Brandon thought it was very funny that I had to go to the trouble of labeling these bins of baby clothes. “Can’t you just open them up and see what sizes are inside,” he asked.
Yes, but this makes me so much happier. ;)
Nursery
Washed, Folded, Sorted, Labeled, Stored
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Jennifer
March 31, 2009 at 6:10 pmI admire your organization.
Anna
March 31, 2009 at 6:21 pmIt’s just a man thing…they don’t understand :) The labels are a great idea and instead of a messy bin full of baby clothes it looks pulled together….well done.
christine
March 31, 2009 at 6:23 pmOoooo!! All this pretty pink organization makes me giddy… I totally understand : )
Jasmine
March 31, 2009 at 6:25 pmI’m pretty sure you (and your husband) will be glad you labeled these when it comes time to start pulling them out! good foresight!
Corie
March 31, 2009 at 6:37 pmIs someone nesting, perhaps? :)
Babies grow so fast, you’ll be so very glad you did this.
puck
March 31, 2009 at 6:44 pmtee hee…
yes. you do this with the first one. you even start a baby book and an elaborate scrapbook.
after my fourth boy, they are lucky if i manage to print the pictures of them from the digital camera.
Beth
March 31, 2009 at 7:04 pmI can so-o-o relate. I am a massive organizer. I get the shivers (good ones) when those advertisements for closet organizing companies come in the mail! All my music cds are organized alphabetically by genre, etc. Make Brandon feel better by letting him know that no, it isn’t necessary, but for people like us, it helps us breathe! :-)
Ellen
March 31, 2009 at 7:26 pmThis is soooooo smart. As a mother of one… with one on the way… I wish I’d been this organized! I’m dreading going through my boxes of baby clothes… to find the right sizes for a new baby. You will be so glad you did this!
kellyt
March 31, 2009 at 7:33 pmYou’re definitely doing the right thing. When you’re ready for the next size up and you’re getting lots and lots of clothes after the baby comes (get ready for that, once she comes, you’ll get MORE clothes!), you’ll be glad you did this. After my third child, I’m STILL doing this. (of course, my labels didn’t look as good as yours!)
Nicole
March 31, 2009 at 7:38 pmI love this idea! I’m due with our first (a boy) in July and I’m going to try this!
Brandon B
March 31, 2009 at 7:51 pmYou should have seen her face when I told her that I had rearranged all of her labels/signage…. She looked both confused, angry and horrified all at once.
Although I would never do such things, she always seems to believe me when I suggest that I am up to such blatantly evil shenanigans.
Oh, how I love my sweetheart(s)…. Plus, I was just being “sneaky”.
Jess
March 31, 2009 at 7:55 pm“Can’t you just open them…?” Ugh, can you imagine what a pain it would be once you have *years* worth of clothing put away? I organize/label clothes for my three boys in the exact same way and it makes it so much easier to find what I need when somebody needs a winter coat or to move up a size. You’ll be glad you did it!
Tania
March 31, 2009 at 7:57 pmI use to sort my items in the dresser like that. Before you know it you will be going threw those totes. They grow so up so fast.
Making it Lovely
March 31, 2009 at 8:04 pm… May I just direct your attention to the fact that BRANDON LEFT A COMMENT? He’s never left a comment before, ha!
And yes, he did tell me that he rearranged all of the labels. I had to ask him several times – “You didn’t really do that, right? Right!?” He likes to mess with me sometimes (and I always fall for it)…
Catherine
March 31, 2009 at 8:16 pmI love all the texture show in the picture! The rug and the curtains vs the ottoman vs the basket…all wonderful :) Couldn’t remember if you had hanging room or not with the wonderful play nook on one side, but I just love these!!
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2885700
Audrie
March 31, 2009 at 8:17 pmNicely done! I’ve actually decided that when we have a baby, I’d need to organise the clothes in a similar fashion because aside from not being able to find the right size in an instant, I’d be afraid clothes would be lost and only found when the kid’s outgrown it.
And as you’d imagine, my husband thinks it’s completely unnecessary too.
lori
March 31, 2009 at 8:20 pmi totally do the same thing! boys just don’t get it! plus, if you start to stack them, you don’t have to move them all around to open them and see what’s inside!
Pam
March 31, 2009 at 8:20 pmHahaha I just did the SAME THING with my baby’s clothes!! And actually – if they are stacked up on top of each other – it DOES make it easier!
