Getting ready for a new baby is a whirlwind of excitement — and let’s be honest — chaos. Between figuring out the crib situation, sorting through endless piles of baby clothes and finding space for all those tiny (yet essential) items, it’s easy to feel like you’re running out of room before the baby even arrives.
Check out our guide on how to use a storage unit for new baby preparation to make the process a bit easier. We’ve included practical baby storage unit tips to help you stay organized, keep your home clutter-free and give yourself much-needed breathing room.
Benefits of Using a Storage Unit for Baby Prep
Prepping for a baby brings a lot of joy — and a lot of stuff. Between the stroller, crib and those tiny (but endless) onesies, your home can start feeling like it’s shrinking. A storage unit can help make life a little easier by giving you extra room to keep things organized and stress-free before your baby arrives.
1. Extra Space for Baby Essentials
Babies may be small, but their gear is anything but. Cribs, changing tables and play mats take up a lot of space — and that’s before you add boxes of clothes, diapers and children’s toys.
A storage unit for baby essentials helps you store items like the crib or stroller if you’re not setting them up right away. You can also store baby clothes you won’t need for a while (like 6-month or 12-month sizes) so they don’t clutter the nursery too soon.
Pro Tip: Pack those early baby essentials like the bassinet and car seat in a way that’s easy to grab, but consider stashing the crib or larger items in their boxes for later. That way, the nursery isn’t overflowing before your baby even arrives.
2. Early Preparation and Organization
The more organized you are before the baby arrives, the less stressed you’ll be when they do. Sorting through baby items to store early on helps you stay ahead, and with a storage unit, you can easily divide items by when you’ll need them.
Baby clothes? Sort them by size — newborn, 3 months, 6 months, etc. Got seasonal gear like winter coats or blankets? Tuck those into clearly labeled bins so when winter rolls around, you’re not digging through piles of baby gear trying to find them.
3. Safe and Secure Storage
With your baby’s belongings at stake, you want peace of mind that everything’s safe, and self-storage facilities offer a range of features to help protect your stuff from damage or theft. Security benefits range from 24/7 video surveillance to gated access and individual unit locks that are bolt cutter-proof.
For sensitive items such as wood nursery furniture or fabrics, you may want a climate-controlled unit, as heat, humidity or cold weather could seriously affect them.
Choosing the Right Storage Unit Size
When it comes to baby gear storage, not all units are created equal. Use these baby storage unit tips to help you choose the perfect size for your current and future needs.
1. Baby Gear and Supplies
Baby gear tends to take up more space than you might expect. Just factor in cribs, strollers, car seats and those large boxes of diapers. A small 5×5 unit might work for a few smaller items like baby clothes and a bassinet, but if you’re storing bigger pieces like a stroller or changing table, you’ll likely need something larger.
For most baby gear, a 5×10 unit gives you enough room to store bigger essentials while still leaving space for things like boxes of clothes or toys. If you’re packing everything up and want it all in one place, consider going even bigger.
2. Nursery Furniture
If you’re looking at storing nursery furniture, then size will obviously be a factor. Larger items, such as cribs and dressers, take up more room than smaller boxes or bags of items. A 5×10 or 10×10 unit will provide the space you will need for nursery furniture such as a crib, rocking chair and possibly a changing table, without feeling too tight.
When possible, it’s a good idea to keep nursery furniture disassembled in its original box, for protection and to take up less space in storage. If it’s already assembled, just make sure you have enough space in the unit to safely store it upright.
3. Future Needs
Babies grow fast, and so do your storage needs. If you’re planning to store items for the long haul — toys, toddler furniture or clothing they’ll grow into — then it may be worth it to size up when choosing a unit. A 10×10 unit might seem big now, but you will be happy to have the space as more baby (and toddler) gear accumulates.
Plus, your storage needs might change as your baby grows. If you plan to keep some items for future children or even hand-me-downs, a larger unit ensures you won’t have to shuffle things around too often.
Organizing Your Storage Unit
Once you’ve picked the right storage unit, the next step is figuring out how to keep it organized, as this makes it easy to find things when you need them — and you will have anything but time when the baby comes.
1. Categorize Items
If you’re looking for simple nursery storage ideas, just divide your baby gear into categories, like clothes, toys and nursery essentials.
