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.

Baby-Proof Your Nursery

It’s never too early to start baby-proofing. Before the baby arrives is the ideal time to start considering what may be a hazard in your home. The nursery is especially important since your baby will be spending lots of time there. Keep baby-proofing in mind when you decorate your nursery. Furniture anchors and electrical outlet covers are very important and can be easily installed when you decorate the room.

Babies grow and develop so quickly. If you wait until you see a need for baby-proofing, then it can sometimes be too late. New parents especially may not realize how curious and creative a new baby can be. Before you know it, your little one will be putting everything in his or her mouth. Everything within reach will be explored by feeling, grabbing, chewing and tasting. Because of this, choking hazards are your first concern. The general rule is, if it fits down a toilet paper tube, it can fit down a child’s throat. Any small items should be kept out of reach and where a toddler or child can’t climb to get to it. On top of the dresser can entice them to climb up to it.

A non-anchored dresser is a serious crushing hazard to have in your home. Make sure that all shelves are anchored as well. Anything that could possibly tip over should be anchored to at least one stud in the wall. Cover all electrical outlets with plug covers when not in use. Outlet covers that allow things to be plugged in and covered are very useful and easy to install. The cover locks down so that only an adult can unplug the appliance. Keep cords bundled and out of children’s reach. Long cords can be inviting to chew on, get tangled up in or trip over. Keep cords behind an anchored dresser or shelving unit whenever possible. You can even secure excess cords to the wall with a small clamp to discourage your child from playing with them.

Keep lamps, heaters and other burn hazards well out of reach. Secure these items so that they can’t be pulled off of a shelf or dresser by the cord. If your heating vents are located on the floor, keep in mind that they can become very hot during the winter. Replace metal vents with plastic ones or place a physical barrier that your child won’t be able to get past in the way of the vent. Take precautions if there is a radiator or portable heater in the nursery as well. You may end up putting a baby gate all the way around the radiator or heater.

Stuffed animals, blankets and clothing pulled from drawers are the number one fire hazard in a child’s room. Your gates should be high enough that a child can’t throw flammable items near a heat source. Don’t forget that incandescent light bulbs can be very hot and start fires as well. Consider fluorescent light bulbs for lamps in a child’s room. Keep baby blankets, stuffed toys and clothing out of your child’s reach. If you keep them in the crib, make sure that they are well out of the child’s reach from the outside. Install child locks on dresser drawers and keep as many clothes as possible put away in the closet on childrens clothes hangers. Prepare early and you’ll be confident of your child’s safety when he or she arrives.

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