Create Space for a New Baby With a Self-Storage Unit

A new baby changes your entire world, not to mention the actual space in your home. If you’re looking around, wondering how to maintain your life while making room for baby, rest assured that you’re not alone, and that there is a solution … Storage Post.

Self-storage units are the perfect way to strike a balance between your pre-child world and your new responsibilities as a parent (or when you’re going from one to two, two to three or however big your family is growing!). That’s because you get to keep the things you love as you head into your new season of life. 

Self-storage is also great for general decluttering to make way for another family member. From choking hazards to seasonal decor, the items you love (but don’t need everyday) will be preserved and out of your way in self-storage. 

In this article, we’ll show you how to make space for a new baby with a self-storage unit.

What to Store? Getting Started

First you’ll need to choose a space for the new baby, if you haven’t already. Once you know what that looks like, you can begin to visualize how to organize the space and what you might need to store in a self-storage unit. 

Decide What to Store

Ideally, you’ll store the things you don’t use daily. If you're a new parent, remember that you’ll have less time for certain items after the baby arrives, so you might store materials for hobbies, board games, collectibles, camping or sports gear, etc. 

Consider adopting what might be a new mindset about your home: Be utilitarian, not decorative. Babies are small, but their stuff takes up a lot of room, and you’ll save yourself some stress if you’re not moving things out of the way every time you have to change a diaper or make lunch.  

Look for Clutter

What areas in your home collect piles? The fewer of these you have, the easier your life will be. Whether it’s in a room or a closet, pinpoint the stacks of books, clothes and projects that you’ve gotten used to but don’t need at the ready. Lots of these things can go into storage. 

Pay attention to the kitchen and bathroom countertops. You’ll be using these areas a lot, and will appreciate not having to move everything from junk mail to decorative candles out of your way. 

Think Seasonally

Holiday decorations, beach gear, seasonal clothes and bedding, camping supplies and sports equipment get used for a while then have to be stored anyway. Why not use their old spot for everyday baby stuff?

Be sure to organize seasonal items so they’re accessible in the storage unit. You can even put them in order, so you can swap out the upcoming seasonal supplies with those you’re putting away.

Remove Dangerous Items

That glass-top coffee table’s sharp corners are a no-go with a baby (who will be mobile before you know it). Your collection of tchotchkes is full of small choking hazards and breakable parts. That printer and scanner in the office hasn’t been touched in over a year and the cords would be tempting to a new crawler. Small mirrors and picture frames sitting out are just asking to be shattered. 

If you look around, you’ll find a wealth of items that aren’t baby friendly nor essential. In fact, they’ll probably just end up in your way. (Not that you want to get rid of them, or that you have to remove every single potentially dangerous item.) Select a few things to keep on (out-of-reach) display and put the rest in storage. 

Rethink Your Activities

What activities will you have less time for when the baby arrives? Most likely, you’ll spend fewer hours reading, watching movies and listening to music (sad but true!). If you have a large media collection, perhaps some of it can get boxed up for now.

If friends and family used to frequent your guest room, that’s something you’ll probably scale back on, especially if your guest room is now a nursery. Make space by putting away special guest bedding or amenities that you plan to use in the future. 

Do you keep a lot of floor cabinets to contain your media and guest items? Consider storing that furniture and installing wall shelves for the things you decide to keep on hand. This will increase floor space and discourage you from filling up your drawers with new items. 

Also: Do you have a vehicle that won’t get used much with a new baby, like a classic car or ATV? Self-storage is a great place to store Motorcycles and other vehicles.  

Assess Baby Supplies

If you’ve already started receiving baby gifts, you might have a duplicate or two, or at least more of something than you need right away. Take inventory and box up anything you want to use as your baby grows.     

Items like highchairs, activity centers and certain toys won’t get used for at least a few months. Disassemble what you can, disinfect it and put it in the self-storage unit. You can even rotate toys in and out every few months to keep things fun for your baby/toddler.

Second- or Third-Time Parents?

If you’re a second- or third-time parent, your children may have things they’ve grown out of that you want to store for when the new baby gets older. Take stock of anything that isn’t needed and not used right now. 

Choose a Self-Storage Unit

Select a storage unit big enough so that you can access what you need with ease. Plan to include strategically placed aisles so you can reach things at the back of the unit. 

Pregnancy and a new baby means limited mobility and limited time. With that in mind, try to secure a self-storage unit that’s at ground level to avoid stairs. Drive-up access means less walking from the car to the storage unit, though it may be harder to secure a drive up climate-controlled storage, if that’s something you need.
 
It’s difficult to be fully prepared for a new baby, no matter how much you plan. If you start early to create space for a new baby with a self-storage unit, it will be far easier to incorporate the new baby’s needs into your home.