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I’m happy to report that the Easter Bunny brought something extra special to my family last weekend: a new niece! Not only was I thrilled to cuddle a newborn, it gave me an opportunity to test my home organization skills.

Regular readers know that I’m a new mom myself – my little guy will be two years old this month – so I have an attic full of baby stuff I can’t believe he’s outgrown. I packed it all away carefully but always wondered if my packing skills would stand the test of time. Well, I’m happy to report, they did.

I ventured into the attic in search of baby goodies for my niece and found everything I wanted … and only banged my head on those low beams a few times. Here are a few tricks that made it possible.

1. Perfect pathways – I was tempted to fill every space in my attic to maximize storage, but if I did, I never would have found the stuff I needed. By creating paths and not letting clutter build in them over time, I can get to everything I need.
2. Progressive packing – If you have kiddos, you know that they seem to outgrow their clothes every day. So, instead of putting all those storage bins way in the back and securing them with four rounds of electrical tape, they’re near the door in bins that are easy to open and close so I can add to them after each load of laundry. I also organized them in order of age, so the newborn stuff is furthest away and the recent stuff is easiest to reach.
3. Picture perfect (labels, that is) – If you have to open every box to find your stuff, you’ll be in that hot attic for hours. Label clearly on all sides of your boxes and be specific. For example, I don’t have “clothes,” I have “baby clothes, 0-3 months.”

I’m grateful that my home has the space to store all of my little guy’s baby stuff to share with his cousin. Now his Bumbo, Boppy, and Exersaucer have a new home … yes, those are real things and not made-up words. And there’s room in our attic for the next thing he outgrows.