UHeart Organizing: Sweet Baby Toy Storage

Chelsea has a way of making everyday items and processes look super fabulous, and baby supplies are no exception.  I always love checking in on her blog, <a href="http://www.twotwentyone.net/" target="_blank">Two Twenty One</a>, for no-nonsense solutions to everything from laundry room storage to kitchen organization.  Now that sweet baby Owen has arrived, I get both a frequent baby fixin' <i>and</i> organizational eye candy.  We are long past diapers and bouncers in our home, so it is nice having Chelsea stop by to share her tips for stashing daily baby belongings.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhglEMQFelaKYo9I-k5D6FUb5qZH5mFo2xgTW9oKIPyF28A8reRbiI_Grt7CZExuV-CqMQDDjXKDbFyP8_4NTlRoIJev7VBauBygmwTc1HEsfQ7UfyCmKNBHKaC2x7uGbDWO1sl3BoXJpG0/s1600/stripes-around-the-world-bin-header.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhglEMQFelaKYo9I-k5D6FUb5qZH5mFo2xgTW9oKIPyF28A8reRbiI_Grt7CZExuV-CqMQDDjXKDbFyP8_4NTlRoIJev7VBauBygmwTc1HEsfQ7UfyCmKNBHKaC2x7uGbDWO1sl3BoXJpG0/s1600/stripes-around-the-world-bin-header.png" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Let's face it, typically, babies come with a lot of stuff-- whether it's stuff you buy or stuff you're given. So today I'm sharing some baby toy storage ideas.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I wanted to keep toy clutter at a minimum in my 7 month old son's <a href="http://www.twotwentyone.net/2014/10/owens-bright-and-colorful-nursery/" target="_blank">nursery</a> so I purchased an IKEA Kallax shelving unit to put in the closet. This allowed me to store and organize Owen's books and toys out of sight when the closet doors are closed. Plus, it made use of the space in the bottom of the closet. <i>(For a full nursery source list, see <a href="http://www.twotwentyone.net/2014/10/nursery-sources/" target="_blank">here</a>.)</i><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.twotwentyone.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/ikea-kallax-in-closet.jpg"><img alt="ikea-kallax-in-closet" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9789" height="366" src="http://www.twotwentyone.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/ikea-kallax-in-closet.jpg" width="550" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />As you can see, books and some toys are stored in the top cubbies and more toys are in the fabric bins (from The Land of Nod) that easily slide in and out of the bottom cubbies, making for easy clean up.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />I put puzzles, which he won't be using for a while, in the bin to the far left.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.twotwentyone.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/stripes-around-the-cube-bin.jpg"><img alt="stripes-around-the-cube-bin" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9792" height="366" src="http://www.twotwentyone.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/stripes-around-the-cube-bin.jpg" width="550" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Toys he can play with when he was younger and now are in the second to the left bin.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.twotwentyone.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/land-of-nod-storage-bin.jpg"><img alt="land-of-nod-storage-bin" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9790" height="366" src="http://www.twotwentyone.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/land-of-nod-storage-bin.jpg" width="550" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Bath toys and toys he can play with soon are in the second to the right bin.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.twotwentyone.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/land-of-nod-striped-storage-bin.jpg"><img alt="land-of-nod-striped-storage-bin" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9791" height="366" src="http://www.twotwentyone.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/land-of-nod-striped-storage-bin.jpg" width="550" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />And Owen's small stuffed animal collection is in the far right bin.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.twotwentyone.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/stripes-around-the-world-bin.jpg"><img alt="stripes around the world bin" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-8791" height="825" src="http://www.twotwentyone.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/stripes-around-the-world-bin.jpg" width="550" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />When Owen was younger, and not sitting up on his own, we would spent a lot of time holding him while sitting on the couch in our living room. So I put a basket of toys and books on our sofa table. This made the items easily accessible and organized at the same time.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.twotwentyone.