For the past three weeks, I have been preoccupied with one thought – “I have to get this house organized before the baby gets here!”. I would say this is nesting but, considering my profession, it’s really just an excuse to organize.
But organizing for baby has been a bit different. It’s not just about making sure things are purged and sorted, it’s about finding space and re-thinking certain areas to make sure there is room for a new person to move into.
I see this often with my clients. They have one child, then another, but fail to consider that, with the addition of these new people, no matter how small they may be at first, it requires you to look at your home differently and make sure you’re opening a space for them. And I’m not really talking about toys and baby items. I’m talking about the day-to-day spaces like closets and pantries.
With that said, I broke down our home into different areas that needed to be re-evaluated. My starting point was the hub of most houses, the kitchen and, from there, I broke it down even further into the following categories with the expectation that I would tackle one of these areas every couple of days:
a) Pantry
b) Under the sink
c) Cupboards
d) Phone nook/Utility drawer
e) Fridge
The pantry was probably my biggest accomplishment. I purged unwanted or expired items, donated food that we weren’t going to use and then labelled everything, including the shelving.
When I was finished, I had created a large empty space that is now ready for baby!
In the other ares of the kitchen, my main focus was looking at our current spaces and how I could adjust them for baby once he got a bit older. We will eventually need room for toddlers dishes, cups, etc so I kept that in mind as I was reorganizing and sorting. So, although I didn’t clear out a cupboard for this (I’m organized, but hey, the baby isn’t even here yet), I did consider what space would be ideal for them and where I could make adjustments.
It’s important to remember that one of the vital elements to organizing isn’t getting the right bins or even throwing a ton of stuff away. It’s about re-evaluating spaces and seeing them with a fresh eye and using that insight to make adjustments that make sense for you here and now. Just because something worked for you 5 years ago, doesn’t mean it applies to your needs now. Lifestyle and priorities change and it’s important to make adjustments as that happens. And, if you can’t do it on your own, call in someone who can help! Friends, Professional Organizers, family – whatever you need to feel like you’re making the most of your space and ensuring that you’re home is the sanctuary that it needs to be.
