Organized New Mom Tip # 20: Wear layers

Getting drooled on, spit on, or pooped on is part of the territory when it comes to new motherhood, but that doesn’t mean you have to walk around with baby remnants or a burp cloth on your shoulder while you’re out with your little one.

While I’m not saying you should be ashamed of wearing baby spit-up (heck, I wore it like a badge of honor) , I am saying that it’s good to be prepared in case the situation-at-hand calls for a spotless shirt. Wearing a couple of layers makes it easier to accomplish this goal.

I had a beloved light hoodie that I wore most of the time that pretty much went into the wash at the end of each day. I usually wore a t-shirt under that and then a cami tank under that. That gave Baby 3 shots to destroy my ensemble before I was forced to change. If I was out and about and Will decided to dive bomb me, I would just peel the layer off, roll it up, and throw it in the diaper bag. It was much easier than trying to clean up the mess on the spot.

You don’t have to be gross like me and wear the same clothing every day. Stores like Old Navy and Target sell tons of clothes with layering options, and they’re usually found at great deals so they’re cheap to replace.

Organized New Mom Tip #19: Keep Baby Meds in a Designated Spot

It’s the middle of the night, and you’re awakened by your baby’s wail. Keeping all of his/her medications in the same spot all the time can make a tough and stressful situation just a little bit easier.  Even though this sounds like an obvious thing to do, it’s too easy to just leave a bottle by the sink because you get distracted only to really need it and not remember where it is. Taking the extra few steps to put baby meds where they belong saves you time and headaches in the future-guaranteed.

Don’t forget:

Always keep meds out of reach of little hands. Even though new babies can’t grab them right away, they’ll be able to sooner than you think. It’s better just to designate a safe spot right from the get-go so you don’t have to move them later.

Put baby meds in a convenient spot and right within your reach when you most need them. We found the best place for us was above our son’s changing table.

Keep baby meds separate from your meds. Not only is it safer, you also won’t have to go rifling through the medicine cabinet to find what you need.

Organized New Mom Tip # 18: Nursery Storage-Bins are a New Mom’s Best Friend

…which is good because they’re everywhere. I, like so many others, can appreciate a good storage bin because they never fail to be so darn useful, especially in Baby’s room. I recall sitting in the middle of  my son’s nursery, with said son still in my belly, feeling overwhelmed by how I was going to fit all of my newly acquired baby shower gifts into his tiny 10 x 10 ft. bedroom. I had to get very creative, but I managed to organize it all, and storage bins played a major role in this little miracle.

Some tips:

·         Look for wasted space in your nursery-most likely you can turn it into useful storage space with a bin. The most over-looked dead space in Baby’s room is under the crib, but be careful: cramming too many things under a crib can become a dangerous fire hazard.

·         Measure your space BEFORE purchasing storage bins-eyeballing it quickly before heading out to the store can lead to frustrating returns or bins that are too small and don’t maximize your empty storage space. I managed to find THE PERFECT size bins for his changing table because they not only were the right height and length, but the width was so exact that I was able to nudge 3 bins in there instead of 2. I wouldn’t have been able to find those without proper measurements first.

·         Don’t sacrifice fashion for function-if you find the right size bin but you’re not crazy about the color or look, don’t buy it. There’s too many fish in the sea.

·         Do sacrifice a little $$ for perfection-if you do find the right size bin and it’s also the perfect color and look, be prepared to grab it even if it’s not on sale. The Perfect Storage Bin is a beautiful thing.

No drawers on this changing table, but storage bins

still helped me to neatly organize all of his essentials.

These 3 large bins under the crib add much-needed nursery storage in a
usually overlooked spot.