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/toy-basket.jpg"><img alt="toy basket" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9240" height="702" src="http://www.twotwentyone.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/toy-basket.jpg" width="550" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Now that Owen is sitting up on his own and more mobile, we spend a lot of time playing on the floor with him. While I'd love a new coffee table with built-in storage, it's not really in our budget right now. Plus, I think coffee tables are the hardest pieces of furniture to shop for. So I make due with what we have for now, which is just a regular, four-legged coffee table (ahem) from my husband's college days.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Larger toys that wouldn't fit in a basket very well are also stored under the coffee table. It's not the most attractive solution, but it keeps them out of the way when they aren't in use and mostly hidden.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.twotwentyone.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toy-storage-2.jpg"><img alt="toy storage 2" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9796" height="367" src="http://www.twotwentyone.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toy-storage-2.jpg" width="550" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />All of Owen's smaller toys are stored in a basket under the coffee table. When we want to get him a toy, we slide it out from under the table. And then we clean up for the night, we throw everything back in the basket and slide it under the table. This makes cleaning up exceptionally quick and easy. We also use the basket to support Owen's sit-to-stand walker-- placing the basket behind the walker so the walker doesn't shift when he's pulling up and pushing on it while playing. Yay for basket double duty.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.twotwentyone.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toy-storage-1.jpg"><img alt="toy storage 1" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9795" height="367" src="http://www.twotwentyone.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toy-storage-1.jpg" width="550" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />And then there's the large toys that are hard to hide. We put those out of the way next to our <a href="http://www.twotwentyone.net/2012/07/dresser-turned-tv-stand/" target="_blank">dresser turned TV console</a>.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.twotwentyone.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toy-storage-3.jpg"><img alt="toy storage 3" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9797" height="750" src="http://www.twotwentyone.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toy-storage-3.jpg" width="550" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />I've determined that when it comes to books and smaller toys that bins and baskets are your friends. There's tons of options to fit with your home decor, and they allow for quick and easy clean up. I've also learned that having place for everything is important, like with Owen's <a href="http://www.twotwentyone.net/2014/11/nursery-dresser-organization/" target="_blank">nursery dresser</a>.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.twotwentyone.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/dresser-2.jpg"><img alt="dresser-2" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9788" height="366" src="http://www.twotwentyone.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/dresser-2.jpg" width="550" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />If you're an expectant or new momma looking for inspiration, you can check out all of my baby and nursery related posts <a href="http://www.twotwentyone.net/baby/" target="_blank">here</a>!<br /><br /></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBr5TdTCBFE-qOWU6Rs1b6d6ZeeeG1uztD1yZBZSUhZkmuZ9aaMb3pUM6wWwxrn-Z9Im4bx6BD1zRt2gBc2P2i0a3Rtt4GNpf7OM4PZwVGESR6TxOS9DUgaDIB3dZoThFTJGCY1oDp-HvM/s1600/chelsea-+head+shot+1+150.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBr5TdTCBFE-qOWU6Rs1b6d6ZeeeG1uztD1yZBZSUhZkmuZ9aaMb3pUM6wWwxrn-Z9Im4bx6BD1zRt2gBc2P2i0a3Rtt4GNpf7OM4PZwVGESR6TxOS9DUgaDIB3dZoThFTJGCY1oDp-HvM/s1600/chelsea-+head+shot+1+150.png" /></a><i>Hey friends! I'm Chelsea from <a href="http://www.twotwentyone.net/" target="_blank">Two Twenty One</a>! I'm a twenty-something living in Indiana with my husband, Brad, and our crazy mutt, Jack. My loves are photography, travel, DIY projects, baking, wine, sarcasm and my iPhone. The husband and I are attempting to make our home a little less cookie cutter and a lot more awesome. My little slice of the internet, Two Twenty One, is where I share my latest home improvement projects, furniture makeovers, crafts, recipes and home & seasonal decor ideas. I am beyond excited to join Jen and the rest of the IHeart Organizing team! </i>

