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Tuesday, January 27, 2009

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Everything Has Its Place…

Growing up I was messy. My sister and I shared a room for the majority of our childhood and it always looked as though a hurricane threw up in it. Thankfully, however, I blossomed into a detail orientated neat freak. I even recall rearranging and reorganizing the entire student government office in college, by myself, after I was elected Vice President because it was a disaster zone. Even my kids playroom is tidy and organized; there’s a place of everything and everything has its place! Organizing my cloth diaper stash was no different.

I purchased an awesome changing table on Craigslist years ago for a great price. Equipped with a drawer, two shelves and baskets – this was ideal for organizing my cloth diapers. However, as my addiction with cloth diapers grew, so did my stash. Consequently, my changing table had absolutely no available space and I needed to find a solution!

I already had an idea what I wanted/needed, however, one afternoon I walked into my local Wal-Mart and it was my organizing destiny – the perfect solution was not only on display, but on sale! Ah, love at first sight! A simple, white and see-through plastic storage chest with 3 drawers. This was the exact size and shape I had imagined and I knew exactly where I would put it! Needless to say I was very excited to get home and begin reorganizing.

Here are my pictures and a breakdown of how I have organized/stored my cloth diapering stash.
Introducing my lovely changing table!

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On top: I have my handy dandy wipe warmer box. I have a waterproof pad and prefold on top for diaper changes.

Drawer: I keep a half dozen doublers, washable liners, a dozen prefolds, my Thirsties Covers, my Snappi's and diaper pins.

I keep these items in the drawer since I use them most throughout the day. For the last three months I was predominantly using prefolds/covers during the day and pockets for trips outside and at night. However, just recently I’ve been enjoying my pocket diapers more and more – depending on my “diapering mood.”

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First shelf is home to our baby toys and dolls.

Second Shelf: I keep my pocket diapers in baskets. Originally, I started with a hearty stash of bumGenius One Size diapers so I had a dedicated “BG” basket – but I branched out and incorporated other brands/types of diapers so I now organize according to color. The first basket features shades of green and blue diapers. The second basket features my yellow, orange, and red diapers as well as a few prints and brown diapers. I usually keep at least two of each color stuffed and ready to go with the extra diapers folded and placed in the bottom of the baskets.
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On laundry day, the clean ones usually get folded and placed beneath the newly stuffed-and-stocked diapers (unless there aren’t any extra of that particular color stuffed and ready to go). This process has helped me evenly rotate through my stash and also saves me time as I don’t have to stuff all my diapers at once.

PhotobucketNext to my changing table I keep two diaper pails; one large pail and one small pail. I store all the soiled prefolds, inserts, and washable liners in the larger pail and I store soiled covers, pockets, and wipes in the smaller pail (although I’m probably going to upgrade to another large pail). I know it may sound silly, but even with my diapers I like to sort/wash the whites separately from the colors (which is predominantly why I have the two pails).

Only a few feet away is a closet where I have conveniently fit the plastic storage dresser which I lovingly call my “fluff cart.” This is where I store all my extra prefolds, dPhotobucketoublers, extra inserts, liners, clean wipes, extra diaper pail liner, waterproof changing pads, etc…

On top of my fluff cart I have 3 organizer bins; the larger bin contains my son’s nighttime diapers, and the two smaller bins are used for storing my daughters’ nighttime diapers/trainers. Each drawer serves a specific purpose; – the items I am likely to need more often are stored in the first two drawers (inserts, washable liners, wipes, and prefolds) while the less needed items are stored in the bottom drawer (larger sized prefolds and covers).

I know I have more than enough cloth diapers and supplies to cover multiple babies – but I am seriously in love with all the different types and styles of cloth diapers. Also, Kelly is constantly offering such amazing deals at Kelly’s Closet I truly can’t resist – seriously, I order something every other week (I’ve given myself a monthly diaper allowance)! At least now I have a wonderful way to store and organize it all!

- By Serena

39 comments:

Dani said...

Serena, your diapers are so organized! I was proud of my pocket drawer and fitted/prefold/cover drawer, but your organization puts mine to shame! I'm jealous of your diaper stash too :)

MaineMomma said...

I love the color coordination! It makes it so aesthetically pleasing! I love seeing all the beautiful colors of our diapers, too! They bring an extra splash of color to our girls' bedroom!

