I’ve mentioned before how little newborn babies actually need and that is is possible to live in a very small space with a baby! We did it pretty easily with our first so preparing for our second in a “regular” sized house posed some challenges (er, opportunities) we never had before.
The new baby has his very own room!
Since we never decorated a nursery with our first (he just slept in a pack-n-play in the hallway), we have first hand knowledge that you don’t have to spend gobs of money on a room. Babies don’t really spend much time in there anyway, right? Of course, baby nurseries are adorable and decorating a room can be such a fun way to pass the time waiting for baby to arrive.
Nevertheless, my husband and I didn’t focus too much on decorating a room for the new little guy. In fact, we waited until 2 weeks before the due date to start getting things together! Probably not smart…but thankfully it worked for us :)
Preparing the baby room.
I pulled out bins of clothes, bottles, bibs, burpclothes, etc. from our first and finally cleaned them.
It was fantastic to have them neatly organized so I could pull out only what we needed.
It was even more thrilling to have a closet to hang the clothes!!
What we didn’t have, though, was a dresser. Or, actually anything to put items that don’t hang in the closet. So, when I saw the pictures of how Andrea remodeled their baby closet I knew I just had to copy it…don’t worry, I told her I was copying it :) It’s just perfect for small spaces, or thrifty people, or those who like organization, or…just about anyone!
How we doubled (tripled?) closet space in the baby room.
[pinit]
Since baby/children’s clothes take up such a small part of the closet when hanging, I thought Andrea’s use of shelving in the bottom of the closet was brilliant. So, I asked my husband to do the same. He installed two shelves that span the length of the closet but the two shelves actually added three rows of storage. They are perfect for holding baskets and boxes to keep loose items contained.
The top row of boxes contain clothing the next few sizes up. I could have left them in the storage containers in the attic. But, I figure my hands will be full with two little ones pretty soon so I’m making it as easy as possible for the first year!
Clothes up to 6 months are hanging on hangers and the green storage contraption is holding all kinds of stuffed animals. I don’t know about you, but I think a couple of stuffed animals are enough for any child. But, alas, we have much more than that…but at least they are contained!
Underneath the clothes are baskets full of swaddling blankets, regular blankets, socks, shoes, and bibs.
The next row hs toys and bath supplies. I thought it was the perfect height for my “big helper” to be able to grab something for me when needed. Either that, or it will be a complete mess…only time will tell!
Finally, the boxes on the floor contain hundreds (!!!) of diapers! We had a amazing group of friends provide us with a diaper pounding and we are thrilled! Even though I tend to cloth diaper at home, we are at church quite a bit and the workers prefer disposable diapers. So, those will help our budget tremendously and I’m extremely thankful!
So, that’s the way we doubled (and possibly tripled) the closet space in the new baby’s room. What about you? How do you increase storage space in your closets?
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
yay — the closet looks AMAZING!!! and I’m sure you are enjoying all the “extra” space you just created!
It’s really my favorite part of the room so THANK YOU for the idea!!!
Quick tip – old big cardboard diaper boxes work great for shelf organizers. I’ve even seen them covered with scrapbook or wrapping paper online for a pretty look. I just tape construction paper on the front and label (next size pants, outgrown, seasonal, etc).
I can fit 4 across in my girls tiny closet. We have two shelves, so that makes for easy storage of clothing that is too small for one and too big for the other.
The boxes are a GREAT idea! When I see how people creatively cover cardboard boxes and make them beautiful I always intend to do the same….maybe one day I actually will!
Perfect! We’re getting ready to move…again…and I know I’ll need to find a way to maximize space and this is exactly what I’m needing! Thanks for sharing.
Our house was built in 1920 for lower-middle-class people who would not have had many clothes. All the original closets are 11″ deep; hangers work only on rods perpendicular to the back wall (so that you can see only the item in front)! So we have shelves in all of our closets–and we filled the one in the future kid’s room with videos when we moved into the house. The videos will stay until the kid demands the closet for his personal storage. (He’s almost 7 now.) His clothes are in an old dining room sideboard. Advantages:
*The drawers are huge. They hold a lot! Dividers, boxes, or bags can be used to separate categories of clothing.
*Because the drawers are huge, they are difficult to open. He could not do it until he was 4. This meant he couldn’t fling clean clothes all over the room!!! And we didn’t have to worry about the safety hazard of his pulling a drawer out onto himself, until he was old enough to be sensible about pulling it gradually.
*It also has cabinets, ideal for storing diapers and later toys, bedding, or stacked T-shirts.
*The big top surface made a great changing table.
*It stands on legs 24″ tall, so there’s space underneath for toy baskets, or hide-out. :-)
Just an option I wanted to recommend for anyone who doesn’t have a closet in the nursery. I like your closet organization and am looking forward to reading your tips for a small space!
Loove the creative use of the sideboard. I’m always a fan with people use furniture/products in unique ways…I just wish *I* could think up how to do that more :)
I would like to know where you purchased the boxes from?
They were from Ikea several years ago. They’ve been wonderful!!
I had a very narrow but full height wardrobe when my little one was born. I bought a wooden dowel and a pair of brackets, and attached the second bar halfway up the wardrobe. This allowed me to hang two rows of clothes and use the space better.