Organization Tips for Your Baby’s Nursery

So, you’ve had a baby.  Congratulations!  Now you want to know, “What just happened to my house?”

Adding a family member into a currently smoothly-running family unit can really upset the apple cart of organization and fluidity.  Here are a few ideas from a Mom who’s been there and a new Grandma who is back in that same boat with you. 

• Simplify.  The simpler, the better.  Life runs smoother without all of the distractions of ‘stuff’.  Our children require less ‘stuff’ than the media and family lead you to believe.

• Diapering Area.  It’s all about the supplies and having them on hand and within your reach.  We all know to never leave a baby on a changing table alone or even without one hand on their wiggly fast moving little body.  Be safe.  Have all of your supplies near.

• Bed.  Make sure that your crib and/or pack-n-play meet the requirements of safety for your child.  Keep the height of the mattress at the best height for their safety; this will eliminate nap time escapes as they grow older.

• Make wise choices.  You really don’t need to have a bounce chair, a cradle chair, a high chair, a saucer/walker chair, etc.  Choose two which work best for you and your child. As your child grows, so will their needs and the chairs really will switch up and change for you.

• Books.  You can never have too many!  This is the best alternative to all of those toys.  Story Time is Imagination Time.  Children learn facts, have adventures, travel and play – all between the covers of a book. 

• Toys.  You are the parent; at this point in their life, you control just how much comes in to your home and their bedrooms.  Baskets easily contain the countless small stuffed toys; while building a cube unit with cute canvas boxes works wonders to store the toys as your baby grows into a toddler.

 

Rotate the toys as your child grows; pack them up and keep for the next child or donate to someone else who could really use those infant toys. 

• Gifts.  Always welcomed; although, not always necessary.  A few suggestions for Grandma, Aunts and Friends: the child does not require a new toy every time that they stop by.  Gifts in their piggy bank or even savings bonds are welcome for the child’s future.  Be creative; come up with some workable ideas for your family. 

There are so many different ideas, from so many different sources.  Use your heart and mind to make decisions on what works best for you as you organize your baby’s nursery.

Submitted by Chapter Member Kathy Tucker, Finally Organized, LLC.  www.FinallyOrganizedMich.com

A More Organized Play Room is More Fun!

Four Steps to a More Organized Playroom

These simple tips from the National Association of Professional Organizers in Michigan will help your family get and stay organized.

1) Decide:

Determine what volume of toys can fit comfortably in your playroom and make homes for them on shelves or in drawers. Keep an eye on that volume: as new toys come in, old ones must go out. Move them to a storage space for future use (labeled) or – better yet – donate to charity.

2) Contain:

Store broad categories of toys (avoid the temptation to be super-specific) together in bins that are easy to move to and from play spaces. Avoid lids for easier access. Label the containers, even if you think its contents are obvious. Involve the kids; they can draw picture labels if they're not writers yet.

3) Collect:

 

Toys have a way of escaping the playroom. Place smallish bins in other areas (e.g., living room, kitchen, stairs) to collect the escapees and return to the playroom when they're full.

4) Teach:

 

Staying organized is an essential life skill, so teaching your kids how to put things away so that they can find them again is part of your job as a parent. That means they need to practice! Just as it would be a shame for a 30-year-old to have never learned how to tie his shoe laces, it’s sad to see one who hasn’t learned the basics of organizing. So make putting toys away an everyday part of the end of the day ritual.

Organizing your playroom is easier than you think!

 

For more organizing tips, visit www.NapoMichigan.com.

Article submitted by Chapter member Molly Boren of Simplicity Works Organizing Services: www.sworganizing.com

The Island of Misfit Toys

How to deal with toys.

Step 1: Break the project down into manageable parts.
It is probably unrealistic to tackle all the toys in your home at one time. Instead, pick one shelf, drawer, or box at a time.

Step 2: Sort toys into categories.
While there are many categories for toys, here are some common ones: stuffed animals, dolls, books, vehicles, kitchen, dress up, puzzles, and games.

Step 3: Go through the toys and figure out what to keep.
Some questions to ask that will help in making this decision include: Is the toy broken or is it in good shape? Is the item played with? Is the item age appropriate? Do we have an appropriate number of those items?

Step 4: Create play zones.
It can be helpful to name the kind of play that happens in each zone. Zone examples include art, reading, or transportation. All toys that are used for each specific kind of play will go in their zone.

Step 5: Find a home within the zone for the toys that you keep.
Once you find a place to put the toys, it is important to find a way to identify the container. This will make it easier for your children to put the toys away. Identify this new home with a description (a picture) that is attached to the bin or container .

Step 6: Find a different home for what you want to get rid of.
If you know someone with a child who is younger, perhaps some of the toys that are no longer age appropriate for your children would work well for them. Put them in a labeled bag and take them to your car so you will have them the next time you and your friend get together. Put any toys that are going to a donation center in another marked bag in your car.

Last words

Toys can be a source of great joy to children and their parents. Learning how to manage toys will help make this sentiment a reality!

For more organizing tips, visit www.NapoMichigan.com. 

Article submitted by Chapter member Susan Hunsberger, Professional Organizer, with Strategize Organize LLC   strategizeorganize.com