How do I Organise all These Baby Clothes? | Ask The easyStorage Experts

‍Dear easyStorage

When I found out I was pregnant, I went on a spending spree. I was really excited, and followed all of the magazines and books to make sure I had what was needed.

I now have a load of out of season clothes of all different sizes and don’t know how to store them, what to keep as mementoes and even whether or not I should be paying more attention to things like ironing.

I have so much on my plate and am having to think about going back to work. I feel a bit of a failure – my ‘nursery’ doesn’t look anything like I expected it to, and is always messy.

How do I store everything away to make it look better.

(My gorgeous little man, Adan, is now three months old.)

Immie, Nottingham

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Hi Immie, thanks for the question. (Keep them coming!)

Firstly, we’re storage specialists, not psychologists, but we put our heads together and the we want to reassure you that you’re not the first person to feel like this – many of us have children and have felt similar. So please don’t feel bad, and thank you for your question – what you’re saying others are thinking, so we put our heads together to find some answers for you.

When baby arrives, friends and family give you clothes and other gifts, new and pre used, and it can be overwhelming. (Sensible friends will buy clothes etc for the next stage, but that too comes with its own problems as gorgeous knitted sweaters aren’t great for summer, and little cotton rompers are no use in the snow.)

And baby clothes sizings vary wildly, which is generally not a problem with newborns, but becomes an issue as they all start to grow at their own pace.

So, grab a bag or box to put in any clothes that are too small or seasonal clothes won’t fit when Adan gets to that age, and let’s start looking at what space you have:

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Wardrobes

For small baby clothes, a hanging wardrobe can seem more of a pain in the neck than a help. Just remember that adult standard hangers, even wire ones, may be too wide for baby clothes. However, they can be useful to fold things over like babygrows or leggings. (Always say yes to the baby clothes hangers if offered in stores!)

Our goal with the wardrobe will be to hang things in size order, by season (spring through to winter). Whilst most of us on team easyStorage feel that babies don’t care too much about what colours they’re wearing (they look edible whatever) some were suggesting strongly that organising into colour blocks also matters. This is your life, you decide what matters to you, but prioritise the sizing. It will make it easier to pass clothes on when they are outgrown. And that, we’re afraid, tends to happen really fast at Adan’s age.

Things that benefit from being hung include cotton outfits; delicate outfits like Christening robes, abayas and lehengas; coats; dresses and dungarees, especially if not made of jersey.

Whether you hang up babygrows and T-shirts is a personal choice and created small debates here – I always found that hangers left marks on shoulders, but other parents hung theirs without problems.

Pegs are your best friend for getting things to stay on hangers.

Whatever you do, make sure that clothes going into the wardrobe are fully clean and dry.

Once everything is hanging, in age (and possibly colour) order, it’s easy to spot any gaps. For example, there may be lots of 3-6 month-size clothes and nothing then until a year. Weed out anything that’s just going to be wrong. For example, this article is being written in October. The weather in the UK for the next few months at least is going to be mostly chilly and wet. Anything that Adan’s been gifted that’s aged 3-9 months and is purely summer wear can also be weaned out of the wardrobe.

It's a great opportunity to weed out any clothes that are already too small, or that you don’t like.

(Whilst researching and brainstorming, we found lots of ‘closet dividers’ online, that allow you to mark any row of clothes with the sizes. If you’re a crafter, there are even tutorials for making them.)

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Drawers

There are some things that just won’t go into wardrobes to hang, like socks, mittens and the like.

Be brutal with the sock drawer from the outset. Rumours abound regarding elves who live in washing machines and eat socks, leaving you with one odd one. And the moment you throw that odd sock away, the pair will reappear.

Whatever the cause of the ‘odd socks in the wash’ dilemma, only put away socks with pairs, or you will forever be hunting for non-existent footwear. Assign a little drawstring bag or shoe box for odd socks, hanging up or even in the same drawer but separate. Once a month sort the singles to find pairs, which can be put away together. The rest may need to hang around for longer until the vagabond half of the pair reappears or until the sock is clearly too small for the intended wearer and ready for recycling.

When it comes to accessories, always keep matching hats, gloves, etc together in one space. Make sure they are clean and dry before storing.

Tights and leggings or jersey trousers are easily kept together and easily share a large drawer with socks.

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If you are running out of drawer space, both socks and accessories lend themselves well to be stored in baskets. Odd shapes mean they’re really hard to keep tidy in drawers, and most of us settle for simply ‘being out of the way’.

Other drawers may contain, for example, babygrows and rompers. Put anything that’s the wrong size (too big) in a carefully marked box/es, and pass on anything that’s too small unless you’re particularly sentimental about them or saving them for a sibling for Adan.

If you have knitwear, be ultra-sure it’s clean and dry before storing. All clothes face the risk of mould and mildew if put away damp, but knitwear can also get misshapen by storing damp. (For this reason, wash inside out and dry flat where possible.)

If you’re using your chest of drawers for nappies and nappy outers, baby swimmers and the like, keep these items in the upper drawers as you will probably need to access them faster and more regularly than other types of clothing. Bloomers often fit nicely here as well.

With so many small things to store, much of which can be rolled and stored, drawer dividers really are a useful investment if you can afford them.

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Other places and ways to store things

There are some storage tips to make the most of space here: Creating a Space for Your Bundle of Joy.

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To iron, or not to iron

For some of us, ironing is next to Godliness when it comes to clothes. For others, it’s a waste of a life. Only you can decide what’s right for you.

Ironing does have certain advantages:

·         Ironed clothes take up less space;

·         Ironing usually helps to dry out moisture, which will help avoid mould and mildew;

·         Can help remove smells as well as creases;

·         Makes it easy to spot anything that hasn’t washed properly and needs to go for a re-run;

·         Can help clothes keep their shape.

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easyStorage is here for you  with low cost, great quality storage options for you as your family grows and your needs change – we even collect and return your belongings. Keep an eye on our monthly tips for lifestyle storers.

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You can obtain a no-obligation quote, any time, night or day from our website https://book.easystorage.com/, or can call one of our helpful specialists most days up to 7pm, on 0333 016 4276.

And always remember that the time and attention that you give your baby is way more important than a show home nursery!

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If you have a storage question that you’d like answered, send your questions to Alex Fulcher who’ll pick questions for the team to answer each month: Alex.Fulcher@easystorage.com or use #AskeasyStorage and tag us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram