Organizing a Toddler Room

Toddlers can all too quickly outgrow that adorable nursery that you put your heart and soul into. Especially if you kept your baby in your bed room with you for most of that first year. Sometimes your toddler has already outgrown the nursery before she even gets into it. When your child is old enough for a big boy or big girl room, then you need to get ready as well.
Toys can really start to pile up over the first two to three years of life. You may find that the fancy little toy box you bought when your child was born is no longer nearly enough to store all of those toys! Storage bins can be your best friends when it comes to organizing toys. This is especially true in a small room. Small room or large space, a toddler can really destroy a room. You need a system that you can pick up quickly, and eventually teach your toddler as well.
This poses a perfect opportunity to teach your little one some independent skills. Decide which bins will be for dolls, cars, blocks, magnet toys, balls, etc. Take a picture of one of the child’s favorites from each bin. Label the bin with the picture of the toy that goes inside. Making word labels can help your child to eventually recognize common objects as sight words. Make it a fun game, like basket ball. Cheer and praise your child for getting the right toy into the right basket. Developmentally, this helps children to recognize patterns and group common objects together.
Another fun way to organize is by color. Get several large bins of varying colors, or paint them yourself. One bin can be rainbow colored for toys that are many colors. The red bin is for red toys. The green bin is for green toys, and so on. Make clean-up a fun time with your toddler. Some are happy with hugs and kisses. Some toddlers thrive on applause. Some even like to be tickled when they get it right. Figure out what motivates your child and you can start teaching them the wonderful habit of straightening up. A little time spent now can save you a lot of heartache in the future.
Make clothing an easy to handle chore as well. Get a special small laundry basket just for your toddler. Placing it in the closet will keep dirty clothes out of sight. Additionally, you’ll teach your toddler that when they are changing clothes, their dirty ones should go straight into the basket. Use special childrens clothes hangers to ensure that delicate garments are protected. Childrens clothes hangers also encourage children to help with the laundry by hanging their own clothes. If you have childrens clothes hangers, then they will know that they are especially for them and they will be happy to use them.

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 to Toddler Room

You’ve spent countless hours preparing your nursery for the arrival of your baby. Now, in no time at all, you are starting to realize that your little baby is quickly outgrowing all of those baby decorations and toys. In as little as a year, your baby goes from a sweet innocent dependant ball of joy to a walking talking busy-body that can get into anything. It is becoming quickly apparent that you will soon need to upgrade that baby room to a toddler room.

Safety is the first thing to keep in mind. Toddlers can get into anything. Even things that you know they can not get into may be a hazard. They can quickly progress from a child that can climb a foot to one that you catch on top of your refrigerator. Keep the progression of exploratory behaviors in mind. This is a healthy developmental step and they do need to learn how high is too high, but make sure that if they do climb, they will not be seriously injured.

Dressers and bookcases should be anchored to the wall. Drawers and shelves make an easy ladder for toddlers to climb or even crawl up. Nothing dangerous or tempting should be kept on top of a dresser or out of reach on bookshelves. Even if you have the drawers on your dresser latched shut, remember that toddlers are strong and do not have much weight to lift. They can easily climb drawer pulls and handles with just their little fingers and toes. Another problem with dressers and bookcases is that they take up valuable play space.

An alternative to even having a dresser and shelves taking up space in your toddler room is to create a closet that takes the place of a bulky dresser. You can easily install a small lock on a closet door to keep a curious toddler out. Simply buy planks of wood and cut them to the depth and width of the closet. It is a good idea to leave space at the bottom for bulkier items or a laundry basket. If you want your toddler to learn to dress themselves, then install the hanging bar down low. Invest in some cute childrens wood hangers and keep their hanging clothes near the bottom.

Shelves above the hanging bar are very useful for keeping stacks of t-shirts, pants and shorts. Inexpensive baskets that hang from the shelves make wonderful drawers for socks and underwear. Higher shelves can be used for other things that you need to keep near, such as diapers, blankets, a first aid kit or even a fire extinguisher. Toys with small parts that require adult supervision can also be kept high up in a locked closet. By implementing these inexpensive ideas, you can create space, a safe place, for your toddler to climb and play.
About the Author: Ron Maier is the owner of Only Kids Hangers, a leading provider of childrens wood hangers. The right baby hangers or childrens wood hangers really make the difference in kid's retail or home organization. For more information, please visit www.onlykidshangers.com.

Make Room for Baby

Before you welcome your new bundle of joy home, you need to prepare. This can include baby proofing your house, top to bottom. But it also has its fun points too! Preparing your baby’s nursery can be a lot of fun. If you are inexperienced with creating a nursery that’s user-friendly, then you may need some tips. Everyone will have advice for you. We’re going to discuss the things that you may not have considered about your nursery set up. Don’t fret; just keep these few basic points in mind and you’ll have a wonderfully welcoming, usable nursery for your new baby.

The first thing to think about is your baby’s sleeping situation. You want a modern crib and not too much bedding. Check on current safety standards before you purchase either. When you get your crib and bedding home, it should be the first thing that you put into the room. Consider your placement wisely. Often the place that seems the best isn’t the best at all. Better to consider why you might want the crib in a certain place now rather than finding out later that it wasn’t such a good idea. Then you might end up rearranging the whole room.

The first thing to consider is sunlight. The crib needs to be where the baby isn’t going to get a ray of sunlight or intense heat when the sun comes up in the morning. This is especially important if your windows don’t have UVA/UVB sunlight protection. Little babies can sunburn very easily. The next consideration is noise. A squeaky door can interrupt precious sleeping time. Experiment in the room with your television on. See where the quietest place is. If the nursery is at the end of your hallway, then television noise from the living room can be amplified into the baby’s room.

Many parents choose to put a single bed for a grown-up into the nursery as well. If you have good storage area, then you might want a cot in the baby’s room. This way, if the baby is sick or just needs you in the room, you’ve got somewhere that you can relax and sleep. Just make sure that if you have a cot or other folding bed, that it is where the baby can never get to it. A chain lock up high on a closet door is a good option for keeping the closet off limits.

You can really make space in the room by utilizing an off-limits closet. You can easily install a medicine cabinet up high in the closet to keep all of the essentials close at hand. Use childrens hangers to hang special outfits up high. You might even decide to install shelving for all of your other baby clothes needs. Not having a dresser is a money saving, safe, space saving option for parents looking to maximize space.


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 Tips

Your baby’s nursery can be a really fun room to design. It can be cute and sweet, bright and cheerful, just about anything you can imagine. The possibilities are endless and you may be wondering what basics to keep in mind while you’re going through the design process. Appearance, safety and functionality are the three major areas that you will be focusing on.

Safety is always first and foremost. Most people start by selecting the furniture for their baby’s new room. First, you need a crib. Make sure that the crib you select is up to modern standards of safety. This is especially important if you’re using an older crib. Older cribs may have bars more than two and three-eighths inches apart and can strangle a child or baby. They may also have lead paint on them, a real danger since your baby will most likely be chewing on the rails when they start teething. The mattress should also fit tightly in the crib so that there is no space at all between the mattress and the rails.

Once you have your crib, then you can select a dresser and changing table. These two things must be anchored to the wall. The anchor should be securely in a stud. Babies love to climb up open drawers or handles and the risk of furniture falling on top of them is high. Make sure that all medicines and baby wipes are out of the child’s reach, preferably on a shelf or in a cabinet that only adults can reach. Never allow your baby to chew on baby wipes during changing. Lamps, clocks and radios should be placed up high and the plugs should be covered with an appropriate baby-proofing outlet cover. Excess wire should be secured to the wall or hidden behind furniture where the child can’t reach it.

The next thing to focus on is functionality. Determine what you’ll actually be doing in the nursery. Will you be nursing? If so, you’ll most likely need a rocking chair or other comfortable place to sit. You may want a chair comfy enough to sleep in for nights when your child is sick or just needs you often. An end table can be useful for bottles and warmers, burp cloths, blankets, and other things that you may need while you’re holding the baby. Be careful not to leave dangerous items like a thermometer on the end table where the baby can reach it. If your end table has a drawer that you can put a child safety lock on, then it is ideal. You can keep things that you need that the baby could choke on locked up. This would include things like lip balm, pony tail holders and other necessities that you may need close at hand.

If the nursery is small, consider not buying what you really won’t need. Dressers and changing tables take up a huge area. A lot of people give up going into the nursery to change a diaper after just a few days of having the baby at home. You might invest in a good changing pad instead of an entire table.

Also consider how much room the baby will have to play with toys on the floor. You may decide against buying a dresser and just put organizational drawers and shelves into your baby’s closet. This way everything is out of reach and the room has considerably more space. Keep the closet organized and functional with childrens clothes hangers for all of those precious tiny outfits. When you’re done you’ll have a nice, neat, safe and functional nursery to decorate.


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.

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.