9 Tips On Organising The Nursery For Your Newborn

Preparing a nursery for your first baby is an exciting but often overwhelming task. There’s just so much to think about, so many decisions to make, and so much to do—all the while growing a baby in the belly!

While you may want your nursery to look picture perfect (no thanks to social media influences), ensuring that it is also functional will make those early days with your newborn much more manageable. Here are nine practical tips to help you organise your nursery in a way that balances style with functionality, so that your nursery stays cute and clutter-free in the days to come.

1. Keep it minimal

It is tempting to get everything at once - the cot, dresser, changing table, rocking chair, side table, standing lamp, shelves, playmat, and so on.  In reality, all you need for the first few months of baby’s life is a sturdy cot with a safe, supportive mattress, diaper-changing station and comfy chair for nursing. It’s better to start simple, because you can always add more furniture and build your nursery according to baby’s preferences and personality along the way, rather than find your space cluttered with things you don't actually need.

2. Consider efficient furniture groupings

Efficient furniture placements can help make reaching for essential items much easier. Alex of decluttering firm Kalm Organise says, “We’ll try to group big furniture together. For example, when people want to add a chest of drawers to their nursery, I’d suggest to put it near the existing wardrobe for easier access and also to maximise floor space.” By the same token, you’d position your nursing station or rocker next to the shelf with the wet wipes and burp cloths, and your diaper changing station right next to the clothes and diaper storage section so that all these things are within arm’s reach if you need them in the midst of nursing or changing a diaper. 

3. Wheels and open boxes can be your best friends

With regards to diaper-changing, you could also consider storing all your diapers and diapering necessities in a trolley which can be moved around, so you can change out your baby's (and future toddler's) diapers anywhere at home. Alex also recommends using storage boxes without lids for quicker access, as well as arranging items from left to right, top to bottom, in their usage sequence because this method of organisation is instinctive, and also makes things easier for other caregivers at home.

4. Think long-term

Babies grow into toddlers very quickly, and their needs are constantly evolving, which makes it wise to consider the longevity of your nursery pieces. For instance, a bassinet might seem like such an adorable idea, but you’d have to replace it very quickly. Instead, consider choosing a cot that can be converted into a toddler bed. This not only saves space and money, but it also saves you the trouble of having to buy and dispose of furniture frequently. Similarly, choosing a diaper changing board or “table” that attaches to the top of your cot may seem convenient and useful now, but becomes unsafe as soon as baby starts to flip or move. It’s better to invest in a sturdy diaper changing table that can hold the child’s weight for more than a year. 

5. Choose multi-functional furniture

Furniture with multiple uses goes a longer way, period. Getting a sturdy diaper changing table with built-in drawers underneath for instance kills two birds with one stone. Consider one of those five-in-one cots that can be lowered from a baby cot to a toddler bed, a playpen, and afterwards transformed into a kid’s bed, and finally a child’s desk. Multi-purpose furniture not only saves space and money, but it can even be reused as you expand your brood.

6. Use drawer organisers

Baby things are really cute and tiny, so regular dresser drawers are usually too large and deep for them. Drawer organisers can help efficiently subdivide your drawers for better space utilisation and organisation. This will allow multiple item categories to live within the same drawer, without things getting lost in one big mess. Pro-tip from Alex: “Another thing we love is adjustable drawer dividers instead of those soft cloth boxes, because they fit the drawers better and can be reconfigured to cater for your kid’s changing needs.” 

7. Shelves are more useful than hanging space

Installing shelves within your baby's closet maximises storage space, particularly because babies don’t need much hanger space for the first few years of their lives. Having multiple shelves also helps you to keep little pieces of folded clothing neat and orderly. Place the everyday necessities on lower shelves and the less used or stored-for-later items in the higher, harder-to-reach areas.

8. Store and rotate toys

Storage bins or decorative fabric baskets are a great way to organise and declutter your little one’s toys, books and stuffed toys. Designate a play area in a corner of the room and line up the soft bins along that wall, or store them all neatly on your new closet shelves, depending on how accessible you want the toys to be to your child. Keeping storage bins within reach of your child helps train him or her to clean up and organise from a young age. Also intentionally rotating toys and storing unused toys out of sight also helps prevent overstimulation and encourages your child to engage in more focused and meaningful play. 

9. Safety first

Last but by no means least, safety is the number one priority in the nursery. Anchor heavy pieces like the shelf or diaper changing table to the wall so they can't topple even when your toddler tries to climb them. Consider babyproofing your room from the start rather than waiting for baby to be mobile - you have one less thing to worry about later on. Hide loose wires or cables; seal or cover exposed electrical outlets, install safety latches on drawers, put up a safety gate at the door, and making sure your baby’s crib meets safety standards. This includes keeping the bed free of stuffed animals, fluffy bedding, pillows, loose bedding or blankets to prevent sudden infant death syndrome.