Jacci
March 31, 2009 at 8:24 pmOh, yeah. Totally necessary to label them. I think, though, you may find that you’ll fill up a bin that size with just one of those sizes – especially if you have shopping grandmas in the picture, and *especially* if your little cutie is the first grandbaby. We have so many bins of children’s clothes it’s unbelievable. And I even try to give away and weed out the ones I don’t like so much. But, we were the only grandbabies on *both* sides of the family for over 7 years. We got a lot of love :)
Don’t you just LOVE the baby socks? They always make me so excited to kiss those new little feet!!! :)
Jacci
Katie
March 31, 2009 at 8:28 pmI did and still do that with my son’s clothes. It’s good to be organized when you are tired and busy and not really in the mood to switch out clothing sizes. It also makes it very easy when you store them away for the next baby. :)
Jacci
March 31, 2009 at 8:29 pmSpeaking of the socks – it always drove me nuts when Baby moved up to another shoe size and I had two sizes of socks all mixed up together with no way to easily tell which was which. Is this a 0-3 sock or a 3-6 sock? It doesn’t really matter much until the 0-3 socks start mingling with the 6-9 socks and then it starts to be a pain. Old Navy is so helpful and labels the bottom of their socks (I think The Children’s Place does, too???). Anyway, I started color coding sizes with colored permanent markers. 0-3 months & 3-6 months could be one *pink* dot on the sole of each sock (the same since they’re so close), 6-9 and 12 months could be a purple dot, 18 months could be red, etc. I know, I know, then her little socks have MARKER on them, but my baby girls wore soft little shoes a lot, anyway :)
Thought I throw the idea out there to help give your nesting another outlet. I know Brandon will be glad I mentioned it :)
Liz
March 31, 2009 at 8:30 pmGreat idea! One thing to consider – different brands seem to have different sizing methods. My now 5 month old daughter was wearing some of her 6-12 months onesies at 3 months, but can also still fit into some of her 2-4 months bottoms. We received a few gifts that she didn’t get a chance to wear because we thought they wouldn’t fit.
Beth
March 31, 2009 at 8:38 pmLiz is right, but I recommend organizing them by size anyway. Once you get to a size, if something doesn’t fit her for another three months (or year) leave it out, but once she outgrows it, put it back with all the other ones labeled the same size. I did this, and am so glad I did. My boys are almost 4 years apart, and it is STILL (one’s 7, one’s almost 4) so nice to just be able to reach for a box and know all the clothes in there are that size (if an occasional outfit wasn’t worn, we were able to bless someone else with it). We’ve been given clothes all the way up to age 10, so I have tons of boxes in our attic, and it is so nice to have them all labeled and organized. Also, so nice to hear from Brandon!!
luuvely
March 31, 2009 at 8:48 pmHA! BRANDON COMMENTED! his comment alone makes this post
AN OFFICIAL CLASSIC! lol hahaha lol
but yeah lol this is a good idea..but still super duper organizey/nestingly/crazy lol still super sweet and SMART to do..lol you both will love it in like 6 months :)
Renae Moore
March 31, 2009 at 9:15 pmYou go for it Girl…looks great to me. I know you are so excited.
erin
March 31, 2009 at 9:26 pmyour labels are adorable!
i labeled the dresser drawers for my little guy becaus ehe got so much clothes… it just makes it easier to put together outfits or pack the diaper bag quickly when you dont have to read the labels!
its adorable that brandon commented and called you sweetheart(s)!
also… when do we get to see the baby room??? is it done? have i missed it?
Shannon
March 31, 2009 at 9:46 pmI’m an obsessive organizer too. So I love this. Silly question… what font did you use for the labels? I love it!
your mother
March 31, 2009 at 10:01 pmHow very sweet that Brandon commented. He sure does love his girls(s)! And I have to agree with Corie on the nesting. I believe when I was close to delivering YOU I took everything out of the linen closet and refolded all the towels and sheets so that they lined up just so.
And you can tell Brandon that the baby clothes organizing and labeling is partially genetic. I have Ross and Francesca’s clothes sorted by name and size – it’s essential when looking for something later!
Melissa
March 31, 2009 at 10:01 pmI love it! You know, when you have more – you’ll have to add “Boy” and “Girl” as well as “Spring/ Summer” and “Fall/ Winter”. Just so know. One more thing… these bins will begin to line a wall somewhere in your laundry room.
jessica
March 31, 2009 at 10:03 pmOh I label mine too. After 4 kids, it’s ESSENTIAL or you go nuts trying to find stuff. Mine are labeled with obsessive p-touch strips.
ClistyB
March 31, 2009 at 10:21 pmBrandon, there will come a day when you will be very glad those bins are labeled. Especially when they are stacked on one another.
I do this same thing and I am not even an organized person. It totally saves my tail, everytime.
vanessa
March 31, 2009 at 10:26 pmOh my goodness you are organized! I love it!
