How To Organize A Nursery: 10 Clever Tips

Your nursery should be a peaceful, pretty sanctuary where you bond with your baby. But it can quickly become a cluttered, stressful room that feels totally overwhelming.

Whether you have a brand-new nursery or you want to overhaul an existing one, our nursery organization guide will give you simple, effective tips on how to organize a nursery and keep it tidy long-term.

The Importance Of An Organized Nursery

It’s hard work looking after a newborn, so you might be wondering why keeping your nursery organized is important. But you’ll be surprised at the benefits it has.

Less stress

When you have an unhappy baby to change, you don’t need the added stress of searching for supplies. A well-organized nursery helps take some of the stress out of your day and allows you to focus on the important things.

Saves time

Searching for a clean onesie or that specific toy your baby loves sucks a lot of time out of your day. When everything has a home, you’ll spend far less time searching for things.

More joy

A nursery should be a beautiful retreat where you and your baby can relax and bond. If it’s messy, disorganized, or consumed by clutter, you won’t want to spend any time in there. With some quick and effective organization hacks, you’ll soon have a room that brings you joy.

When Should You Start Organizing The Nursery?

The best time to start organizing your nursery is during your second trimester. You should be past your morning sickness (hopefully!) but still be comfortable enough to move around and decorate.

The closer you get to your due date, the harder it will be to tidy and organize, so start as soon as you can.

If you don’t yet have all of your nursery furniture or supplies, you can get started by planning where it will all go and sectioning off dedicated spaces for when it arrives.

How long should you keep a child's room a nursery?

There is no specific age at which you should transition your child to a proper bedroom. But it has a lot to do with your child’s mental maturity.

Children under three years have a hard time understanding they should remain in bed, so having a crib can make it easier to get through the night. Many parents make the mistake of transitioning too early because their toddlers will not sleep in their cribs. But the truth is, if they won’t sleep in a crib, they won’t sleep in a bed.

When you feel like your child is ready to switch from a crib to a bed, it’s time to transform the nursery into a bedroom. A good indicator is potty training – if your child can use the toilet, they’ll need to get out of bed at night, so it might be time to transition.

How to Organize Your Nursery?

Now we know the importance of organization and a little more about the timeframe, let’s look at 10 of the best nursery organization tips to help you get ready for your little one.

Create Zones in the Nursery

Whether you have an empty room or you want to organize a messy nursery, start by creating zones. These will include dedicated spots for nursing, sleeping, changing, and playing.

Figure out which areas of the room work best for each zone, and it’ll be much easier to find homes for all your things.

The sleep zone for the crib is the most important. Make sure it’s out of direct sunlight, there are no shelves above it, and there isn’t a draft.

If you have a very small nursery, you might have to have multi-purpose zones, and that’s totally fine. You can still use some fun nursery wallpaper to make the room look great.

Supplies & Clutter

If you already have a lot of baby items, it’s time to purge. Take everything out of the closet and drawers, and figure out what you actually need.

If you have a lot of baby clothes that don’t fit or toys that are a little too old, can you put these in storage for now? Perhaps you have equipment or furniture pieces that never get used – can these be donated?

Be ruthless and cut out anything you don’t need. This will make it much easier to fit in all your baby essentials.

Now, put all of your baby gear within the right zones. You’ll be able to see how much nursery storage you need in each area and what kinds of storage will work best for you.

Changing Station

Your changing station should run like a well-oiled machine. Whether you have a table, baby dresser, or fold-away mat, make sure you have a way of keeping all the supplies you need on hand.

For a dedicated nursery dresser, you can store extra diapers, creams, wipes, and essentials in the drawers using drawer dividers or drawer organizers.

If you have a small space, get yourself a storage box and pack it with all your supplies. This way, you can pull it out when needed and have everything within reach.

Set Up a Nursing Nook

A nursing zone is another important area of your nursery. This is a great place to get creative and set up a cozy, comfy spot for you and your baby to relax.

When organizing this area, keep it as clutter-free as possible to avoid unnecessary stress. You might want to include:

• A comfy reclining nursing chair
• A footstool (an ottoman can double as storage)
• A side table for snacks, books, etc.
• A basket for blankets, swaddles, and burp cloths
• A nursing pillow

Spend some time and make this area a peaceful retreat that you want to spend time in.

Storage Solutions

Get creative with your nursery’s storage solution to maximize what you can fit in. Once you have zones, you’ll be able to see what kinds of furniture will fit where. Here are some ideas:

• Add hooks to the wall for hanging storage space.
• Add storage bins under the crib.
• Put shelving in safe areas for books and supplies.
• Add hanging organizers to the nursery closet.
• Add over-the-door storage for the closet door.
• Add ottomans or small drawers that can be multi-use.

Maximizing Closet Space

If you have a closet in your nursery, you can maximize space with hanging storage solutions, multiple clothing rods, and space-saving hangers.

Just like the room, give the closet zones for baby clothes, supplies, toys, etc., so you know exactly where to put things away.

If you don’t have a closet, it’s important to find space to add a wardrobe to keep all of the baby’s clothes and other accessories in one place. Hanging is always best so you can see exactly what you have.

Incorporate Multi-Use Furniture

We’ve touched on this already, but multi-use furniture is king in a nursery. If it’s taking up space, it should serve multiple functions. Here are some examples:

• Ottomans can be used as footstools and storage boxes.
• Bedside tables can be used for storage and for putting your snacks and drinks on during nursing.
• Shelves can be used for decor and additional storage.
• A rolling cart can double as a changing station and storage.

Toy Management Solutions

It doesn’t matter how little your baby is; they will soon end up with a lot of toys. From dummies to play mobiles, you need somewhere to store all the toys together.

Baskets make cleaning up so much easier and are easy to pull out when it’s playtime. These can also be easily pushed under the crib or left out when not in use. If you get some pretty baskets, they’ll just look like decor.

If people want to buy your baby toys, make sure to let them know if there are size restrictions. That mini 4x4 might look adorable, but you have to think about where it will go!

Utilizing Wall Space

Don’t forget your vertical real estate when organizing the nursery. Bare walls are a wasted opportunity, and there are so many options:

• Add a wall shoe rack
• Install book rods
• Stack bookshelves
• Install hooks
• Add hanging baskets to the ceiling

If you have a lot of beautiful pictures, hang them on the wall to display them instead of taking up shelf space. Also consider decorating with colourful nursery wall murals. Unlike other types of decor, you can put shelving on top of the wallpaper, giving your nursery a great look and lots of storage.

Decorating Ideas

Organizing your nursery is essential for creating a functional, practical room. But you also want the room to be fun, beautiful, and interesting for your baby.

The easiest way to decorate your nursery without adding more clutter is with a stunning wall mural. But we’re not expecting you to whip out a paintbrush – you can get large-scale nursery murals to personalize your nursery and make it look beautiful, all with almost zero effort.

Enjoy Your New Nursery!

No matter how many Instagram-worthy nurseries you see online, it’s important to remember that your nursery should work for you. Create systems that work for you every day, and let go of the idea of perfection.

Nurseries are made to get messy, but these quick and easy organization tips should help you keep a lid on the madness.