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.



Organized New Mom Tip #17: Keep Doubles of Big Baby Items at Places you Often Visit:

You probably already know that traveling with a newborn can be tedious, exhausting and can get a bit ridiculous the way your car becomes crammed full of baby gear. Notice I said “ridiculous” and not “unnecessary”.  Chances are you’ll need and use every item you bring along for your tike (don’t forget Tip # 3 to help you weed out what you do or don’t need for travel). It’s important to keep your baby’s schedule as close to normal as possible when you travel, which makes it understandable to feel the need to lug around Johnny’s nursing boppy or tummy time mat.

A great way to leave some breathing room in your car is to make the effort to leave doubles of all the baby items you often use at places you visit frequently. I’m not telling you to go out and buy a brand name, brand new double of what you have at home; in fact, I think it’s a bit silly to do so. Second hand stores and garage sales are usually chock full of perfectly acceptable baby items that people are usually desperate to get rid of and work perfectly well for the short term. Whether we’re talking about Grandma’s and Grandpa’s for a weekend trip or your sister across the country several times a year, this tip helps make your excursions less hectic and much more enjoyable.

Below is a suggested list of items you might want to keep at your frequent travel stops:

·         Pack n’ Play or Crib

·         Changing table or Changing Pad

·         Yoga Ball (works great as a substitute rocking chair for soothing cranky babies)

·         Bouncer

·         Tummy Time Activity Mat

·         Boppy

·         Diapers/Wipes

·         Bottles

·         Baby monitor

·         White Noise Machine

·         Mobile or Aquarium Soother for Crib

Will and I enjoying a quiet morning on my parent's farm
 and feeling oh-so-glad to have a comfy changing table handy
 instead of a flimsy diaper bag mat.