The Time for Baby Hangers

Finding out that they are expecting a baby can be one of the happiest times in a couple’s lives. But, with the hustle and bustle of all of the doctor’s appointments and baby showers and making their home safe for the impending baby’s arrival—not to mention their daily routines—the soon-to-be parents can overlook a few things when preparing for the arrival of their child.

Many parents set aside a nursery—an entire room devoted to the baby. Children’s nurseries are often furnished with a crib, rocking chair, changing table and—if there is not a closet in the room—a separate wardrobe or armoire. There are a lot of details to consider when preparing a nursery, such as décor, bedding, storage, comfort and convenience. When gathering everything needed for the baby’s nursery, baby hangers are at times forgotten, missed among the shuffle of paint colors and stuff animals and other items fussed over when putting together a nursery.

New babies and even toddlers have clothes so small that separate baby hangers are necessary, because the clothes just won’t fit on clothes hangers sized for adults. While it would be possible to simply drape the baby’s clothes on adult-sized hangers, it is better for the clothes if they are hung on baby hangers. Some wardrobes or armoires intended for nurseries are scaled to fit children’s hangers, anyway. If parents-to-be make sure that they are well stocked with baby hangers, they can be sure that their baby’s clothes will be neat and organized—which is perhaps more than can be said for the state of the rest of their home in their first few months as parents.

As the baby gets older and becomes first a toddler and then a child, their nursery is often updated into a bedroom appropriate for a child rather than a baby. The crib is replaced with a bed, the changing table is removed and the décor may receive an update as well. The baby clothes are packed up and donated or set aside for the next baby—and some are perhaps saved for sentimental reasons. While baby hangers may be too small for some of the child’s clothes as they age, children’s hangers come in larger sizes and will continue to be useful for that child’s clothing for years.

About the Author: Ron Maier is the owner of Only Kids Hangers, a leading provider of baby hangers. The right infant hangers really make the difference in kid's retail or home organization. For more information, please visit www.onlykidshangers.com.

Nursery Closet Ideas

Decorating a nursery is an exciting time in a new parent’s life. There is more to consider than the theme of the nursery. Safety is your number one concern, followed by organization and then style.

You can really go crazy making a nursery baby-proof. It is actually inexpensive and worth the effort. If you spend some time researching safety, you will realize that a home set up for adults can hold a lot of hazards for a baby. Choking hazards, electrocution dangers, and climbable items should all be immediately eliminated from the entire home. Anchoring your stove, dressers and entertainment centers before the child arrives in the home will start you off. Cover empty outlets with plastic plugs. Cover usable outlets and power strips with outlet housing that will not allow a child to play with the plug. Get rid of drape and blind pulls that hang down or are attached to the floor. Strangulation by these items is a high risk for small children who quickly learn to climb and jump.

Once your baby proofing is done, you can concentrate on the usability of the nursery. Many people invest in a lot of baby furniture. If you do, remember to anchor it and only choose current items that do not contain lead paint and cribs that meet current safety standards. You are going to need so many little things in the nursery that you really need to plan ahead.

The closet is a very popular place to keep baby items out of reach. A door knob cover may be all that you need to keep the child out of the closet. Even still, make sure that medications and choking hazards are kept up high. To do this, you may want to move the hanging bar down low. Use the higher spaces to build shelves that can be used for storage.

Medications should be kept up high or even locked in a medicine cabinet. Items that you will need more often, such as diaper rash cream, diapers and wipes, burp cloths and blankets, can be kept at about an adult eye level. Baby clothes are small, but you will have a lot of them. Use small baskets for socks, pacifiers and other small items. Fold and stack t-shirts, pajamas and little pants. Use the hanging bar for dress clothes and to keep outfits together. Using infant hangers is essential to keep the tiny delicate fabrics from being torn or misshapen.

About the Author: Ron Maier is the owner of Only Kids Hangers, a leading provider of baby hangers. The right infant hangers really make the difference in kid's retail or home organization. For more information, please visit www.onlykidshangers.com.

Storage in a Baby Closet

A kid’s closet often becomes a toy graveyard, a play fort and a laundry nightmare. Learn how to incorporate the special needs of a child while keeping the closet neat enough for practical use.

First, consider what you absolutely need to keep in the closet. Because of the tipping hazard of dressers, many parents have eliminated bedroom furniture in children’s rooms. This may elevate the need for closet storage. Without a plan, this can quickly become a problem area. Kids have so many clothes. They often have lots of pajama sets. If they are potty training, they may have a lot of underwear or you may need storage for diapers and wipes in the closet. You may have sentimental outfits and dress clothes that you really want to keep hung.

You can keep the hanging bar in place and create space around it. Another option would be to cut two or three short bars, easily done with a pipe cutter, and make a multi-level hanging bar. You can make the first deep shelf about three or four feet high and build from there. An easy place to start would be to hang a fabric collapsible closet shelf system from the hanging bar to the shelf for things like socks, underwear, diapers, and pajamas. This option is preferable to some parents because it is easily removed and replaced when the needs of the child changes.

You can also build cubby-hole shelves up each side of the large bottom shelf. Three-sided movable shelves that are easily moved around are also great for creating an extra level of storage on the large shelf. You can even invert the three-sided shelf and attach it with L-brackets to the top shelf, creating a hanging shelf for things that you want to keep out of reach, such as first-aid kits, games with a lot of pieces or children’s paints.

Smaller cubby-hole shelves are great for storing games and toys, extra batteries and keepsakes. You can create all kinds of storage while still leaving the bottom of the closet empty. Here you can keep a laundry basket, large stuffed animals, or build more shelves. Leaving this area clear allows your child to climb in and play. You could even paint windows with views in the bottom of the closet. Add a battery powered light under the bottom shelf, a couple of pillows, and your kids have a special place to play. Make sure that you do not place lamps or other lights that create heat inside of a child’s closet.

Hang those special outfits and dress clothes out of reach up high on the bar. Use the top shelf for blanket and suitcase storage. Bins with children’s sheets or out of season clothing can be stored up high where they do not get rummaged through or dumped out. This is a good place to store clothes that your child hasn’t grown into yet. You can easily access them when the time comes to put them into the rotation. Use baby hangers to protect the precious items that you hang. Conventional hangers are made for adult clothing. They can snag, stretch and tear delicate little kids’ clothing. This is a closet that you and your child will enjoy for years to come.

About the Author: Ron Maier is the owner of Only Kids Hangers, a leading provider of baby hangers. The right infant hangers really make the difference in kid's retail or home organization. For more information, please visit www.onlykidshangers.com.