As a mum, operating your child’s nursery can be a challenge, but fortunately, these hacks are here to help you streamline your day and cut down on chaos. Once you learn them, you’ll be able to spend more time with your little one and avoid disasters that befall most parents.
So, what hacks do we recommend?
Use multi-functional furniture
We recommend you start off by using multi-functional furniture. There are so many options these days for nurseries that you’re bound to find something that fits into your context. For example, you can get cribs with built-in storage or dresses that are also changing stations. What’s nice about convertible pieces is that they tend to be better able to grow with your child. You’re not constantly having to buy new pieces of furniture as they get taller and bigger.
There are many shops and online stores that now offer multi-functional furniture. Designers are constantly coming up with innovative ideas to improve your life and make better use of the square footage you have available in your child’s nursery.
Start a nighttime prep routine
Another hack is to start a nighttime prep routine. With these, you can save time the night before so you’re ready for whatever the next day brings. Many parents like to tidy up the nursery the night before, lay out the next day’s clothes, fill milk or water bottles, or put them in the bottle warmers.
When you get everything prepared the night before, you are less anxious about how the following day is going to turn out for you. This can sometimes help parents with their sleep, enabling them to rest soundly knowing that everything is taken care of.
Use clear boxes for storage
You also want to use clear boxes for storage in your baby’s nursery. These are beneficial for a couple of reasons:
- They get rid of junk that would otherwise have to be left in the corner on the floor
- They provide visibility to the supplies that you have on hand
For example, you could use clear boxes for extra formula or for diapers. The nice thing about clear boxes is that you can get everything you need without having to rummage. You are not constantly looking through layers of clothes and other random items that might be hanging around trying to find the one thing that you need.
Use a go bag
Many parents who have been in the game for a long time use go bags as part of their essentials in their baby’s bedrooms. For example, they keep a bag with baskets and other basics in it like extra clothes, toys, and snacks. It’s a good idea to refill this bag once a week so that whenever you go anywhere with your baby or child, you always have everything that they need with you. If you don’t have a go bag, it can make life more challenging because you are always looking for the things you need instead of having them right there, ready for unexpected outings.
Use waterproof sheets
Another hack that experienced parents use in the nursery is waterproof bassinet sheets. Even if diapers leak, this prevents waste from getting onto the mattress, where it can be much harder to clean. These days, waterproof sheets are much better than they were in the past. They are breathable, cool, and soft to the touch and suitable for babies. They are also often machine washable, so if your child does have an accident in the night, you can quickly run them through the washer, hang them out to dry, and then get back to business.
Install shelving and ledges
You might also want to install shelving and ledgers in your nursery for books and small toys.
Shelving and ledgers are a great addition because they give you extra storage space with almost no visual cost. Also, if you place them high enough, they don’t affect floor space in your room or make it feel cluttered, like conventional cupboards do sometimes.
The larger the shelves, the greater the capacity they have. Shelves that are on top of kids’ wardrobes can be particularly beneficial for storing large baskets with a lot of individual items in each of them.
Label everything in the closets and bins
Another pro hack for your baby’s nursery is to label all the items in your child’s closet or clear bins. For example, you could label their toys, clothes, and supplies. Or leave them open-style if you want to spot items quickly.
It’s a good idea to hang outfits together and use clips so that you can see matching sets. You could also create a calendar for what your baby will wear every day, so you don’t have to think about it. Rotating through this every week simplifies the process of raising your child. And you can also tell when you need to buy them new clothes that are bigger and fit better.
Use drawer organisers for smaller baby clothes
Baby clothes are usually small pieces, a bit like regular adult underwear and socks. Because of this, you’ll need to think of new ways to manage all these items. Simply dumping them in the drawer probably isn’t going to work.
The best way to do this is to divide up your dresser drawers into different compartments. Many people like to build these separators into the drawers themselves, but you can also just use in-drawer baskets. When you have these, you know where everything is, and you don’t have to do any more digging.
Set up a rolling nappy caddie
Finally, you might want to look into the idea of setting up a rolling nappy caddy. These are useful when you want to bring your baby’s changing supplies around the room, just in case your child is moving around. On the caddy, you’ll want to include things like wipes, creams, and nappies. You can also roll it into other rooms if you want to, like the living room, so you don’t have to move backwards and forwards between your child’s bedroom and other parts of the house just to gather supplies.
