Closet Organizer?

[kfcboston]

There is a regular sized closet in our nursery-to-be (as opposed to a master bedroom-sized closet.) Right, now it's full of junk - doh! I know the BB book briefly discusses different organizers you can buy for the nursery closet, but I'm having a hard time just envisioning what I'll even need the closet space for, at least in the beginning. We have a combo dresser in the room now. Any thoughts or advice? Thanks!!

Katie
EDD w/ #1 - 3/7/03!!

[1stbabyontheway]

We went to Home Depot and bought an extra rod to hang clothes from. Since the clothes are so short, we added the rod in the middle of the closet. We also added a few shelves. It only cost us $30 and I think it will be nice to have more hanging space. I tend to hang most things as opposed to folding them. Home Depot carries ClosetMaid products. I believe ClosetMaid has a website too. You can plan out your closet and then go to Home Depot for supplies.

HTH,
Tina
EDD 4/10/03

[JMarie]

We also used our 'spare room' closet for storage/junk and decided we needed to completely re-do the entire area. We went a little overboard and went to The Container Store with our measurements and needs, and came home with a $400 Elfa 'closet organizing system.' I know it's a little pricy, but honestly, it's probably the best-spent money I've used on the nursery. We have tons of storage space, not only for Aidan's clothes and diapers, but for things we've received that he'll be too little for initially (toys, exersaucer, etc.). I was also able to keep my sewing area in the closet, which I would not have been able to if we'd kept the traditional set up. Home Depot and Lowe's also offer similar systems by ClosetMaid and for a lot less - unless you shop when Elfa is 30% off, like we did. Then it's about the same price. HTH!

JMarie
EDD 2/23/03
Aidan Christopher

[stillplayswithbarbies]

Or you can go to WalMart and for a couple of bucks buy a closet rod that hangs off the regular closet rod so that you get two rods of storage in one closet.

I bought one for my son 12 years ago and he still uses it on the side of the closet where his shirts hang.

...Karen
Mom to Jake age 12 and expecting Logan Elizabeth or Logan Bartholomew, EDD March 21

[MinnieMouse]

We have a standard size coat closet in dd's room and we picked up an extra rod that hangs from the existing one on a plastic "chain" at BRU for very little money. It really helped a ton with all dd's clothes and we didn't have to get any kind of pricy organizers...frankly we don't have the $$$ for that.

HTH

Christine

[kfcboston]

So you all have found that hanging clothes have been your top priority for closet space? I'm just having a hard time envisioning whether I should focus on hanging clothes, shelving, or both? Hard to know before the little one arrives, I guess. That seems to be true for many things!

Thanks for all your help!

Katie
EDD w/ #1 -- 3/7/03!

[JMarie]

I think the reason we spent the extra money on the Elfa system was because hanging space WASN'T the priority - we needed shelving space for the non-clothing items. We have a tall dresser in the nursery with great drawer space, so clothing is all neatly arranged in there, and linens are in in the under-crib drawer, and basics are in baskets under the changing table. We needed room to store the extra diapers, future-use and occasional-use items (pack n' play, megasaucer, Boppy, etc), and non-baby items that we didn't want to put in our garage-storage area. The way it's set up makes it look like we have so much more room than before, but it's really just better organized. I would highly recommend checking out the ClosetMaid website and see if you can design something that will suit your needs. A simple extra hanging rod would not have worked for us and it may not be enough for you. HTH!

JMarie
EDD 2/23/03
Aidan Christopher

[MinnieMouse]

We have a Rumble Tuff Dresser that I put undershirts, onsies, socks, etc. in. As well as burp cloths (cloth diapers) and crib sheets and blankets. Most of her clothes I hung in her closet. It was just easier to organize and see everything that way. I not only organized by type (shirts, onsies, pants, overalls, dresses, etc) but also by size. Which is really helpful since sizes vary by manufacturer and dd almost always seemed to be between sizes all the time.

Like I said before it is a small regular sized closet to begin with...not walk in by any means. The shelf on top was for larger blankets and comforters, as well as the lovely knitted ones dd received. And I put some larger stuff on the floor of the closet. I have to say though there is NO way we could have fit the Ultrasaucer in the closet! That is stored in our basement now that dd is 18mo and not using it anymore.

For a small closet, the hanging rod worked best for us. In reality we used that much more than dd's dresser, at least until this point. I find that I'm using her dresser more now. Until recently her middle drawer (out of three) was practically empty!

Christine

[cchavez]

Any other practical tips?

[kapow]

You could get a shoe organizer that hangs from a bar, and use the shoe slots to hold all kinds of things. These are cheap and available everywhere.

[bnme]

We have a MillsPride closet organizer (lowes) and it is great because of the shelves. It has a regular rod for 3/4 the length with large shelves above and a shelf tower to one side. I keep towels, wash clothes, a bath caddy, burp clothes, and various toys/teethers there. It also depends on what your other storage is.

I keep all "dress up" outfits hung in the closet and onsies and sleepers in drawers. I also have space in an amoire for blankets and extra sheets.

[sweetbasil]

I just LOVE the closet organizers from One Step Ahead. Unfortunately in the house we've since moved to, they don't fit in the closets anymore (the shelf above each rod protrudes too much and is too close to the rod for the organizers to fit). They're a lot like clothing size dividers you see in retail stores, but they're sized for babies. Makes it a lot easier to organize clothes and tougher to miss an outfit because it's not in the right place, etc.
http://www.onestepahead.com/jump.jsp?lGen=detail&itemID=732&itemType=PRODUCT&iProductID=732

I will say, though, that I don't completely rely on the size tag to classify all clothes- some are smaller than sized, some bigger, etc., so I hang them where I think they match the "true to size" clothes sizing...hope that makes the *slightest* bit of sense :)

[mombentley]

Hi Katie,

I am working on the same thing right now, due in July and trying to maximize closet space! I wasn't sure if you lived in the boston area (based on your screen name)... I do and just went to Placewears in Newton - they sell the ELFA closet systems and are on sale through the end of March (30% off). I was a bit overwhelmed at first, but if you bring your measurements, they can help you design a closet. They even have a sample "kids" closet for smaller clothes on display. I'm going with two rods (one on top of the other) and a drawer system. Good luck!
Katina

[vpalmer]

We also spent the extra money and purchased the Elfa organizing system for the closet. We caught the 30% off sale and spent about $375 for a standard sized closet. It was so simple, we simply took our measurements and the salesperson laid out the closet with the help of the computer. You can walk straight into the closet and the shelves, etc are on the right and left sides facing towards the center of the closet. The system included a 5 drawer unit, with shelves above it on the left and shelves and 2 clothes rods on the right side. I agree that storage is more of a priority that hanging clothes in a child's closet. We love the system and are sure we will get years of use out of it once our little one arrives.

Hope this helps,

Veronica
EDD June 16, 2003 (Baby #1)