Whether it’s still a few months until baby arrives, or you’re already in the middle of that frantic (but magical!) first year of parenthood, an organized nursery can be a new parent’s absolute biggest helper. There are thousands of great ideas out there for beautiful nursery storage solutions, but today, we’re compiling our favorite ways to make the most of your space in one simple guide to an organized nursery.
Without further ado, here’s how to make the most of your small space and transform your nursery into a functional, beautiful, peace-inspiring space for baby AND for you!
1. Make the most of closet space.
Let’s start in the most obvious storage space in the nursery - the closet. Babies tend to accumulate lots of items quickly, and the closet is a perfect, safely-out-of-the-way place to keep all those tiny shoes, outfits, toys, and accessories in order.
Here’s how to make the most of your nursery closet space:
- Add shelves. A simple cubby-style shelving unit on the floor of the closet creates new space for bins and folded items, and removes the possibility for tossed-in items to collect on unused floor space. With the addition of cute storage bins or baskets, a shelving unit can neatly camouflage extra diapers and supplies, or tuck toys out of the way.
- Add a second tier of hanging space. Here’s the great news about baby clothes - they’re adorably tiny! By adding a second hanging rod in your closet, you can double the amount of space you have for tiny things. Choose a tension rod for easy removal as baby grows and you need hanging space for larger clothes!
- Get yourself a set of clothespins! These old school staples can serve a variety of handy purposes, but one of our favorites is super simple - use them to hang baby pants or skirts on regular hangers.
- Take advantage of high shelves. Have clothes that baby hasn’t grown into yet, or items that are just a bit too old for them for the time being? Store items you can’t use just yet on the highest shelves in your closet. That way, you don’t have to wrestle items down on a daily basis, but still get to use every inch of available storage space. For a uniform look, invest in bins or baskets that fit your high shelves, and for bonus points, label each bin’s contents on the outside so your future self will know exactly which to reach for.
- Don’t forget about the door! Over-the-door organizers are great for stashing small items, like baby shoes, socks, headbands, or chew toys, pacifiers, and other small toys! They’re also a great way to keep back stock of lotions and diaper cream safely out of baby’s reach.
2. Make the most of your diaper situation.
By now, you’ve read enough blogs to know that the go-to space saving trick in any nursery is to find a dresser that can double as a diaper changing station. Our personal favorite? The brand new Central Park 3-drawer Dresser.
Here’s why we love it:
- Add the changing tray to save space. dadada dressers are designed to make it easy to add a safe, secure changing station. By making your dresser do double duty, you’ll save square footage AND have the additional convenience of lots of storage within reach.
- Open shelves for easy-access necessities. The Central Park’s open shelving lets you keep the items you use most right within reach. Accessorize with our modern storage baskets for a pop of beautiful design and color that makes even your everyday diaper stash look a little glam.
- Deep, soft-close drawers keep you organized. To make the most of nursery dresser drawers, add dividers and organizers. Baby items are adorably tiny - by dividing each large drawer into smaller sections, you’ll keep all those teeny pieces sorted, folded, and easy to find! Keep the items you use most - onesies, PJs, and socks - in the top drawers, and stock lower drawers with linens, extra changing pad covers, and diapers.
3. Make the most of baby’s sleep space.
The area where your baby sleeps should be the most carefully arranged, clutter free zone in the nursery. Remember: the only things inside the crib should be a well-fitting mattress, a fitted sheet, and your sleeping little one - no pillows, stuffed animals, or blankets needed! Make sure there are no shelves above the crib, or anything heavy, and no cords, switches, or sockets within baby’s reach.
In the sleep space, the best space to carve out for storage is under the crib! In the early months before baby is crawling, low profile baskets that slide under the crib can be used to store extra crib sheets to have on hand in case of a midnight blowout, or extra clothes baby hasn’t grown into just yet
4. Make the most of toy storage.
The fourth and final storage zone in the nursery is for toys! Make the most of toy storage by:
- Keeping books and independent play toys at toddler level. Our Muse Bookshelf is designed to keep all their favorites in topple-free reach. Line your play area with low shelves that can hold all of their favorites!
- Rotate toys in and out of storage. Not enough space for everything on the shelves? No worries! Use that high closet storage to stash away some of your little one’s toys, then rotate favorites in and out of reach. Each time you rotate toys, your toddler will get a little bit of that new toy excitement, and they’ll be more likely to play with all of the toys they have available!
- Store soft toys up high. Overrun by stuffed lovies? Store them in the sky! By using a hammock, net, or even a peg board, you can keep beloved stuffed animals up off the ground. Let your little one take a few down at a time to play with, then toss them back up to their comfy high rise home!
- Bins, bins, bins! If there’s a theme song for nursery organization, the name of that tune is “Baskets and Bins.” Keep smaller toys organized, and visual clutter minimal, with shelvable storage baskets that match your nursery color scheme. If you organize the bins by toy type - dinosaurs in one, blocks in another - you don’t have to worry too much about putting things away neatly. Toddlers can toss like with like into the bins for a quick, clutterless cleanup!
Bonus space: Keep a baby essentials basket in the main living area of your home! No matter how small your home might be, there WILL be moments where newborn mess happens. Keeping an organized basket of wipes, diapers, burp rags, pacifiers, and any other essentials in the part of your home where you do most of your living will wind up saving you when blowouts and spit ups and spills inevitably happen.
That’s it! You’re on your way to a nursery space that functions well AND looks beautiful - what more can we ask for?
Don’t see your favorite storage tip here? We’d love you to share it with us! Tag us in a photo on IG and show us the solution that’s working best for your family!