New Baby: Self Storage to the Rescue

Congratulations, you’re expecting a new baby! How exciting. Whether this is your first or your third, you have so many things to think about: naming the baby without offending a family member, having a gender reveal (which, if you have older children will surely send one of them into a tantrum), researching the safest car seat (they change every season and if you don’t buy the newest, most expensive model you may be risking your child’s life every time you drive to the corner drugstore), and about a million other issues

Read below for some tips on how to tackle the most important concerns on your list. You can leave the other 999,990 for later.

Choose Your Self Storage Unit

Once you’ve decided on a room for baby, the hardest part is trying to figure out what stays and what goes. Considering that this tiny human will need more furnishings, supplies, and accessories than NASA getting ready to send a couple of astronauts to the space station, you’re going to have to clean out the room. You’re going to need a secure, convenient, affordable storage unit for a roomful of furniture, as well as other miscellaneous junk.

Look for a local facility that has drive-up access. This will not only make it easy to store large,cumbersome items, but convenient when you need to retrieve something from your unit.

Decide What to Keep, What to Store, and What to Scrap

As mentioned above, this is the hardest part. Depending on whether this room is being used for exercise equipment, a guest room, or junk storage, it’s time to take a look at each piece with an unbiased eye. Ask yourself how often these pieces are being used. Are you exercising on that treadmill or using it as a “last stop before the closet” clothing rack? Do you really have that many guests, or are you just hoping someone will visit (or not)? Does the junk give you joy – as in the KonMari method – or is it time to thank it and throw it away?

Remember, self storage gives you options. You don’t have to throw anything away (in spite of Marie Kondo). With self storage you can keep everything and decide what to dispose of later. And, if you miss your junk, you can visit with it any time.

Get the Nursery Ready

Now that the room is empty, you can spend a fortune getting it ready. Maybe you need some new carpet and a fresh coat of paint or a cute nursery-themed wallpaper. Then, of course, we have baby furniture and necessities. Check out this link to 56 (yes, I said 56)  baby essentials. Along with the bassinet, crib, changing table, lamps, stuffed animals, and wall decor, don’t forget the rocking chair with matching ottoman for you, and lots and lots and lots of diapers.

Additional Uses for Self Storage

You will plenty of clothing that won’t fit the baby for a year or two. Doting grandparents and friends will shower you with toys and gifts that won’t be useful for a while. Your space will be limited, especially if this isn’t your first child, and self storage will be a life saver. Remember to store everything for easy access, mark the boxes, and leave space to move around in your unit.

Another consideration is safety. You need to get down to the business of baby proofing your home. Store Great Aunt Harriet’s antique Limoges vase and any other heirlooms and delicate items. If you have coffee and end tables with glass tops or sharp pointed edges, they may need to be put in storage for the time being. As your little one grows and starts to crawl, you’ll need lots of open space for safety and exercise; you may need to store less sturdy pieces, like magazine racks or unstable shelves. You don’t want them to fall over and cause injury.

Enjoy Your Baby

Now that you have everything in order, and all your rubber duckies in a row, you can relax. Ha! Just kidding. It will be a very long time before that happens. Enjoy your new life; and, someday, you’ll be able to get all of those things out of storage.