- Start with toys, toddler clothes and anything you won’t need for a while, as these are better off toward the back of the storage unit.
- Then, place the essentials that you’ll need soonest, like newborn clothes and diapers, at the front of the unit for easy access.
2. Use Storage Containers
Plastic bins with lids are your best friend for baby gear storage, as they protect items from dust and moisture while also stacking neatly. After all, you want to make the most of your storage space.
Clear bins work best in a storage unit for baby essentials because you can see what’s inside at a glance, but be sure to label everything even if the bin is see-through. A quick label like “0-3 month clothes” or “toddler toys” saves a lot of time later.
3. Utilize Vertical Space
We mentioned space and there’s nothing that maximizes it better than using vertical space like a pro. Plus, when you keep things off the floor, you can also move around the unit more easily.
- Shelving units allow you to stack bins and boxes efficiently without piling everything on the floor.
- Use sturdy shelves that can handle the weight of heavier items like baby furniture.
- Hang hooks or pegboards on the walls to store lighter items like bags, carriers or smaller accessories.
Essential Items to Store in a Storage Unit
When prepping for a baby and looking for nursery storage ideas, you’ll quickly realize how much stuff you don’t need right away. That’s where your storage unit comes in handy — it’s the perfect place to store those baby essentials that you won’t be using for a while.
1. Seasonal Items
Babies grow fast, but their wardrobe grows even faster. If you have outfits that are too large or items reserved for colder months when your baby will still be in diapers — winter coats, heavier blankets or that cute holiday outfit they’ll grow into later — a storage unit can be the perfect place to house them until the seasons change.
2. Future Needs
Some things aren’t immediately useful but will be a lifesaver down the road. Items like toddler toys, highchairs or even that toddler bed you got as a gift can stay in storage until your baby’s ready to use them.
Double benefit: Save room in your home AND avoid tripping over things you won’t need for another year.
3. Excess Baby Gear
You might end up with more baby items to store than you know what to do with at first. Swings, extra car seats or duplicate gifts (because every baby shower has a few) can be stored until you’re ready to use them or decide what to keep. Having gear like baby gates and playpens stored for specific uses like taking trips to the beach can be a great convenience. Let’s face it, it’s great to have the gear when you need it, but keeping everything in your house right away can quickly lead to chaos.
4. Dangerous and Fragile Items
With a little toddler soon to be running around, maybe it is a good idea if dad puts his collection of katanas and throwing stars into self-storage for a while. That also goes for precious heirlooms, fragile antiques, and glass top tables that could easily be destroyed by a rampaging little one. Make your storage unit a safe haven for items with sharp edges or that have a tip-over risk.
Tips for Using a Storage Unit During Pregnancy
Getting ready for a baby is such an awesome time; however, most often this translates into lots of moving and organization of stuff. While a storage unit can make this easier, you may want to take a few extra steps to ensure everything stays safe and stress-free as your pregnancy progresses.
1. Seek Assistance
Pregnancy is definitely not the time to play superhero and handle everything on your own. Lifting boxes and moving furniture can be left to someone else — whether that’s a friend, family member or even a moving service. Allow others to take on more of the heavy lifting as you take some time to nurture yourself and that growing baby.
2. Prioritize Safety
If you do have to move something, do it carefully: Bend your knees, not your back, and lift with your legs, holding the item close to your body. But if the box or item feels too heavy, don’t push it — ask for help! You don’t want to risk injury during such a critical time.
Pro Tip: When in doubt, talk to your doctor about what’s safe to lift.
3. Consider Accessibility
Think about how often you’ll need to access the unit during your pregnancy and pay attention to all the details. For instance:
- A ground-floor unit will make life easier, especially when you’re further along and getting around is tougher.
- Wide, obstacle-free paths mean you won’t be squeezing past things while carrying baby gear.
- A storage facility with good lighting, especially motion-activated lights, can help you avoid tripping.
Now You Know How to Use a Storage Unit for New Baby Prep
While your baby may be small, the stuff that comes with them sure isn’t! From cribs and strollers to those stacks of baby clothes, finding space ahead of time is key, and a convenient storage unit can be your secret weapon in keeping things under control.
Ready to reclaim some room at home? Check out all the options on Storage.com and find the perfect unit to fit your baby prep needs. Stress-free, as it all should be.
