I am sure you all agree that babies = stuff (in many ways: clothes, toys, accessories, equipment, furniture and so much more!).
As a [[www.youneedavicky.com
Professional Organiser]] Vicky often get asked to help coordinate the storing/saving of baby and toddler items to make way for the new as they grow and develop. Often clients don’t know what to keep, where and how to keep these items. I hope the advice and tips below help.
Buy a memory box
You will have so many little bits and bobs you will want to save. If you don’t have anywhere to put them they will create clutter. Remember not to use up precious space by simply saving EVERYTHING!
This helps because:
•You will have one central place to store precious items
•It will help keep these items in the best possible condition
Clothes, toys and reusables
So when your baby gets bigger and grows out of clothes and toys, try and keep the organisation process simple. Be practical and you will look forward to getting it down from the loft in the future. This should not be a chore – it should be exciting.
Have a realistic think about the amount of items you actually should be saving for your next baby. These all take up space. Once you have them ready to be stored please take one last look and see if there is anything that you realistically will replace in the future.
Avoid storing:
•Anything soiled or stained
•Items that have clearly been used/loved and have seen better days
•Anything broken
•Bottles with scratches (&/or anything that is likely to harbour germs)
•Anything that has a use-by date that will clearly expire within a year
When you are storing take note:
•Store in clearly marked, sealed plastic boxes
•Label the age range 0-6, 6-12 (and so on)
•Use smaller boxes with fewer items
•Clean toys and take batteries out (they can leak and spoil items)!
•Be selective – keep favourites and clean items, donate anything else.
•Try not to use storage areas needed in your day-to-day life
•Use plastic boxes rather than vacuum bags (which may split)
•Always keep a small box/bag tucked in baby’ room and at the ready
•Store toys in the same way as clothes (by age)
•Wrap precious clothing items in acid-free tissue if stored long-term
Start early
Once you get on top of this, it becomes hassle free, truly. So many of Vicky's clients, when bring boxes down from the loft, get rid of a large number and ask themselves why they stored them in the first place.
A stained little white vest to store – no! A bib that’s on its last legs – definitely not! A dress that was, is and always will be ugly – what is the point!?!?!?
Space is precious and all of these little things we save then get rid of anyway add up to one large amount of pointless! Bit by bit, piece by piece, declutter, donate and de-stress your life of unnecessary ‘stuff’!
It’s not about being wasteful, it’s about being practical and sensible.
Vicky Silverthorn
For your professional organising and decluttering needs contact Vicky at [email protected] or visit You Need A Vicky