Thanks to Tervis for sponsoring my writing. Visit their website http://www.tervis.com to learn more about the world’s first smart cup.
The stroller, the bags, the cat. OH THE HUMANITY.
Let’s talk about the gear. The kiddo gear, the stuff that seems to multiply as soon as you bring your precious bundle of joy home from the hospital along with the 5,000 diapers and other goodies you’ve astutely nabbed from the nurses.
It’s a dividing line of before and after for your home: pre-baby (tidy, uncluttered, free of cutesy toys) and post-baby (a disturbing number of clunky items with even clunkier boxes).
At first I was too busy/tired to be bothered with it. In the newborn days everything takes on this thick haze. A “we’ll survive this” glaze that dulls reality. Nothing seems as bad as it really is. Then, a few months under our belts, I woke up one day and saw it.
The jumperoo taking up an enormous amount of space in the corner. The stroller that somehow found an awkward parking spot next to our dining-room table. The Pack and Play that fits nowhere gracefully. The toys and onesies strewn about, willy nilly.
Where to even start?
Here are a few smart-thinking tips to improve your lifestyle as new parents.
3 Ways to Keep Kid Clutter Contained
1. Clear some closet space to give clunky everyday items a home.
For instance, we went through our shoe closet and donated a large garbage bag full of shoes we no longer needed or wore. It went from looking like this:
… to looking like this:
We cleared out some of the hanging storage to make room for a folded-up stroller. The car seat fits nicely on the shelf above.
Our bags (including diaper bag) hang on over-the-door hooks, keeping them from cluttering up our dining table. The best thing? This door shuts, and it’s all out of sight, out of mind at the end of a long day.
2. Designate areas in each room to house baby items.
We have a large lidded box in the living room that matches our decor. Inside there are toys, blankets, books and other little things we use to entertain Alexa when she is in the living room. When we are done in the living room, we quickly round things up, put them in the box and close the lid. Same thing in her bedroom and in our bedroom.
An addendum: We decided to move big toys like the jumperoo out of our living room and into Alexa’s room. She prefers to play in there, anyway. A place for everything, and everything in its place!
3. Re-think every bulky purchase.
Do you really need a changing table or is it just as easy to use a portable pad on already-existing furniture?
Do you really need a high chair or can you get away with a booster seat that attaches to your dining chair? We went the booster-seat route, and storing it in our pantry was much easier than finding a suitable spot for a big chair.
The best part about following these few tips?
I’m typing this in the living room at 10 p.m. and there’s not a toy or stroller as far as the eye can see. It’s Mommy time, and this space allows for relaxation. Almost (dare I say it?) pre-baby relaxation.
I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. To learn more about Tervis, visit their website http://www.tervis.com.
