Infant Closet Organization

A closet in an infant’s room can be a real blessing. There is so much that needs to be kept out of reach and so many baby socks, pajamas, diapers, wipes and medicines that need to be close at hand. The amount of baby supplies that you end up with after you get your infant home can be very overwhelming. Where do you put all of this new stuff? You need to get organized, and the baby’s closet is a great place to do it.
The closet can be easily shut to keep things out of sight and out of reach. Childproof doorknob covers can keep the baby from getting into things that you do not want them to. Make sure to put a second lock up near the top of the door if you plan on keeping medications in this closet.
First, you need to spread out everything that you plan on putting in this closet. Comforters, bigger sized clothes or out of season outfits, diapers, wipes, diaper bags and other items can be stored on higher shelves. You need some baskets or bins for small items like medicines, thermometers, monitors and pacifiers. Try not to install shelves too low. This can encourage climbing. Also, when your infant starts walking, they are likely to fall. Things low to the floor can be good targets for little heads. Use the space at the bottom of the closet for the laundry basket or a large storage bin. Leave off plastic lids that snap down, these can pose an entrapment hazard to your child. If you do choose a bin with a lid, make sure that you drill a lot of holes in it before using it. If your child ever does get trapped, they can at least get air.
Creating a safe closet for an infant can take a little planning, but once it is done you will be so thankful. When your baby wakes up with a fever, you immediately know where the thermometer and medication is. It’s right at hand and you do not have to disturb the baby or make them wait for treatment. Diapers, wipes and diaper ointment can be retrieved quickly. Bath time is a snap with baby towels and lotion located right in the closet.
You may choose to design a shelving system to keep everything separated, but it does not have to be difficult. There are also a lot of infant organizing systems that hang from your existing closet bar. You can use pop-up hampers or laundry baskets to store blankets and save shelf space. Protect special outfits by keeping them hung out of reach. Use childrens hangers to keep from damaging delicate fabrics. You would not want to stretch out or tear the shoulders of those special little clothes. Once your infant’s closet is organized, you will enjoy the safe and organized environment that you have created.

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.

Nursery Design That Fosters Child Development

A child’s environment contributes greatly to their brain development and ability to learn. Human behavior, development and learning are widely thought to be reactions to our environment. Keep these things in mind when you start designing your baby’s nursery. Create your nursery with the assumption that you may not have time to remodel the whole room year after year.
Over the first years, you want your baby to excel in certain areas. Gross motor, fine motor, sensory, language and social areas of development should be considered part of your decorating plan. Research clearly shows that a child’s success in school and life is directly related to the access of an abundance of appropriate educational experiences during their first years.
Luckily, for infants, babies and toddlers, having fun is conducive to learning. Create a safe, stimulating environment for your child. They will soon recognize their room as their personal space and you want them to draw from that environment. Organized surroundings have been proven to foster critical thinking. Infants and toddlers absorb information from their environments and a cluttered space leads to disinterest and a lack of motivation to learn.

Here are some room set-up tips for each area of your child’s development.

Gross Motor: Provide sturdy, anchored shelves and/or dressers for your child to pull up on. Leave as much open space in the room as possible to promote free movement. Soft, safe climbing areas can challenge and develop gross motor skills as well.

Fine Motor: Provide manipulative toys in one area. Avoid choking hazards, but group toys that require pinching, turning or squeezing in one spot.

Sensory: Make sure that your nursery offers many diverse opportunities to explore different textures and tactile experiences. Look for toys and books that have different textures such as sandpaper, velvet, crinkly and bumpy materials. Children use their senses to figure out their surroundings. A simple thing like placing a small area rug or table near your fine motor toys can lead a child to figure out that this is the spot where they should play with those toys, leading to logical thinking. As they mature, you can replace baby toys with art supplies and a desk to foster their independence, creativity and organizational play.

Language: Books, tapes and CDs can help your child build their vocabulary very early in life. Talking face to face is the most effective, but you can also encourage language development by posting pictures of common objects around the room at the child’s level. Also labeling drawers, cubbies and toy boxes with photographs of what goes there will encourage your baby to name things early on. As they grow older, you can change the labels to printed words to encourage reading and writing.

Social: Separate loud and quiet areas if possible. Make room in each area for adults and other children to get down on the floor and play with your child. Place low chairs or floor pillows in some areas to invite children and adults to enter the room and participate. Place pictures of family members in quiet areas where your baby can study and recognize them.

Organize your nursery with the supplies you’ll need up high. Utilize bins, baskets and hanging organizers to minimize the amount of clutter in the room. Hanging clothes on baby hangers where they’re easily accessible and visible can make your life easier as well. Aim to make everything in the room a potential teaching tool and keep it organized enough that you’ll enjoy spending quality time with your baby.

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.