Sara in Seattle said...

you have a beautifully organized stash and it's definitely enviable with its size, too! I love the see-through drawers on your 3-drawer cart as well

Anonymous said...

I love this post! I only have one baby now, but plan on more in the future, so it is great to see how you organize so many dipes/accessories. And I was so tickled by the color coordination! When my stash expands, I think I'll have to try that! Thank you so much for the great pics and thorough description!

kira_williams2003atyahoodotcom

Unknown said...

You certainly have a lot of fluff! I love how you have it all organized.

Angela said...

Wow... you have an amazing collection of diapers. And so colorful:)

Shawna said...

I am completely jealous of the organization of your stuff!! Maybe once I move, I can borrow some of your ideas :)

calabaza said...

At first I laughed at the organizing by color. Then I though--I want to do that!

Anonymous said...

I love how organized everything is-- especially considering the quantity! I have 18 diapers that are currently in use (the other 18 I own are too big for my daughter presently) and even that proves challenging to keep in neat piles. Maybe that has something to do with the way my 3yo throws them into the drawer?!?! :) Thanks for the inspiration!

You also make me feel a little less weird for always wanting more diapers, even though I "technically" have enough. ;)

Erika said...

thanks for sharing your storage system....it's always great to get new ideas :)
i love how organized it is!!

erinsmomma said...

Wow, you really are addicted! I love that you organized by color. Maybe someday when I get the time I'll do that too. I would love to order stuff every other week, but for now I just browse daily!

Minnie said...

I love it! I'm like you...all about organization. (You should see my daughters closet! My label maker was put to great use in there.)

My diaper stash just isn't anywhere near as large as yours so I find organizing it all to be pretty easy. But hey, I'm only on baby # 1...I've still got time. LOL

kellyn2girls1boy said...

I don't know how you do it. Maybe I should get some baskets for my shelves.

Maggie said...

Wow! That level of organization is a little intimidating to me, but it looks really good. I'm impressed.

TheClothDiaperWhisperer said...

This post so inspired me to get my act together. Yes, Kelly, owner of 4 diaper stores is embarrassed to admit that her cloth diaper stash was a MESS! When Serena emailed me her post it ignited the "organizational spark" I needed. This past weekend I went thru all of Riley's diapers and sorted them into 3 drawer totes (you would think I would have done this sooner as I have over 100 3 drawer units at the shop!)
Everything has its place now. I am so excited...I matched up colors too and wow..I am heavy on blue- I need to expand my colors a bit- I know just where to go (he he).
Thanks Serena for an inspiring post.

Kelly said...

Wow and I thought I was turning into a cloth diaper junkie but I have nothing on you! And I don't know if I could ever be as organized as you are but you definitely give me inspiration. With another on the way and no way #2 will be out of diapers before he/she arrives, I will definitely have to find some kind of organization for my diapers of different sizes. I just wish I had more room to add an accessible storage bin. Thanks for the ideas.

Jut and Chris said...

I am jealous of all your diapers!!! The number...all the colors...and my husband thinks I have a diapering addiction! lol. Its great how organized you are...it seems mine tend to stay on the drying rack until its time to use them.

Lindsay Anne said...

Wow, what great organization! I am wondering what bags are used in the diaper pails? I am looking to get some, but want to make sure I order a good one.

Katrina said...

Wow, you do have a lot of fluff! I like your idea of separating the soiledinserts and prefolds/flats from the covers and pockets.

Sara said...

Wow ! I am totally jealous of your stash! I am wondering which pocket diapers you prefer. I am thinking about getting some more, but can't afford to get something that I won't love. I am not nearly as organized, but right now all I have is 18 prefolds, 1 fitted I made myself, and 3 bumGenius 3.0s, so there isn't that much to organize.

Anonymous said...

Your organization skills really shine. I like the rainbow effect you have with the pocket diapers. Hopefully one day my diaper stash will be able to sport just as many colors!

meggietree79@yahoo.com

Jenn said...

i love how you organize :) love the colors and how you have them seperated together :) your changing table is awesome !!!

Birrd said...

I use the same kind of diaper pail you do. I bought it late last summer, a couple months after I switched to cloth. I was excited to find it because it was the cheapest thing at Walmart (five bucks-ish) and it's perfect for diapers.

Knit Wit said...

You inspired me to get all my diapers better organzied.

I'd love to have a diaper stash like that. It's impressive.