UHeart Organizing: Sweet Baby Toy Storage

Chelsea has a way of making everyday items and processes look super fabulous, and baby supplies are no exception.  I always love checking in...

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UHeart Organizing: Baby "Car" Go

I have always loved to organize, however, it seems as though I really found my organizing stride after my kidlets were born.  My beautiful friend and contributor, Chelsea, recently became a new mom herself, and has been organizing and sharing all of the goodness over on her blog <a href="http://www.twotwentyone.net/" target="_blank">Two Twenty One</a>.  I have to admit that I have loved following along and reminiscing about the days of diaper bags and changing tables.  I am excited to have her here today, sharing a ten minute baby "car" go sanity saver she recently implemented.  Here she is now!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw1mesHztQIwZS_rUFu_h2KTINNT7xJqaCwKxjFgcaLA6cOqcWBsERsAdtwOcCcR7wKEr2Mtazl5VkcQpRibgDMqRvuZLkVSq8XnxrLWZ10eT_VdS_QDqjK2rVUzrYXg8xBL5ZsWg5fGg/s1600/car-kit-header.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw1mesHztQIwZS_rUFu_h2KTINNT7xJqaCwKxjFgcaLA6cOqcWBsERsAdtwOcCcR7wKEr2Mtazl5VkcQpRibgDMqRvuZLkVSq8XnxrLWZ10eT_VdS_QDqjK2rVUzrYXg8xBL5ZsWg5fGg/s1600/car-kit-header.png" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Since becoming a mom, I've learned that I need to be prepared for anything. Which is why I put together this baby car kit. It took me maybe 10 minutes to put the kit together.  While I always travel with a well stocked <a href="http://www.twotwentyone.net/2014/10/diaper-bag-organization/" target="_blank">diaper bag</a> whenever I take my little one, <a href="http://www.twotwentyone.net/2014/09/owens-birth-story-part-one/" target="_blank">Owen</a>, out and about, I wanted to be able to have some items in my car just in case. In case you're wondering, you can see what I keep in the diaper bag and how I organize it <a href="http://www.twotwentyone.net/2014/10/diaper-bag-organization/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVHnI-WqZcmgirYRCVGTjaGvpXUjfWs5KyIlniCAf1JH9AWAaId15MFBPmub5NWsdRL_JA8gakQJg9fZx_LXysfacXCjnXylS4tQjYT10o4OyPlAJHLDlkNkgtucsyJ6IAia1yCB98Ty8/s1600/car-kit-header.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVHnI-WqZcmgirYRCVGTjaGvpXUjfWs5KyIlniCAf1JH9AWAaId15MFBPmub5NWsdRL_JA8gakQJg9fZx_LXysfacXCjnXylS4tQjYT10o4OyPlAJHLDlkNkgtucsyJ6IAia1yCB98Ty8/s1600/car-kit-header.jpg" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />I keep the car kit basket in the back of my car by my emergency road assistance kit and jumper cables. In case you couldn't tell, I like to be prepared when it comes to my car.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN4xp0MCOU-7O-sGrxKG95u0I8en6GAsIJAGBXu6uklpJTwWmh0hoBf82uo8nx9Vn539572FJnQ-wL21CRgQprLPZzwBj_FG-0P1WTju6Qt6UGlKoY-hOSO9zTPABwElHZnPi3lGwRrNY/s1600/car-kit-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN4xp0MCOU-7O-sGrxKG95u0I8en6GAsIJAGBXu6uklpJTwWmh0hoBf82uo8nx9Vn539572FJnQ-wL21CRgQprLPZzwBj_FG-0P1WTju6Qt6UGlKoY-hOSO9zTPABwElHZnPi3lGwRrNY/s1600/car-kit-1.jpg" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />One thing that I keep in the car kit is a change of clothes for me, which includes yoga pants and a shirt, because you never know when a blow out or massive spit up attack will happen. I've always kept a change of clothes in my car because of my day job as an in-home early intervention developmental therapist. There's been a couple times that I've had to change my clothes in between therapy appointments. I won't go into details but I'm sure you can imagine the crazy things that happen with toddlers.<br />  </div><div style="text-align: left;">Another item I keep my in my car kit for me is nursing pads. Recently, on the way to run errands, I realized I didn't have my nursing pads in. I found myself digging in the glovebox of my car for fast food napkins to use as stand ins. Desperate times call for desperate measures, my friends. So I made sure to include a couple disposable nursing pads in the kit so I never have to repeat that experience. I also threw some extra pads in my purse cosmetic bag.