Working Momma Diaries: Making a Convenient Nursery

Due to popular demand I'm continuing this series - the Working Momma Diaries - to share some of the things I've learned while balancing work and being a momma.

For those that don't know me well, I travel for work. I used to travel every week and took a role for the current year where I travel about 1-2 times a month instead. My husband also travels for work 100% of the week. Needless to say, we have spent the past few months figuring out a new routine and balancing crazy travel, airplanes, nap times, family time, bedtime, and trying to find time for friends and romance. I looked around and realized a lot of my momma friends work and figured I'd share some of the best tips I've learned from them and my time so far.

This week I'm talking about how to set up a nursery that will make your life much more organized, easy to clean and maintain - especially during the holiday months when our to-do lists grow exponentially. I'll do some additional posts on: clothes you don't need to dry clean, tips for traveling with a toddler over the holidays, AND how to stay healthy during the holidays! Everything to help make new mommas live's become easier!!

1. Diaper Organization - I spend the most time in the nursery changing diapers. With that in mind, having everything I need to do so in an easy to access place - that still looks good - was really important to me. I cleaned out the first drawer in our changing table / dresser combo and organized it with at least 2 days of diapers, all the creams, butt spatulas, wipes and lotion possible. I used small cube organizers to separate the diapers, creams and wipes for easy access, too. I put the wipes, spatula and cream I need for the day in the partitions on the top of my changing pad for easy access, too. Then, I use the other 2 drawers to store burp clothes, socks, hats/gloves, swaddle blankets and bibs in my cube organizers, too. To top it off, I got these magnet locks so she can't take the items all out and destroy my hard earned organization!

2. Wipes Organization & Storage - My overflow of diapering items is located in my closet. Here, I used larger storage cubes (that look like they are from Pottery Barn Kids but are half the cost) to hold extra diapers (labelled by size) and my wipes from Amazon (PS I am obsessed with them) that I order on subscribe and save. This way, I always have a full stock!

3. Hanger Simplicity - I got these cute little signs to divide and organize Addie's clothes so I could quickly store and inventory them. It helped me more actually to buy new sizes during sales because I could quickly peep into her closet, see how many pants or PJs she had in the next size up, and then order how ever many extra I needed so she had enough of the next size.

4. Use Your Attic - Every time Addie grows out of toys or clothing, I seal them in these XL storage bags I found on amazon, write the size on the outside with a sharpie and put them into a big plastic bin into my attic. It means we have more space in her closet to enjoy each time she grows out of a size and I know for our next kiddo where everything is! Just remember if you are storing electronics, to take the batteries out so they don't explode or corrode!

5. Get a Table - This seems silly. But its a life saver. Everything in our nursery is mounted to a wall because we have a spider monkey. However, I still stand by that in early breastfeeding/bottle feeding (when you need nipple shields, a place to put your cell phone to watch Grey's, or creams, or just water to survive the 45 min affairs at 3am) to the toddler years (when you're juggling 20+lbs of dead weight, 3 books, a sippy cup and trying to explain why jumping out of mommy's arms is not safe), it's important to have a night stand or a table where you can set stuff down next to your rocker.

6. Blackout Curtains - I didn't believe my nanny originally on this one. But blackout curtains, like these cute ones we got from Target, are an amazing thing to have in your nursery. They keep in warm or AC and help when daylight savings happens and your baby's sleep schedule is out of wack. Also, during naps or the summer, if your kiddo goes down when it's still light out, they help to create more of a calming atmosphere and darkness which can help him or her get into the sleep mode faster!

7. Use Simple Organization Items - If you haven't noticed, I love putting bows in Addie's hair. And I'm slightly OC when it comes to organizing and labeling things. I found it really difficult to find something to organize Addie's bows that wasn't something I'd need to hang on a wall...until I discovered these glass bathroom organizers from Target (see more styles I use below). They are cute, see-thru and get the job of bow storage done! I highly recommend organizing as much as you can so you can quickly get things out, put things away and not worry about having to search for small items like bows that get lost easily.