Is your baby’s nursery storage getting overwhelmed with outgrown clothes, toys, and furniture? The older your little one gets, the harder it can be to find safe places to store those precious mementos and decide what to do with bulkier items like prams and cots. 

The good news is, thanks to the latest organisation tips and smart sharing economy solutions, figuring out a plan for those extra items is easier than ever. Here at Spacer, we’re excited to share with you our tips for saving your child’s keepsakes without the hassle of cluttered nursery storage. So let’s talk baby storage options!

First, free up your at-home nursery storage by focusing on bulky items

There are a few reasons why we recommend tackling those bulky baby items first. On the one hand, these large objects, such as prams, bassinets, and outgrown car seats, take up the most floor space in your baby storage area. Because of their odd shapes, they don’t easily fit into your organisation plans, making them one more frustrating piece of clutter to deal with.

The other reason you might want to clear these items out first is that they’re easier to part with. Unlike your child’s first drawings, handmade baby blankets, and other sentimental items, you may feel less of an emotional connection to the baby’s first highchair. 

Alright, so you’re ready to clear these bulky objects out, but how? 

The first decision you’ll want to make is whether or not to sell your baby equipment. 

On the one hand, if you’re thinking of someday welcoming another little bundle of joy into your life, you might want to hang onto that baby equipment to save money later on. If that’s the case, then long term storage is a good option. Spacer can help you find affordable, reliable storage right in your neighbourhood. Whether you’re in a suburb of a large city like Melbourne or Perth or another smaller community, there are homeowners closeby with extra space in their garage or spare bedroom to safely house your baby furniture.

On the other hand, there may be reasons to sell your baby equipment instead. Remember that baby equipment doesn’t last forever, and many items have expiry dates. Car seat capsules, for instance, tend to expire 7 years after the manufacture date. Some other pieces of baby equipment, such as cots and bassinets are periodically upgraded with new safety requirements. Baby furniture that is functional today may not be in the future. With these time considerations in mind, it may be a good idea to sell the item so that another family can get a few years of use and you don’t end up with an unsellable item later on. 

If you do intend to sell those bulky items, you may want to have a temporary storage space so that they’re not in your way while you’re waiting for the right buyer.

And the sharing economy has another option for you, as well: Kindershare. This parenting network app allows you to rent out your baby equipment to other families in your area. All kinds of baby items, from prams to car seats to bassinets and more are up for rent on the site, so you’ll be able to list your items and share them with other parents who don’t want to buy brand-new equipment.

Say yes to meaningful or reusable items, and rehome the rest

Once you’ve cleared some space by deciding to rent out or store your bulkier baby items, it’ll be time to work through smaller bits and bobs. Baby clothes, toys, blankets, books, and other items may be taking up space in your at-home nursery storage because you’re not sure of what to keep and what to give away. Here are a few downgrading tips for decluttering your baby’s room:

•  Consider whether there’s a possibility of another child in the future. Again, if this is without a doubt your last child, you can feel comfortable giving away or selling most items – toys, clothes, bottles and books that your child will soon outgrow. If not, then you’ll have some practical decisions about what to keep.

• If you can envision a younger sibling in the future, then think about the items that were most useful and reusable. These would include baby clothes, bottles, blankets, bibs, diaper bags, toys, and books that you will enjoy reading with your little one again. Again, long-term storage is a good option so that you don’t have a baby clothes storage closet taking up room in your home.

• For sentimental items, think about keeping a select few of the most memorable objects. In the next section, we’ll talk about how to creatively memorialise sentimental items, but before then, it’s a good idea to go through your baby storage and ask yourself which items you can let go of. For example, your child’s first pair of socks may be worth keeping. The other 37 pairs? You can probably say goodbye to those.

Getting started in the downgrading process can be tough, but remember that having an organised nursery storage is a huge relief. And, you’ll be making room for the next exciting phase of your child’s life!

Creative solutions for showcasing baby mementos

Downsizing to a few key baby mementos is a huge step in decluttering your nursery. Now, what can you do with the items that you’ve decided to keep?

One option is to create a precious memories box, sometimes called a keepsake box. This can be a decorative storage container with all of your baby’s most treasured items, such as the baby hat they wore home from the hospital, or baby’s first adorable booties. 

For items that are flat, you might store them in a baby scrapbook or arrange them in a frame to hang in your home. These items could include a copy of your baby shower invitations, your first ultrasound, or pictures of memorable moments during pregnancy and your baby’s first few months. 

You’ll find that when you memorialize these sentimental items, they’ll give so much more joy than they would taking up space in your nursery storage.

Long-term nursery storage organising tips

You’ve cleared out large baby equipment, you’ve parted ways with baby clothes that you no longer need, and you’ve found creative ways to showcase the sentimental items that you want to keep. Now, how can you make sure that your nursery storage stays tidy? Here are a few simple tips:

• Get some nursery storage baskets. These are essential when it comes to baby room storage! Have a variety of different size nursery storage baskets so that everything in your little one’s room has a home.

• Make downsizing a regular practice. Even though you know it’s inevitable, just how fast your baby grows will truly amaze you. And that means more opportunities to give away or sell clothes. You can also consider clearing out toys and books that are no longer age-appropriate so that you can replace them without baby storage overload.

• Don’t be afraid to shake things up. Often, having an organised nursery means being flexible with the layout. Maybe you notice that it’s better to store the diapers in another drawer or that you’re constantly struggling to reach frequently used items that you stored on the top shelf. Organisation is only successful when it makes your life easier, so don’t be afraid to rearrange things!

How are you feeling about organising your nursery storage?

In this article, we’ve talked about everything from storing large baby equipment to being strategic about your everyday storage organisation. Let us know what you are excited to incorporate into your current baby storage situation or what other nursery storage hacks you rely on!