Katy
March 31, 2009 at 10:32 pmEnjoy it now! I used to have really cute “done” rooms for my kids. Now they’re teens and I have to send them out of town so I can shovel out the crap twice a year! ;-)
Beautiful baby room!
paty fontes
March 31, 2009 at 10:51 pmI am doing the same. However, I am just washing the clothes up to 3 months right now (first things first, right?). I not only labeled, but also I am putting in little bags all the sets (onesis, pants, hats, socks) that match :-) Ah! I am also ironing all the clothes inside and outside… :-)
Well done! take care,
Paty
littlecat
March 31, 2009 at 11:22 pmOh, my Mom used to do this, in cardboard boxes, all through my childhood! Every season, the boxes would come out, and we would see what fit who! She often dressed us in matching clothes (which she hand made) and as the littlest girl, I often got the same dress, year after year, in different sizes. (I fondly remember a particular green velvet jumper) Promise me you won’t do that. Forget pictures of the babys’ room, can’t wait to see the photos of the BABY!!
Anna
April 1, 2009 at 12:15 amIt makes sense to me.. and when you’re packing them up after your little bubba has grown out of them, you’ll probably end up having categories like ‘0-3months and then ‘large 0-3 months’. Love it!
MaRiaH
April 1, 2009 at 2:21 amlove the idea, can’t wait to start mine.thanx for sharing
Julia
April 1, 2009 at 3:29 amjust love labelling. love the idea. to organize and arrange- is there anything more relaxing :) ?
Kittykat
April 1, 2009 at 6:02 amHey there,
Be aware – sizing is can vary greatly! I have a lovely 4 month old boy who can be wearing size 000 and 0 at the same time, I tried to organise his tall boy with different sizes in different drawers to make life easier, this lasted about a week.
Good luck, motherhood is a wonderful ride.
daisy mae
April 1, 2009 at 7:26 amI had all mine sorted as well. Each size in a different drawer and when the nesting really hit, I’d take them out, look at them to check whether my kidlet would fit once he came out and then refold. I started driving myself crazy doing this! The funny thing is that I worried my son would be too big for the 0-3 MO and packed a couple different “homecoming” outfits just in case. As it turned out, at 9 pounds, he was swimming in that size!
Julia @ Hooked on Houses
April 1, 2009 at 8:24 amHad to laugh at this because I did the exact same thing, and it made me so happy to have the baby clothes all organized and ready to go like that. Of course, then my daughter came a month early and didn’t fit into any of them because she was so tiny, but it just gave me an excuse to do more baby-clothes shopping!
Enjoy your maternity leave! :-)
elisabeth
April 1, 2009 at 8:38 amI have been admiring the photos of your home and marveled at how serene and organized it is. As the mother of 5 year old, our smallish apartment is overrun with her things. I will be interested to see how you manage baby/kid clutter and hope that there will be inspiration for me in your efforts.
Good luck with baby day!
Lisa
April 1, 2009 at 9:22 amLove how organized you are!! Trust me, it will make life much easier once your little lovely comes along! Enjoying your blog and journey!
sunT
April 1, 2009 at 9:44 amgreat idea trust me! i have a 19 month old and i did the same thing. it REALLY helped me esp once the baby is here and you have mommy brain and you cant tell anything apart. they grow faster than you think and your labels will help ALOT!
i love your blog!
Beth
April 1, 2009 at 10:04 amI admire the organization! Will we get pics of the nursery before the little one arrives? The curtains and toys in this picture make me want to see more!!
Heather
April 1, 2009 at 10:17 amDefinately nesting! I was a maniac when I hit that nesting stage with my boys :)
sammyw
April 1, 2009 at 11:16 amlove this – organization is the best!
Amanda
April 1, 2009 at 12:20 pmOh, those strappy baskets! From Land of Nod? I have a half dozen of them, I love them.
Anyhoo, I’m impressed with your organizeriness. I did my baby clothes Brandon’s way (open each bin and rifle through to the bottom to see what sizes are in there). I think your way *has* to be better… :)
Christine
April 1, 2009 at 12:23 pmI think it’s a brilliant idea! It will make getting to the baby’s clothes so much easier and organized.
jbhat
April 1, 2009 at 1:25 pmNow why didn’t I think of that? I love it and am going to copy it: for re-doing labels on the bins of my first kiddo’s clothes, and for the upcoming kiddo’s stuff too. I should have known to treat myself to a nice printed out label, rather than a scrawled sign in *gasp* black sharpie. Yuck!
Thanks for sharing!
Nuit
April 1, 2009 at 1:26 pmAAWWWW I did the same when my little boy was on the way… it’s just a fabulous way to keep track of things, babies grow sooo fast! Congratulations! BTW, I am a HUGE fan of your beautiful blog.
