Top 5 Organization Tips for New Mamas

If you are a first time mom with a newborn, bless you for even attempting to read this post in the tiny 15 minute window you have allotted to you every 3-4 hours. I promise this will add value to your day! After working one on one with dozens of new mamas, these are my top five organization tips so that you can spend more time with your little nugget and less time focused on clutter.

***Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click-through and make a purchase. Your support helps keep the content coming!!! This post is brought to you by our FAVORITE clutter free invitation site, which you MUST use for your upcoming baby shower – Paperless Post!***

Just in case you missed my About Page, you should know my version of “perfectly organized” has changed a lot as a parent. 92.3% of your time is dedicated to the livelihood of another human being (s)! That doesn’t leave much left to share with a spouse, a job, yourself and wait, staying organized??

There are seasons when it will be easier to maintain and others when you really should just take a deep breath and power through as best as you can. The latter, for example, describes the early newborn months. Attempting to be a boss at your laundry routine when you barely have time to shower or eat around a new babe’s schedule just isn’t necessary. Have grace with yourself! You will adjust and eventually we can put that post-apocalyptic house back together!

Here are the my Top 5 Organization Tips for New Mamas.

1. Declutter without mercy.

This is something I tell any client, mom or not. When you’re decluttering a space, take no prisoners! BE RUTHLESS. All is NOT fair in this war! Don’t focus on what you paid for it or whether you might, just maybe, possibly want to use it one day. This is The Bachelor – there’s so little time and so few roses. No spark? Let it go!

The LESS stuff you have to keep up with, the MORE time you will have for other things.

And vice versa, the MORE stuff you have to keep up with, the LESS time you will have with your newborn. Believe me, there is a direct correlation. Think about how much time it takes you to put away everything from one Target shopping trip. EXACTLY. If someone brought you a Target load every day, you would spend all your free time unpacking. You must simultaneously stop the influx of stuff with your decluttering goal. That is the only way to get long lasting results!

2. Baby Registry Minimization.

I wish I could tell you children come clutter free. As tiny humans, they do need their own set up like a tiny bed, for example. However, I think the abundance of what most believe a baby needs is in overdrive. Take it from a mama of two babes and just start with the bare essentials. Remember that Amazon Prime exists should another need arise. I also recommend you borrow from friends when possible. The little one uses a bassinet the first 2 to 4 months, then after that you won’t use again until another baby! Borrowing means you can skip the storing part and save money. Don’t purchase or register for more than one item of a product until you know if it works. That means one bottle, one pacifier and so on.

3. Room for growth.

Organize with growth in mind. This means as your baby grows, making room for your storage needs to grow with him or her. I have an easily reachable bin in each size clothing at the top of the nursery for future sizes as well as sizes outgrown. The current size is kept in the dresser! Then a few favorites are hung. As I do laundry or something doesn’t fit, it’s minimal effort to move out of the way. They grow so fast, every load of laundry brings a few outgrown items!

4. What do I do with all these toys?!

A toy rotation system will save your sanity. As children grow and the birthdays and holiday gifts continue, the toys accumulate! Like mushrooms in a wet field, they seem to multiply themselves. Schools and daycares use toy rotation systems all the time. This keeps the child stimulated and interested but also limits how many toys are out at one time.

How many toys should your little one have access to at one time? As many toys as you are okay with being on your floor at a time. I remember my grandmother had one chest of toys and they didn’t change for 10 years! It was a treat to play with the same Lincoln Log set every time we visited.

The same concept applies when your toy rotation system brings out a group bi-weekly or once a month. We change out the toys in our house every other week and this takes me all of 10 minutes to do. Completely worth the sanity saver.

5. A little bit every day.

You will have to tidy up a little bit every day. I know, why can’t the clutter fairy exist and do it for us?! Surely, I could bribe the tooth fairy into giving me her number. Whether you are an early bird or a night owl, set aside about 15 minutes each day to address the accumulation. Maybe it’s a stack of bills or shoes that need to go in the closet. This is just enough time to maintain your space. Keep in mind, this ONLY works if you already have HOMES for all your items. The home is where the item lives when you are not using it. If you pick up something, you should know where it’s home is. When all items have a home, cleaning up is a breeze. This key factor makes the biggest difference in living an organized life.

I know these tips will be helpful in your new organized life as a mama! Again, there will be seasons that are easier than others to keep up. Your number one job is ALWAYS that sweet baby!

High fives! ~ Meggie