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvuI4iihGvtkowyKtX-nlHchJCHk0sihvfYyvbn8Tcwhu41bYTzveLEd0jcu3KyIjh7jFVJYJOw0ymHNgh8K7gI0ctB01sbusCyV8V8ubFAiQ-zxCvci9Rj_Amu3i0suOPr7eiWEc-dEA/s1600/car-kit-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvuI4iihGvtkowyKtX-nlHchJCHk0sihvfYyvbn8Tcwhu41bYTzveLEd0jcu3KyIjh7jFVJYJOw0ymHNgh8K7gI0ctB01sbusCyV8V8ubFAiQ-zxCvci9Rj_Amu3i0suOPr7eiWEc-dEA/s1600/car-kit-4.jpg" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><br /><span style="color: #999999;"><b>Here's the list of everything in the car kit:</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul><li>Diaper changing pad clutch</li><li>Change of clothes for me</li><li>Baby wipes</li><li>Antibacterial wipes</li><li>Baby blanket</li><li>Change of clothes for baby (one piece outfit, socks, hat)</li><li>Nursing pads</li><li>Pacifiers</li></ul></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />The diaper changing pad clutch comes with a pocket to store diapers and wipes, so I keep a couple diapers and a handful of wipes stored in there.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj28JbCn8M74Hdeumwsf4ugMmKCf3GdfRXQtZ6xILoymCRFRyTGf63g6m0VM9TZiGqJixR1AohEXdygPKAZnCErzRk8P6nYHg4cDr5Jhos-X1lUsv-yhPb508OM1_i5InFBJ94dh3YIDNU/s1600/car-kit-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj28JbCn8M74Hdeumwsf4ugMmKCf3GdfRXQtZ6xILoymCRFRyTGf63g6m0VM9TZiGqJixR1AohEXdygPKAZnCErzRk8P6nYHg4cDr5Jhos-X1lUsv-yhPb508OM1_i5InFBJ94dh3YIDNU/s1600/car-kit-3.jpg" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Since we're heading into winter, and Midwest winters can be brutal, I plan to put a couple blankets, bottled water, some snacks (for me), and hand warmers in the back of my car just case I should get stranded with my little one.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">When it comes to putting together a baby or kid car kit in your car, use what works best for your kiddo and family. Just think about the things you would want to have on hand should you forget something or if your kiddo has an accident. And you don't have to be fancy with what you put the stuff in. I used a basket I had laying around but you could use any sort of container.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh43DrKKnDtdMuVhxTJj8gAlhuUZMR5iM68HCoF9IhLwU_Sk_rmpRKxrtGIcQYGF8b9PNtLEVjx7ZvRKX_4H_JkDq8-2YkWkqE4ZXRWtFMy2c1w0S1txRR0WGKaFHk6z4sOmEm6lnqhCSE/s1600/chelsea-+head+shot+1+-+round.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh43DrKKnDtdMuVhxTJj8gAlhuUZMR5iM68HCoF9IhLwU_Sk_rmpRKxrtGIcQYGF8b9PNtLEVjx7ZvRKX_4H_JkDq8-2YkWkqE4ZXRWtFMy2c1w0S1txRR0WGKaFHk6z4sOmEm6lnqhCSE/s1600/chelsea-+head+shot+1+-+round.png" /></a><br /><div class="pinit-wrapper" style="cursor: pointer; left: 38.5px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; top: 4780.78px; visibility: visible; z-index: 9999;"><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/2014/08/uheart-organizing-delivering-crafty.html&media=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh43DrKKnDtdMuVhxTJj8gAlhuUZMR5iM68HCoF9IhLwU_Sk_rmpRKxrtGIcQYGF8b9PNtLEVjx7ZvRKX_4H_JkDq8-2YkWkqE4ZXRWtFMy2c1w0S1txRR0WGKaFHk6z4sOmEm6lnqhCSE/s1600/chelsea-+head+shot+1+-+round.png&description=9UHeart%20Organizing:%20%20Delivering%20Crafty%20Clothing%20Dividers" style="display: block; outline: none;" target="_blank"><img class="pinimg" src="http://i917.photobucket.com/albums/ad14/iheartorganizing/Blog%20Images/PinIt75px_zps9d0b45d7.png" style="-moz-box-shadow: none; -o-box-shadow: none; -webkit-box-shadow: none; background: transparent; border: 0; box-shadow: none; margin: 0; padding: 0;" title="Pin on Pinterest" /></a></div><i>"Hey friends!  I'm Chelsea from <a href="http://www.twotwenty-one.com/" target="_blank">Two Twenty One</a>!  I'm a twenty-something living in Indiana with my husband, Brad, and our crazy mutt, Jack.  My loves are photography, travel, DIY projects, baking, wine, sarcasm and my iPhone.  The husband and I are attempting to make our home a little less cookie cutter and a lot more awesome.  My little slice of the internet, Two Twenty One, is where I share my latest home improvement projects, furniture makeovers, crafts, recipes and home & seasonal decor ideas.   I am beyond excited to join Jen and the rest of the IHeart Organizing team!"</i><br /><br /></div>

UHeart Organizing: Baby "Car" Go

I have always loved to organize, however, it seems as though I really found my organizing stride after my kidlets were born.  My beautiful f...

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