Tracey
April 1, 2009 at 2:58 pmIt’s called “nesting” and guys simply do not have that gene! Good luck to keeping it sorted when the little one comes! Enjoy the baby, and don’t sweat the small stuff…
Ruth @ GraceLaced
April 1, 2009 at 4:46 pmI’m a mother of four and this is exactly how I keep track of all the clothes..except I don’t take the time to print out pretty labels. Much lovelier this way!
Heather
April 1, 2009 at 6:28 pmIt’s just so smart! It’s a pain to sort through all the baby clothes when you need them, and they grow OUT of them so quickly! My son just turned one, and he’s already wearing 24 mo size, so I’ve had to weed out his clothes several times this year. They should just make revolving drawers!
Viv
April 1, 2009 at 9:16 pmAh yes, someone is indeed nesting! When I was pregnant with my son I asked my husband clean all the windows from the outside of the house and I cleaned them from the inside. Each time I saw I streak it had to be redone. I drove my husband nuts! Then it rained and it all went to waste.
Nicole you’ve done a great job organising the little one’s clothes. I tried to do the same with my son’s clothes. Each drawer was organised by size but now it’s a mess. The nesting instinct is definitely out of my system now!
I hope you are putting your feet up (on your lovely pouf) and getting LOTS of well deserved rest.
Viv xx
Erin
April 1, 2009 at 11:19 pmAh, yes – I am just as compulsive! But I have to know – where did you get those storage boxes? I have a basement full of them, and I need more, but I can’t find them at my local Target anymore! Argh – the boxes must match!
Making it Lovely
April 2, 2009 at 12:16 amErin, I got them at Target. I’m hoping they don’t run out because I need them all to match too! I already bought four so that I’d have some extra, but it will drive me crazy if I have to switch to another style at some point.
Shannon, the font I used is Archer.
And yes, I’ll be posting pictures of the nursery SOON! It isn’t quite ‘done’ to my satisfaction yet. There are lots of little things that I need to do (that I’m sure only I would notice)…
Jen
October 3, 2012 at 7:03 pmWhat size totes did you use?
soojin
April 2, 2009 at 12:26 amI noticed that there is some kind of divider inside the storage bins. What did you use? Btw, I have a 1 yr old and a 2.25 yr old, and I just went to Target today and redid all their old clothes boxes. I had used those cardboard file boxes from Office Depot and I had to switch after seeing your picture. Totally enclosed and clear containers make so much more sense. :)
Making it Lovely
April 2, 2009 at 12:31 amI used USPS Priority Mail boxes as dividers (I have a million of them because of the shop).
At Home with Kim Vallee
April 2, 2009 at 11:08 amLove it! It makes my life so much easier to label our storage boxes. Transparent boxes are the most practical option. For clothing it does not matter but for other things I found that in general, opaque boxes are more robust. I used a mix of both with labels.
Emily
April 2, 2009 at 2:53 pmYou are too cute- I loooove organizing also- such a great idea!
Erin
April 2, 2009 at 3:44 pmhaha – this is hilarious because I did the exact same thing and my husband also thought I was crazy! I even printed out the sizes in fancy fonts+colors so I could see them through the sides of the boxes…that is too funny. And the best part is, it put me in a good mood for a week. It’s nice to know there are more of my kind out there! Good luck with your delivery :)
amy purple
April 2, 2009 at 5:40 pmyou are an organizing queen! I think it was a brilliant idea too.
Stacey
April 29, 2009 at 3:30 amHey I love your labels, very organised, and I can see how they would make you happy. What font did you use?
Renee
June 9, 2009 at 7:11 pmLOVE this idea, tried something similar, wish I’d bought clear bins rather than assorted opaque colored bins. This will be great as your little one outgrows her clothes, to store them for the next one, or hand the bins off to a friend with a little girl.
I have a 5 month old, and my idea of nesting was putting the sheet on the cradle as we left for the hospital to deliver (I had been doing crazy amounts of lunges and squats to deliver before January instead of nesting, I guess). I just found your blog through This Young House, and I am pumped to have another great blog in my “house” folder… especially one with baby stuff too!
Catherine Avery
June 16, 2009 at 7:31 pmJust found your blog–love it and your beautiful little girl! You will love having everything labelled while you’re still half asleep searching around for clothes. No thanks…better things to do with nap time than that. I have my 4 year old daughter’s future clothes (hand me downs from the 8 y.old niece) and gently used clothes labelled as well. Great when the time comes to pass those ones down to my 3 year old niece. Lots of girls in our family–aren’t they great? Your husband is clearly already smitten…how lovely.
All the best to you and your family.