I think organizing baby clothes and figuring out where everything needs to go tends to be the most overwhelming part of putting together a nursery.
This guide on baby clothes organization ideas will help you find a place for everything, find extra storage space and come up with systems to help maintain baby clothes organization even after baby arrives.
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Baby Clothes Organization Ideas
What to hang vs fold
The first thing you’ll want to do is to decide which baby clothes to hang and which baby clothes to fold.
I recommend folding onesies, pants, pajamas, t-shirts, socks, sleep sacks and swaddles. I would hang nice outfits, dresses, rompers, jackets and sweaters.
Dresser Organization
Dresser organization can seem overwhelming at first, but once you have a system in place, it’s truly easy to maintain.
I have three main tips that completely changed my dresser organization method.
1. A place for everything.
First you’ll want to designate a drawer for each type of clothing you plan to fold. This is the beginning of a system you are creating in order to maintain baby clothes organization once baby is home.
2. It’s all in the fold.
File folding baby clothes is one of my top baby clothes organization ideas, because it will completely change your dresser.
File folding allows you to fit more clothing in each drawer. Additionally, you’ll have a birdseye view of all baby’s clothes, so you can grab what you need quickly.
The video below is a great tutorial to show you the basics.
It may seem like file folding would be time consuming, but once you learn how to do it, you’ll fly through folding a fresh laundry basket of onesies.
3. Use drawer dividers
Using drawer dividers has changed the game for me as far as keeping my entire home organized.
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This is especially true when I’m organizing baby clothes and items in the nursery.
Pair drawer dividers with file folding, and you basically have nursery dresser perfection.
Drawer dividers hold everything in its’ place and they allow you to sort various items in the same drawer in an organized manner.
For example, my son’s top dresser currently holds all his onesies, t-shirts and baby pants. Because I file fold, I’m able to fit all of them in one drawer.
The dividers also allow me to organize the onesies, t-shirts and pants separately so I can see exactly what I need.
Related:
How to Master Nursery Dresser Organization
15+ Nursery Dresser Organizers to Consider
Closet
Once you figure out what type of clothes you prefer to hang, you’ll want to tackle baby closet organization.
I have three must-do’s in any nursery closet:
#1 Closet Dividers
I highly recommend using closet dividers, because they’ll allow you to see what size clothing you have at a quick glance. I swear by dividing and sorting like items together to keep a closet orderly and organized.
#2 Velvet Hangers
I switched our entire family to velvet hangers and it has been a game changer. No longer do we deal with clothes falling off hangers (which does not correspond with organizational bliss).
We use these baby velvet hangers and continue to use the same ones as our kids become older.
#3 Add Baskets
Add additional baskets into baby’s closet. You can add these onto a shelf or even on the floor.
This is a great way to store baby blankets, swaddles and sleep sacks. You can also store clothes that baby has yet to grow into.
Related: Baby Closet Organization Tips That Actually Work
Too Small Basket
One of my favorite baby clothes organization ideas to share is to store a too small basket near where you fold laundry.
As you’re going through the clean clothes, place any item that is too small right in the basket.
Sadly, babies grow quickly and it’s much easier to have a basket right in front of you to keep clothing that is too small separate from baby’s current clothing.
About once a month I transfer clothes that are too small into a donation pile or long-term storage.
Outgrown clothes
Babies grow through clothing so quickly, so having a system in place for outgrown clothing is a smart idea.
After outgrown clothes are placed in the too small basket, I eventually transfer them to long-term storage if the item is something I want to keep.
You can store outgrown clothes in bins with the size range written on a label. These labels will be incredibly helpful once you find yourself going through them in the future.
I have them stored in my basement, but if you don’t have a basement or a storage space, consider using storage bags meant for under bed storage. You can place these bags under your own bed or even under the crib.
Where to store baby clothes baby hasn’t grown into yet
Like I mentioned before, I prefer to keep current clothes completely separate from clothes that are too large or small.
There are three ways I help moms find space for clothes that are too big for baby.
1. Dresser drawer
I like to devote a bottom dresser for baby clothes that are too big, while still using dividers to sort like clothing together. I also like to divide by size, so I will file fold and place clothing in a divider smallest first to largest.
2. Section off space in the closet
If you’re using closet dividers, your hanging clothes will already be sectioned off by size.
But what about the clothing you prefer to fold? If you don’t have a dresser drawer available, you can store folded clothes in baskets in the closet.
I use each basket as if it was a drawer divider to keep everything organized. You can also use actual drawer dividers and place them on baby’s closet shelf or on the floor of the closet.
3. Under crib storage
I really like the utilize the unused space under baby’s crib. If using a closet or dresser won’t work for your space, consider using this space to store clothes that baby hasn’t grown into yet.
You can use storage bags, baskets or bins to store the clothes and simply slide them right underneath the crib.
