How I’m Prepping Our Nursery Without a Closet (and Keeping It Simple)
We are beyond excited to welcome our first baby, a little girl, at the end of February. I’ve been chomping at the bit to set up the nursery and get all of the baby gear put away (and organized of course). Unfortunately, we don’t have a whole closet we can dedicate to all of the baby stuff. So, I knew I needed to be extremely intentional about how we set up the organization in the nursery.
I set out to find the most functional storage furniture I could, at a good price, and then limit our amount of baby items to what would actually fit in that space.
Choosing Functional Storage for Our Space
Since we don’t have a closet, I focused on finding one piece of furniture that could handle most of our baby storage without overwhelming the room. I landed on the IKEA Kallax shelf with eight 13” cubes.
To keep things looking tidy and contained, I’m using the XL Y-Weave bins from Target. They’re sturdy, they look nice, and they hide visual clutter really well. They will also grow with our baby and can be used for toys down the road.
Letting Storage Be the Boundary
One thing I am doing that aligns with my typical organizing process, is to limit our baby items to what fits comfortably in the storage shelf.
Bath items will live in the bathroom, and diapers and wipes will be stored in the bottom of our pack-n-play. Everything else needs to fit in the Kallax.
This has helped me stay focused and avoid overbuying. If something doesn’t fit, that’s my sign to reassess — not add more storage and crowd the room!
How I’m Using Each Cube
I gave each cube a specific purpose so everything has a clear home:
Clothing that will fit right away (1-2 bins)
Clothes to grow into (1-2 bins)
Blankets (1 bin)
Towels, washcloths, burp clothes (1 bin)
Accessories like shoes, socks, and hats (1 bin)
Other baby supplies like lotions and everyday care items (1 bin)
For smaller items, I used what I already had. I’m using some extra glass jars for the baby’s bows, headbands, and binkies. They keep everything visible and easy to grab. Also, it’s so fun to see all the cute and colorful bows!
Quick Takeaways
You don’t need a full closet (or dedicated nursery) to prep for a baby
One functional storage piece can go a long way
Let your storage space set the limit
Simple categories make things easier to maintain later
Preparing for a baby doesn’t have to mean filling every available space. People keep telling me the baby’s stuff is going to take over, but I don’t have to let it! For me, keeping things simple and functional has made this process feel exciting and fun instead of overwhelming.
If you’re preparing for a baby (or any new season of life) and want help setting up systems that actually work for your space, I’d love to help.
