Whether you’re back home from labor and delivery or you’re preparing for a new baby, keeping your baby’s clothes organized can get overwhelming—especially amidst the flurry of sleepless nights and endless diaper changes. However, with a bit of planning, you can tame the tiny wardrobe and keep things running smoothly.

Sort Baby Clothes by Size & Type

The cornerstone of any successful baby clothing organization system is size separation. Once you’ve removed tags and washed the clothes with gentle detergent to prevent irritation to your baby’s sensitive skin, divide your clothes by size: newborn, 0-3 months, 3-6 months, 6-9 months, and so on. This prevents frantic searches for the right-sized outfit during a midnight diaper change. That said, babies grow at lightning speed! Be prepared to adjust your baby clothes organization system frequently to accommodate their rapid growth—creating a designated area for hand-me-downs within your system is beneficial for keeping your closet functional, as well as helping you save money with future children down the road. Once you’ve sorted by size, you can break the clothes into sub-categories like:

• Type of Garment: Divide clothes into categories like bodysuits and onesies, pants, dresses, shirts, and sleepers.
• Sleeves: Create separate sections for long-sleeved and short-sleeved tops to streamline dressing, especially during seasonal transitions.
• Color: Not only does organizing by color make searching for particular garments more convenient for quick matching, but it also adds visual flair to your storage areas.

Prioritize Ease of Use

When organizing baby clothes, prioritize accessibility. Store frequently used, non-clothing essential items like diapers, wipes, and burp cloths within easy reach in drawers, shelves, or baskets near the changing table. Consider placing the top-used clothing size in the most accessible location. Further labeling those drawers or bins can also assist family and friends unfamiliar with the room’s layout help out with newborn care. When it comes to how to fold onesies, there are a few easy-to-prep options to keep them accessible. Rolling onesies can be less labor-intensive and still pleasing to the eye. Opt for the KonMari Method‘s system of file folding for baby clothes—a vertical storage method that provides visibility of what’s in a drawer, making grabbing clothes one-handed a lot less chaotic. However, remember that the best nursery organization system is one that works for your family’s unique needs and routines.

Utilize Space Effectively

Maximizing clothing storage space is essential to having an organized nursery. Drawers are ideal storage solutions when folding baby clothing items like socks, mittens, and onesies, while shelves are perfect for folded pants, sweaters, and larger items. Utilize drawer dividers to keep things neat and prevent piles from collapsing. For optimal baby closet organization, use over-the-door organizers or hanging shelves to store small items like hats, bibs, burp cloths, and pacifiers. Installing an extra clothing rail in the closet to hang harder-to-fold items like jackets, skirts, and dresses may also be a way to maximize space and keep things tidy—especially in a small baby room.

Maintain Your System

Of course, this is easier said than done, but you’ve worked hard to organize it—it’s worth keeping clean! Because you’ll most likely be doing laundry weekly—if not daily—keeping baby clothes sorted by lights and darks in baskets or hampers near your changing table is a great time-saver that can keep things running smoothly. Phase in larger or seasonal clothes as needed to avoid letting your routine fall to the wayside. Try establishing a regular decluttering routine as your baby outgrows clothes—consider selling, donating, or storing seasonal clothing for future children in bins or vacuum bags to keep your baby’s closet clutter-free.

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