Organizing baby clothes in the nursery can be overwhelming, especially if you’re working with a small space. If you’re looking for baby clothes storage ideas for small spaces, you’ve landed on the right page!
Whether the nursery in itself is small or if the baby will be sharing a room with a sibling or in mom’s bedroom, you can still find plenty of ways to store and organize baby clothes!
When my son was born, we were living in a two-bedroom condo. His older sister had a room of her own, so we decided to create a small nursery in the corner of our bedroom for him. That meant I had be creative about baby clothes storage.
Baby Clothes Storage Ideas for Small Spaces
1. Have a Place For Everything
The very first action step, if you will, is an obvious but important one: have a place for everything. When you are short on space, if you don’t have a place for everything, overwhelm will happen fast.
That being said, the biggest thing to do when figuring out where all the baby clothes will go is to decide which baby clothes to fold and which to hang.
I recommend folding:
- onesies
- pants
- socks
- swaddles
- sleep sacks
- every day shirts
I recommend hanging:
- Coats
- Sweaters
- Nice outfit sets
- Dresses
2. Use Drawer Dividers
Drawer dividers are a game changer in any dresser – especially if you need to maximize space in each drawer.
Drawer dividers also help maintain organization in the nursery dresser.
3. Fold Efficiently
If you’re working with a small area to store baby clothes, learning how to fold each piece of clothing efficiently will be helpful.
This will save space and it will keep you organized – two must-do’s if you’re working in a tight space.
I highly recommend either “file folding” or rolling baby clothes into the drawer dividers.
4. Use a Nightstand with Drawers
My second baby slept in our room for the first year of his life, because we didn’t have an extra room for him.
We didn’t have room for a dresser just for him, so I used a nightstand with three drawers. This worked perfectly!
The key to my success was (again) to use drawer dividers, which helped me maximize the space I had in each drawer.
I used the top drawer for his socks, pajamas and swaddles. I stored his onesies and pants in the second drawer, and I stored his seasonal clothes he had yet to grow into in the third drawer.
I did need to get creative with the clothes I wanted to hang, which we’ll dig into later.
Even if you aren’t sharing a room with a baby, if your space is too small for a dresser, a nightstand may be the perfect option!
5. Share your own dresser
Another idea is to clear out a drawer in your own dresser.
If you want to utilize a drawer or two in your own dresser, be sure to file fold, or roll baby clothes in drawer dividers to maximize space in the drawers.
6. Use Baskets
If a dresser or a substitute will not work in your small space, consider using baskets! You can use a single basket for each type of clothing, so everything stays sorted and organized.
You can place the baskets on a shelf, under the crib, or on a closet floor.
I also like to use baskets or a bottom drawer to fold and store baby clothes that are too big for baby or meant for a different season.
7. Under the Bed Storage Boxes
These fit perfectly under the bed and are the perfect option for storing clothes the baby hasn’t grown into yet, seasonal clothes, clothes baby has grown out of and more.
Related: How to Use Under Crib Storage Ideas to Maximize Space
8. Hanging Closet Organizer
You can use a hanging storage unit in your closet to fit folded clothes. I would recommend using fabric drawer dividers in them, however, to be sure the clothes stay put.
You could also use a hanging storage unit to hold baby blankets and swaddles.
9. Use Closet Dividers
Closet dividers are a must-have, in my opinion, because anytime you sort clothing into groups, you end up maximizing the space you have.
10. Use a Rack on the Back of the Closet Door
If you have a closet with a door that opens out, utilize that space! Attach an over-the-door storage rack to the back of the door, and you’ll be amazed at how much storage space it will offer.
11. Add an Extra Shelf to the Closet
We added a second shelf in our daughter’s when she was a baby, and it helped so much with storage. You can simply add a wire rack for a quick DIY project.
We used the extra shelf to store baby shoes, baby blankets and swaddled, and baskets full of clothes that she hadn’t grown into yet.
12. Use Hooks on the Inside of the Closet Wall
You can easily add hooks to the side wall of the interior closet. These hooks can be used for a number of items, including hooded baby towels, baby headbands, and hanging baskets that can be filled with clothes.
13. Add a Small Dresser or Storage Unit on Closet Floor
The floor of the closet is prime real estate for baby clothes storage! Add a small dresser or storage unit to the space for a perfect storage solution.
Related: The Best Baby Closet Organization Ideas
However, since we’re exploring baby clothes storage ideas for small spaces, you may not even have a closet!
If this is you’re situation, no worries! There are more options.
14. Make Space in the Master Closet
If you don’t have a nursery closet to use, you can make some room in your own closet for baby clothes.
The good news is that baby clothes are tiny and don’t take up a bunch of space. You can clear some room in the master closet and create hanging baby clothes storage there.
15. Use a hallway closet
You could also use a hallway closet, guest room closet, or a sibling’s closet to create some extra space for the baby’s hanging clothes.
16. Create Hanging Storage on the Nursery Wall
You can get your DIY on and create hanging baby storage on the nursery walls. I’ve seen this done and it can really look beautiful.
17. Use a Wardrobe
Finally, you can invest in a wardrobe with a hanging rod inside. You can actually buy a wardrobe that has both drawers and an option to hang clothes, which would also save space in a small nursery!
18. Move Outgrown Baby Clothes to Long Term Storage Routinely
Your baby will be outgrowing baby clothes quickly, and he or she will be collecting new clothes on the regular. Keep on track with moving the outgrown clothes into long-term storage, at least on a monthly basis. This will help minimize the amount of clothing you have to organize and store at any given time.
19. Utilize Under Crib Storage
There is a ton of room under the baby’s crib for extra storage. You can add a shallow plastic bin underneath it to store extra clothing.
20. Under Shelf Baskets
If you have shelves in the closet, you can use under-shelf baskets as additional storage space.
21. Utilize Vertical Space
Look around the baby’s room for vertical space where you can add hanging baskets, shelves or storage racks.
