Easy DIY Baby Closet Organization: Amazing Before and After Reveal
As small as they are, babies come with a lot of stuff! From clothes to accessories, their closet is often brimming with things! And trying to get it all organized can seem like an impossible task, especially if you have a toddler to take care of. There’s so many ideas out there (think Pinterest for inspiration), it’s hard to know where to even begin. But don’t worry we’ve got you covered, from the planning stage to picking the right shelves, Ikea bins and baskets, we’ll help you take your baby closet organization to the next level. And the best part? It can all be done DIY and on a budget! Read on to discover how we took a real life closet from uninviting and messy to organized and downright beautiful – the before and after pictures alone will wow you!
Why should I organize?
Not only does it help you find what you need faster and easier, it can also give you a great feeling of accomplishment. It’s best to get the closet organized before baby arrives as organization will be the last thing on your mind once your newborn is in your arms! Use this step by step checklist to help you get started.
1. Planning
Always start with a plan. It will help you know what you need and what steps you need to take before you start organizing.
- Start by taking a picture of your closet. This can serve as your before picture and is needed if you decide to go with a custom closet builder.
- Decide whether you’re going to get a custom or DIY closet done. If you decide on the DIY route, go to your local hardware store (Home Depot) or Ikea and see what options you have. Before you go DIY, make a list of pros and cons of doing it that way. A custom closet may seem like an expensive idea, but after all the measuring, building and patience required for a DIY project, it might just be worth the cost.
- If you decide to go with a custom closet, make sure you get at least three quotes before you finalize your plans. Many companies will give you a quote via email provided you give them the measurements of your closet, the number of shelves and hanging rods you need and a photo to show them what they’d be working with. Make sure you get a quote in writing along with a drawing of what the shelving unit will look like before you choose.
For this before and after reveal, the couple decided to go with a pro for their shelves and hanging rods. It was more cost effective and saved them countless hours they didn’t have building and installing shelves.
- Don’t think you have to do everything on your own. Get help if you need it – especially if you’re pregnant and have heavy items to carry or high shelves to organize.
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2. Organize your baby’s things
If this is your first baby, you might not have a ton of stuff to sort through - unless you get spoiled at your baby shower! If this is your second child, you’ll most likely have hand me downs and other things passed down from one baby to the next. For this project, the family have a 2 year old girl and are expecting another baby girl, so there was plenty of clothes and accessories being passed down.
Begin by sorting through the items in the closet and create a pile for the various items of clothing (use the list below to help you). This will help you decide how many baskets/bins you’ll need to store everything in.
- Onesies (short sleeve)
- Onesies (long sleeve)
- Sleepers
- Leggings
- Summer tops
- Summer bottoms
- Fall/winter tops
- Fall/winter bottoms
- Dresses
- Jackets
- Sweaters
- Shoes
- Socks
- Hair accessories
- Keepsakes
- Toys
- Hats
- Breastfeeding items
- Diaper stuff
- Bedding
- Babywearing / Baby wrap
- Books
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3. Organize piles by sizeBabies grow and change so fast, you’re bound to have a variety of sizes on hand for their clothes. That’s why organizing each pile by size will make it easier for you to find exactly what you need. Sort the clothes by months (i.e. 0-3 months, 3-6 months and so on).
Also, have three boxes on hand with the labels – toss, donate and sell. You might find as you go through the clothes that there are some things you want to get rid (i.e. that stained onesie or that outfit you got as a gift you really didn’t like).
4. Decide what gets folded, hung, and what goes in the bins/basket
Once all your piles are set, you’ll have a better idea of what you have. The next step is decide how you want to organize everything – what items will go in the drawers and what will go in the closet. For a newborn, it makes the most sense to place the onesies and sleepers in the drawers since that’s going to be their main pieces of clothing for the next few months (and the drawers are most accessible).
For this project, we placed the 0-3 month onesies and sleepers in the top drawer and placed other important items on the bottom shelf. Think seasonally when you’re deciding where to put things. If it’s winter, keep those bunting suits and toques on hand where you have easy access to them and store the bathing suits on the top shelf of the closet out of the way.
In the drawer
- Onesies (short sleeve)
- Onesies (long sleeve)
- Sleepers
- Leggings
In the basket/container (these will be placed on the shelves inside the closet)
- Summer tops
- Summer bottoms
- Fall/winter tops
- Fall/winter bottoms
- Sweaters
- Shoes
- Socks
- Hair accessories
- Hats
- Bedding
- Babywearing / Baby wrap
Open shelf
- Keepsakes
- Toys
- New Mommy Books
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Diaper trolley
- Breastfeeding items
- Diaper stuff
- Soothers
Items to hang in the closet
- Dresses
- Jackets
5. Supplies needed
- Containers
For the shelves inside the closet, consider using baskets, boxes or canvas cubes to help organize your baby’s clothes and accessories. Ikea has a great selection of bins and boxes (this is where we purchased the containers for this project). Before you purchase your containers, think about the color scheme you’re going for, how durable you need them to be, what size you need and if you can hang a tag (for labelling).
- Dividers for the chest of drawers
- Baby hangers
Regular size hangers just won’t do for those tiny baby clothes so consider purchasing some hangers that are specifically designed for a baby or child’s closet. We found these cute velvet, ultra-thin baby hangers on Amazon. They are perfect for displaying those adorable little dresses and jackets.
- Label the containers
Because baby’s closet will most likely change in a year or two, use a tag that you can hang on the container as your label. You don’t want to use anything permanent or sticky that will be impossible to take off once the time comes.
Total cost spent: $1,500
6. Clean the space
Before you get started putting things in their place, make sure you vacuum and wipe down everything in the closet and drawers. You’ll definitely want a clean space for baby’s things!
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7. Make it pretty
You’ll be looking at the closet on a daily basis, so you’ll want to make it a space that’s easy on the eyes. Keep a shelf open to store all those precious keepsakes and mementos like Bubzi Co.'s DIY Baby Handprint and Footprint Ink Frame or Clay Frame. Their keepsake kits featuring baby’s hand and foot prints are definitely something you’ll want to display in baby’s closet!
When it comes to baby closet organization, there are plenty of ways you can go about it. Whether you go with shelves full of bins and baskets or dresser drawers with organizers and dividers, do what works best for you. There really is no right way! The possibilities truly are endless. For our project, we chose to go with a custom closet organizer but if you’re on a budget, the DIY route is just as effective and looks just as good. So keep these ideas in mind as you start to organize your nursery. And remember, an organized closet can go a long way to making life that much easier for you!
