Thursday, September 5, 2013

Changing Table Organization

When I first setup my daughter's room while I was pregnant, I took my time. I organized everything the way I just knew was perfect. Or so I thought. But let's face it.. when a new baby arrives, very quickly you realize how different each child's needs are. Especially when you go from raising 3 prince's to raising a princess. :) I found myself moving things around, finding that I didn't like things in a certain place, and now that she's rolling around like there is no tomorrow - I am finding I need things a little closer in reach than the present location. So when I went in her room this morning to refill the drawer with diapers and wipes.. I went ahead and changed up the table some.

In her changing table I use nothing but containers and baskets that I purchased at the Dollar Tree. Unfortunately we don't have a Container Store less than 2 hours from me. Although hubby is probably grateful for that since I am a container junky! Here is what I started with:


The first thing I did was take everything out of the drawers and off the shelf. Then I wiped the bottom of them down just as a precautionary for dust and such. Since I knew there was only diaper changing related stuff that I wanted in the first drawer, I went ahead and did that first. I filled the left side with diapers, and on the right side I have my "backup" wipes in case my wipe warmer runs out mid-diaper change (or hubby forgets to refill it). Under the backup box I have a plastic travel case ready to go with wipes in case of any unforeseen emergency where we don't have her regular diaper bag handy. Behind the 2 wipes boxes, I slipped in a refill package of wipes. This is only temporarily here though. I normally keep these in her closet on the top shelf - out of sight, out of mind. But she is fixing to outgrow Size 2 diapers, so i didn't want to open too many of them in case we switch her over before the next pack of Size 2 gets opened. My plan is to fill the drawer entirely with diapers, except where the "backup wipes" are - this will take place once we switch her over to Size 3 diapers. The three diapers that you see standing on their sides between the diapers and the "backup wipes" are actually the samples of Size 3 diapers that were in the last box of 2's that we bought. Packed right along with some pretty awesome coupons! :)

 

Next I tackled the second drawer. This is where I like to keep her socks so they are quick to grab when getting her dressed for the day or putting her in PJ's that don't have the footsies on them. Hats are in here as well because winter is quickly approaching and they will become an every day thing. Burp cloths on the left side, bibs on the right. I like to keep at least 4 full-length burp cloths in here as well as some smaller throw-over-your-shoulder ones. The way I have been folding the bigger ones though makes them rub across the top of the table when you open/close the door. Bibs are just thrown in on the right side. Nothing special. Waste of space. Sigh. When i originally setup her changing table I grabbed some clear flat folding organizers. They are actually pretty cool because they are clear, so they go with any decor. And they interlock with each other without taking up extra space. So no rolling around in the drawer as you open and close it. They come in 3 different sizes, Small, Medium, and Large. In the "before" photo you can see I was using 2 large ones to corral her socks and hats. When reorganizing it I decided to stick with the 2 large ones, but to also add in 2 medium ones to corral her bibs. Yes, she has enough to need 2 of them! And yes, we go through ALL of them within a 2 day period. Teething + introducing solid foods = one BIG mess! Haha! Since bib's and burp cloths go hand in hand, I decided to put the bibs next to them. I also refolded each of the burp cloths so that they would fit better. I was actually able to add 4 more in there, giving me a total of 8, and they STILL don't touch the top like they did before!! The trick? I laid it out flat, then I folded it into 1/3's, and then I folded it in half and then in half again. I use that Martha Stewart trick to fold my towels, so I figured I would give it a shot.. and it worked!!

 

And finally, the shelf! The one thing that had all the miscellaneous essentials, yet it never stayed straightened up, I could never find what I was looking for without moving everything else, and is one of the first things that catches your eye in her room! Yikes! I have 2 pink baskets on here as well as a black/white striped container. All three of them were bought at the Dollar Tree. The black/white container was actually a 2-pack for only $1! Since my daughter's room is done in pink/white/black, I bought some zebra printed ribbon, wove it through the holes in the basket, tied it on the INSIDE at the back, and you can't even tell. I only did this on the front one for now.. however I have extra ribbon stored in her closet in a bag with all her manuals in case I want to add it to the other basket later. In the front basket I keep all the things I use on a daily basis, aside from her bath soap which is kept by my kitchen sink.. something that will be moved to the bathroom very soon! In the back basket I keep things like extra bath soap and lotions, Vaseline, and the extra travel sized bottles that I use in her diaper bag. I'm fixing to redo her diaper bag soon, so I will break all that down in another post. In the black/white container I keep q-tips, and a syringe that we use for nasal saline when her congestion gets really bad - she developed an allergy to our dogs shortly after coming home, and this was a tip from her doctor to avoid any unneeded medications until we were able to find new homes for our pups. :(

 

And from a distance this is what I ended up with. It doesn't look much different from a distance, but when put to use I can assure you it feels so much easier to get things more smoothly. Now if only I could get hubby to put things back from where he gets them... hmm...

 

This is probably the 5th time I have changed her table around since I first set it up. However, this is also the best setup I have had yet. Totally loving it!! What kind of storage options do you use on your changing table?

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Taking the Step..

The time has come that I just can't live in utter chaos anymore!! No matter how many times a day I clean my house, I still end up sitting down somewhere next to yet another mess to clean up. Between my husband, our four children, and our nonstop lives.. the list of things to do just doesn't seem to have a bottom anywhere in sight. But that's okay, because I have a plan!!

I am going to start tackling this clutter and disorganization that seems to run a muck in our lives. I'm going to grab it and tear it apart piece by piece until everything is organized, clutter free, and I can finally relax... well a little at least! HaHa! I'm going to be trying all different kinds of ideas, some new and some old... and doing it all on a very seriously small budget. I would love to hear any input from you along the way.. or simply see the things you come up with when tackling the same tasks! So come along on my journey.. just prepare yourself for some wonky outbursts!! :)