Setting Aside The Hand-Me-Downs: Tips And Tricks On How To Store Baby Clothes, Toys And Other Products
With celebrities having more than one child, larger family sizes in America seem to coming back full force as a trend. Over 50% of moms in a recent study wanted a larger family, and a recent government study from 2004 found that approximately 28% of women between the ages of 35 and 44 have three children or more. Raising a child is expensive, and middle-income families can expect the average cost of raising a baby born in 2013 to 18 years of age to cost approximately $245,000, and that doesn't even include the cost of college. Naturally, there are many ways that you can reduce this cost, such as setting aside hand-me-downs from one child to another. Here's how you store them.
Setting Aside Baby Clothes by Age
Baby clothes are relatively easy to store in storage units. Simply fold all of the baby clothes and sort them in various cardboard boxes that are labeled based on the age when the clothes can be worn, and you'll be good to go. Consider purchasing mothballs to prevent moths from getting to the baby clothes and destroying them. Also, consider including other types of materials that absorb moisture, like silica gel. Most experts do not recommend simply storing the clothes in bin liners because moisture can easily get trapped within. Trapped moisture may end up ruining the clothes in the long run.
Packing Up Unused Baby Toys
Instead of having unused baby toys sitting around in your home and collecting dust, pack them up in cardboard boxes or other storage containers and set them aside in storage units, so that you can access them later. Before packing the unused toys up, sanitize them with alcohol in order to prevent any mold or bacteria that have accumulated on the surface from flourishing and growing during the time that it is stored in storage.
Label all of the boxes accordingly as well, and consider packing some of the smaller pieces in their own boxes in order to prevent losing them. To prevent the baby toys from getting damaged during the move, wrap the toys in packing paper and fill any gaps that are in the boxes with Styrofoam, bubble wrap or crunched up packing paper or newspaper.
Storing Baby Books
Last but not least, don't underestimate the importance of story time. As your child grows up and out of various books, consider storing them in storage facilities instead of letting them go to waste. Most experts recommend reading to your child for 10 to 15 minute durations once or twice a day. Choose books with interesting graphics and engage children in order to improve the literacy abilities of your child.
To store the baby books, sort all of the books into different piles based on size. You want to store the hardcover books and the paperback books separately. Make sure that the hardcover books are placed in the storage boxes with the spines touching the side of boxes. This helps to protect the spine of the books and prevent the books from shifting shapes and collapsing under their own weight. Hardcover books should be stored with spines touching each other whenever possible. Consider wrapping more sentimental or valuable books in packing paper.
Paperback books are generally stored lying down. Once again, follow the spine-to-spine rule to protect the books and prevent them from getting damaged.
Conclusion
Look for storage units with controlled and maintained temperature and humidity levels to prevent moisture accumulation and other problems. After you get pregnant or after you have given birth, you can access your storage unit periodically to take out the baby products that you need, and to store ones that you have already used and don't need. By using a storage facility, you can prevent your house from cluttering up, and you can save a considerable amount of space.
You can learn more about how to properly store your items by talking to a representative from the storage facility.
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