Preparing for Baby: 7 Professional Organization Tips for Growing Families

Your family is growing, and you're about to welcome a new baby. Congratulations! Your life is about to change in a big way when that little bundle of joy arrives. It can be both exciting and overwhelming to prepare the nursery, make room in your kitchen and living room for baby gear, and manage the pile of lovely gifts you received.
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Having been in business since 2017, we've worked with many families over the years, and not to mention I have two little ones myself! Today we're sharing 7 tips for organizing your baby's spaces, and beyond, to make the transition to parenthood as smooth as possible.

Tip #1: Declutter Before Delivery

The months leading up to the baby's arrival are the perfect time to declutter your home. A new baby brings in a whole lot of stuff, which can be overwhelming to add to an already full home. 
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Having Hello Simplified organize your kitchen, for example, means that your cabinets will have some breathing room and extra space to eventually add baby bottles, silicone plates, bibs, and utensils. Decluttering your living room now means that when your baby is 7-10 months old and starts crawling, there won't be tripping hazards and there will be ample room for baby to safely roam. 
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Nesting is a real thing for many moms-to-be, but it can also feel way too daunting to do anything in your home (especially if you're sick and tired!) Luckily, our team is here to help you make decisions. You can sit and relax while we hold up items for you to keep, toss, or donate. We'll do the physical labor of pulling everything out and sorting it, then just bring you in the make purging decisions, then we'll organize it all for you!

Tip #2: Make Furniture Multifunctional

We want to think long-term when adding baby furniture to the mix. Instead of purchasing (and assembling) a dresser with a built-in changing table, consider a regular kid's dresser that can have a changing pad on top of it. Yes, your child will be in diapers for 2-3 years, which sounds like a long time right now. Time flies though, and you'll be so happy to just take the changing pad off the top and get to continue using the dresser for years to come (I know this from experience with my 2 kiddos).

The same goes for cribs. Many of them can convert to a day bed or a toddler bed. When your child starts climbing out of their crib, you can quickly convert it into a toddler bed for them. This saves you on space, patience, and money over time.

Tip #3: Store Items Strategically

One of our top tips and goals for clients when we organize is to give every item a home. We strategically think about the most functional and maintainable spot for everything. Just because your shoes look the prettiest in your closet upstairs doesn't mean that that is the most functional place for them. If they end up in a pile by the door every day, let's put an aesthetically pleasing shoe rack there to store shoes. 

If your mail keeps piling up on the table, so you can't eat there, put a bin and label it "mail" right by the door so you can leave mail there until you have time to sort through it. 

Random piles are stressful, and once the baby arrives, the piles will grow larger and larger. Give items a home now so that you can find and put items away without thinking too much. When you're sleep-deprived, you need all the brain cells you can get to do more important tasks like deciding what to eat, when to fit in a nap, and when to feed and change the baby.

Tip #4: Label to Simplify Life

It takes a village to raise a baby, right? That means you will likely have guests visiting after the baby arrives. Although people have the best intentions, sometimes having guests can make things messy. When items are clearly labeled, guests will be able to help you by finding items and putting them back without bothering you. 

You can label pretty much anything (and maybe everything?)! Drawers, caddies, linen closet shelves, pantry bins, and more can be labeled. This not only makes it easier to find what you need, but it helps maintain the organization by easily seeing what you need to restock/order, and where to quickly put items back when you're sleep deprived and can't make any more decisions. Each item will already have a home, so there's no thinking involved!

Tip #5: Wash Without Delay

Unbox, clean, and prepare items as they arrive. Yes, it's a lot to open and clean/assemble all those beautiful baby shower gifts at once, but you will be so happy that you prepared items in advance. When your baby spits up and you need a burp cloth stat, you don't want to hesitate because they've still got their tags on them. When it's time to reach for a sippy cup or baby plate, you'll know they've already been washed and are ready to use.

This also applies to any second-hand items you've accumulated from friends, family, or a buy nothing group. Scrub down any toys, launder any clothing, and store items safely for use later.

I got so many used clothing pieces from friends, which were a lifesaver when my kids grew quickly. I washed all items immediately (with fragrance-free detergent) and then stored them in bins by clothing size, e.g., newborn, 0-3 months, 3-6 months, etc.. This goes against our usual advice to declutter, but don't be afraid to accept larger-sized used clothing as well (if you have the storage room for it). My kids had years of clothing saved in advance. You may think that size is way too far in the future, but you will be glad to already have some clothes when the time comes.

Tip #6: Freshen Up the Fridge

When's the last time you cleaned out your fridge or freezer? Let's play a game of what's the oldest expired item you can find! Joking aside, now is the perfect time to freshen up your fridge and freezer to make room for newer items.

You will likely prep some freezer meals or receive some from friends/family. Once baby arrives, meal train items can quickly take up a lot of room (like that lasagna for a family of 12). If you're pumping, you will need room to store breastmilk too. Not to mention, you may be getting some takeout in the future that could use an open shelf!

Doing all of these tasks may seem excessive, but now is the time to prepare and do these items. Your future self will thank you.

​Read about how organizing helps you navigate other major life changes here.

Tip #7: Situate Helpful Stations

Say it with me: stations, stations, stations! Caddies are king, and having multiples in different locations is an exception to our normal process of less is more.

The first station we suggest is a postpartum station for mom. Set one of these up in every bathroom you have. Bring on the pads and peri bottles! Ouch. Next is a baby bottle station in the kitchen (if bottle-feeding). We love the Boon drying rack and a good bottle brush.

​If formula feeding, they make these little portable formula containers so you can pre-portion formula for late-night feeds. I always liked to keep a separate formula container upstairs in our primary bathroom and pre-fill the bottles with filtered water every evening. The less I had to think about at 3 am, the better.

I highly suggest having a changing station on each level of the home. One in the living room and one in the nursery usually works well. Stock diapers, wipes, butt cream, a changing pad, and a diaper pail in both locations. Other stations could be a feeding station with a caddy for essentials you need when stuck with a nursing/sleeping baby, or a tummy time station with a play mat and soft toys.

​Have a diaper bag for changing on the go as well as emergency diaper kits that stay in each car. These can include a portable changing pad, wipes, diapers, diaper trash bags, and a change of clothes for baby (and possibly a top for you in case of spit up). Believe me, you will need this at some point and be saved that it's there!

We are all just doing our best and learning that maybe our own parents didn't know what they were doing either! Having a plan and preparing what we can, before the baby, will set you up for success. But, it's also important to be able to pivot and be flexible! Prepare for baby physically in your home, and then prepare mentally to be a little unprepared! It's totally normal. You're doing great and are going to thrive as a parent. Congratulations again, you've got this!

Need help organizing your home before your family grows this year? We'd love to help you get your space situated! Download our organizing guide for more info on our services and pricing!

Cheers,
Sandi