Organizing Baby’s Things in the Bedroom

Baby’s things may have a pretty nursery or a tiny corner of your bedroom to call home, but no matter where you keep baby’s things, they definitely take up space and need organizing!  Today, I want to talk specifically about the items you typically keep in the baby’s bedroom, and for me, those items are actually in MY bedroom because baby sleeps in our room until he or she is ready to be in a room with siblings (around 12-18 months).

You can listen to the PODCAST on this topic
and the YouTube video is posted at the bottom of the page!

First of all, I want to start with my Zip Top Organizing Utility Tote from Thirty-One.  I don’t usually rave about bags, but this one is a favorite of mine – especially since becoming a Special Needs Mom.

If you want to see exactly how I pack my tote, check out the YouTube video at the bottom of the post.

This tote sits on the end table next to my bed where I change the baby.  I’ve tried having a changing table, and I ALWAYS end up changing baby on my bed instead.  I  finally decided to embrace it, and put together a diaper-changing station right next to my bed.  This tote can hold EVERYTHING I need without looking tacky.  I keep diapers, wipes, diaper rash cream, my daughter’s glasses, her cleansing lotion and avocado oil, baby nail clippers, and so much more in this compact bag that I can quickly zip up and take with me to the hospital or Ronald McDonald house when we have appointments.  (I also keep another one in the top of my closet to pack up her bottles and formula.)  I even saw a dad at our last stay in the Ronald McDonald house using this tote for his son!  I’m apparently not the only one who thinks this tote is perfect for special needs parents!

Baby Mercy sleeps in a playpen like THIS ONE.

She never did fit in the Napper/Changer part (I have long babies!).  I keep baby’s blankets beside the bed in a Thirty-One Large Utility Tote.

Another thing I keep near the bed is a basket of baby bandana bibs and receiving blankets.  Baby Mercy has Pierre Robin Sequence, which causes her to drool a lot  and not always keep milk from her feedings in her mouth.  Before feeding her, I grab a blanket  – my favorite are muslin ones –

and tuck it up under her chin.  She also likes to sleep with them as “loveys.”

The bibs I have in that same basket are Zoozik Bandana Bibs that have a fleece backing to keep her shirts dry.  She not only drools a lot (no teeth to hold it in!), she is also chewing on EVERYTHING.  I still have to change her clothes a couple of times a day, but using these bibs keeps her MUCH drier!

So, those are the things I keep right around her bed.  Her clothes are kept in my closet.  Here’s how I organize those:

First, a sweater organizer (this is the exact one I’ve used for the last several babies):

Dressers take up precious space, so if you have a bit of room in your closet, something like this is PERFECT!  I keep hats up on top between the bar and the top of the organizer.  The first shelf is where I put baby pajamas.  I tend to keep my babies in footie jammies for the first 6 months or so.  The next shelf is for onesies, the next one holds pants.  The bottom two shelves have held different purposes over the years.  Currently, it holds outfits that I am saving back for my children – that special outfit Lia wore in her 9 month photos, the cute little onsie Daddy bought Aspen.  Eventually, I will get them all “filed” away, but for now, they live in the bottom two shelves.

This particular organizer also has mesh pockets along the side.  This gives you even more storage!  I keep nursing pads, soft-soled shoes, and even hairbows in those pockets!  Now, I must admit, I’m not big on putting shoes on babies, so in these mesh pockets I also keep socks and tights that LOOK like baby is wearing shoes!

Beside the organizer, I also keep baby hangers that hold Mercy’s dresses.  This is the part where I admit to a slight obsession I have with Primary.com dresses.  (OK, it might be more than slight!)

These dresses are AMAZING!  Lovely colors, no tags, they have an attached onsie that keeps baby’s tummy from showing, and they wear beautifully!  Primary.com is known for being color ONLY – no crazy cartoons or words.  They have plenty of other clothes, but the dresses are my obsession…as you can see in this photo:

The last organizational item I keep in the bedroom – or rather, used to keep – is a Nursing Mom’s Basket.  Now, I could still keep something like this in the bedroom and call it my Bottle-feeding Mom’s Basket, but I’ve actually not found a need for it.  However, I feel it’s important I mention it here because it is a basket you might want to consider keeping in your room.

More often than not, I have kept one small basket like this in my bedroom, and a bigger version out in the living room where I spent most of my time nursing so I could keep an eye on things.  However, my last several babies, I’ve found myself needing to take the time away from the masses and feed my babies in the quieter atmosphere of my bedroom.  Now that I have older children, I can safely do this.

The basics of this basket are wipes and diapers, a snack for mom (if you can keep little hands out of it!), a water bottle, a book, pen and small notepad, toys for the toddler, your cellphone, burp rags, and anything else you’d like to have at your fingertips when you are feeding baby.  You can see a photo of mine from years ago here!

I hope this gives you some organizational ideas for your baby things!  Please, feel free to share any organizational tips you’ve found helpful!