Organized New Mom Tip #25: Sort the Nursery Closet by Size

Baby clothing size is confusing enough, and if you have a steady stash of growing sizes coming your way from a generous neighbor or relative*, those adorable onesies are never going to stop coming. You might as well get some organization now before you and your well-dressed baby are overcome.

If you’re reading this while your baby is still cooking, I congratulate you on your luck, because now is the best time to get the closet ready. After the baby arrives is still fine, of course, but you’ll be in “New Baby Mode”, and at that point you’ll probably be ready to trade your best nursing bra for 30 minutes of sleep.

After all of the baby showers and well-wishing, I plopped my 8 months pregnant bottom in my son’s nursery and got organized. Here’s the plan that I still use to this day:

1.       Separate those 0-3 month cutie-patootie outfits and hang them first in a convenient location in the closet.

2.       Put up a closet divider tab and then hang the 3-6 month sizes, and if you have enough room, do the same with the 6-9 month sizes. Bonus points if you have adorable hangers and custom closet tab dividers.

3.       KEEP ALL SIZES SORTED AND IN THEIR PLACE!

4.       Place an empty storage bin at the bottom of Baby’s closet. When you find an outfit is too small, just toss it into the empty bin.

5.       When most of one size is in the bin, it’s time to take that entire size out of Baby’s closet and move on to the next size. I know that some outfits are almost too unbearably cute and filled with such wonderful memories that it’ll be emotionally distressing to put them away. BE STRONG! J You’ll be thankful for the closet space.

6.       Decide if you’re going to keep or pass on the outgrown clothes. If you’re keeping them, remove the stained, torn, or just plain tired garments and get rid of them so you don’t have to sort them out later. If you’re letting them go, I know many moms who are into the whole consignment scene. I just put them in a box and give them to ARC. No muss, no fuss, nice write-off. (Of course I keep the outfits I can’t part with. I’m not insane…)

7.       If you have bigger clothes in storage, grab the next biggest size, give them a gentle wash, and hang those in the closet. If you come across an outfit that you don’t think your baby will wear, just get rid of it and don’t feel guilty about it. In my experience, it’s better to let another family enjoy it instead of it sitting in your closet unused, sad and lonely.

8.       Repeat the process as Baby grows, or in my case, every 2 weeks.

*Thanks to my sisters, Lara and Jill for all of the wonderful hand-me-downs. Just because I jest doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate being drowned in baby socks, bibs, and an unreasonable amount of CU and CSU baby outfits. J

Organized New Mom Tip #24: Set up Hand Sanitizer Stations

Everyone will want to hold the new arrival, and that’s hard to deal with while your Mama Bear instincts are in full throttle. The easiest way to appease your germ phobia is to have designated hand sanitizer stations throughout the house. When someone asks to hold the newbie, all you have to say is, “Of course! The hand sanitizer is right over there!” Keeping hand sanitizer in a convenient location also acts as a good reminder for you to slap on a little now and then between diaper changes*.

Good places to stash the sanitizer:

·         By the front door

·         By the changing table

·         Guest bathroom

·         Your bedroom/bathroom

It’s also a good idea to carry a mini bottle of sanitizer in the diaper bag for when those inevitable complete strangers insist on grabbing Baby’s hand in the grocery store.  That’s always fun. J

*Don’t forget to keep hand sanitizers out of Baby’s reach. Those little buggers will get into anything close by.

Organized New Mom Tip #23: Accept Help (Even if You Use it Unconventionally)

Of course you need help. It takes a village, and all that, right? Sometimes it just seems like more work than it’s worth to arrange for the sitter, write out the monumental list of things the sitter needs to know, summon the energy to get ready for a night out, and then worry about how the baby’s doing the whole time you’re away.

There’s a smarter way to go about it. First of all, accepting help from people doesn’t mean having them simply babysit. If a friend or a family member is there to help (REALLY help, and not just make googly eyes at the baby), then give them a task that WILL help you. Ask them to drop off the dry-cleaning. Give them a list and some money for the grocery store. Let them hold the baby while you hop in the shower. Arrange for them to take the dog for a walk. If they are really there to help, they’ll be happy to do it.

Those first few weeks after childbirth makes you feel like a sore-in-tender-places hermit, so if you feel the need to go away from the kid for a bit, you’re not alone. I suggest you attempt to find a kind soul who can commit to a set schedule a few times a month to come over and baby sit while you get out and run free.

In my experience, arranging for the same person to babysit at the same time meant that there was no stressing about finding and scheduling a sitter, and eventually there was no long list of instructions to write out every time. My fantastic sister-in-law came over once a week (almost every week for a year!) for an hour or so. It was extremely therapeutic to be able to get my hair cut or shop without lugging around a baby carrier for an hour every week. Knowing I could count on this time lifted my spirits on those overwhelming days. Thanks Rachel-I am so looking forward to repaying the favor!