Anonymous said...

Oh, that amount of organization puts me to shame. At least now I have something to live up to:)

Serena Michelle said...

You ladies have all made my day - seriously!
I'm currently in the middle of a bout with mastitis (breast infection) - and I haven't had a real heartwarming smile in days (except of course for the e-card Kelly sent - thank you btw). =)

Yes, I admit I'm generally a bit too organized. If you think the diaper organizing was something - you all really ought to see my children's playroom *LOL* (I actually might just take pictures and post that on my personal blog for anyone interested - that's how funny I can be).

Yes, my stash is probably way too big... but I really do like trying a little of everything... this also gives me the ability to use the different types, brands, etc... for show-and-tell! It's like reliving kindergarten all over again!

I really do like the color coordination because I even like to coordinate my little guys bum with his outfits - so I can see what colors I have plenty of when I pick out his clothes for the day.

I'm literally laughing at myself right now - I know I probably sound like a freak. HAHA!

What's my favorite diaper? So far, my favorite diaper is the Blueberry One-Size diaper hands-down. It has essentially morphed everything I love about the BG diaper and HH/FB diaper into one and it comes with a microfiber/hemp combo one size insert. These things work phenomenally well! I could write more but I'm running out of time!

Tanya said...

I love the idea of a fluff cart!

Instant Family of 4 said...

Look at all that fluff! It makes me want to shop. COME ON TAX RETURN...LOL.

Kelly said...

Wow, you are so organized! I love how the diapers are arranged by color! It looks very nice. I am also jealous of your stash!

A Psych Mommy said...

Wow, Serena, I'm seriously jealous of your stash! Good thing my son is too young to realize how lucky other fluffy bums are out there!

Minnie said...

Sorry to hear about your mastitis. I have heard it's very painful. DD & I had just about every nursing problem except that one. I don't think you sound like a freak Serena...LOL...but, like I said....I'm very much like you w/ the organization. I e-mailed Anelys some pics of my DD's closet to send to you because I thought you would get a kick out of it. :)

K said...

I am so glad to see that I'm not the only one who has QUITE the variety of diapers and diapering styles. My husband thinks I'm a little crazy - with all these AIOs, pockets, prefolds, etc. but depending on my mood, my plans for the day, and how my daughter's BMs are going, I like to switch it up a little now and then - and it's nice to have options! Ha ha ha. :) Thanks for sharing your pics! Great organization! (And being in the nesting phase of my pregnancy, I *love* organization right now - LOL.)

Liz said...

WOW! So many dipes and the colors are amazing! Seeing your pics motivates me to keep my stash nice and organized too :)

Liza said...

You are very organized! I really like the idea of using two bins to keep your fluff sorted for wash!

Anonymous said...

I can barely get my regular laundry folded and put away, so my CD method is a lot more simpler than what is posted here.

While sorting laundry I stuff my CD's right away. Then I chuck them (unfolded) into a basket that sits under my changing table. Right now all three of my children are wearing the same size FB's and BG's (they're close in age), so I don't have to use more than one basket.

I make a pile with my wipes and put them into the table's drawer next to a tupperware container with water and Baby Bits. When I need a wet wipe I dip it in the water and use it. No "moldy wipes" problem with that method.

This is a very low maintanence way to store diapers. Especially when the toddlers get into the basket and dump it all out. No big deal. They can throw them all back in themselves.

When I only had two children I put my changing pad on top of the dryer, and chucked the dirty diapers directly into the washing machine full of water and detergent. At the kids' bedtime I'd just turn the washer on. After the diapers were out I'd start a family load (since the washer is tied up all day).

Carol said...

Thanks for sharing your storage system! I am currently expecting so I'm looking for ways to keep everything organized.

The Chapman's said...

So organized! I wish I had the motivation. right now I have a basket for my diapers and one more liners and inserts that are extra. I really will need more diapers, but I like the diaper pails! I am taking old flannel receiving blankets and going to make my own wipes!

Unknown said...

Walmart was the same place I got my storage unit. It's actually the same one shown in your pic. I have 2, 1 big and 1 smaller for the living room. It's so easy to stay organized and I have mine sorted by brands, weird enough...lol.

Unknown said...

Oh and I also have to say I've fallen in love with Blueberrys/Swaddlebees AIO side snaps too...it does certainly makes me want more...lol