that you included labels to that Dad (cough, cough), grandparents, older siblings, babysitters, and others can help maintain the systems to make less work for Mom!
Diane Quintana says
These are fabulous tips, Sabrina. Keeping everything close at hand is important. Plus, using labels so that if someone (like Grandma) is there helping, she can easily figure out where to find things and where to put things back.
Seana Turner says
The beauty of organizing a baby's room is that everything in it, including the soon-to-be resident, are adorable!
My changing table was old fashioned with just open shelving underneath. I would have liked one with drawers, so that items could be stored conveniently but also concealed. There are so many great options out there now that weren't available when I was in the market.
At the same time, great to realize you can just use what you have. Something very affordable like that drawer organizers or a hanging caddy can turn any space into a working one. I might have a caddy up and another downstairs (if you live in 2 levels) because who wants to run upstairs to change diapers all day?
What a fun project!