April 27, 2012
There is so much equipment and food that my baby needs, there is no room for it all. Yes, it is true. As you look at your cooing darling, the following question may enter your head, “How can someone so small eat so much?” Okay, that is a question that constantly plays in my mind. My bundle of joy is very small, but I get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of food she consumes and the challenge of where to put all of her feeding apparatus. Let’s face it, excluding the overachievers who have every gadget known to mankind, it is difficult to navigate what is needed and where to put it so that your kitchen does not look like a scene from “Hoarders:
Buried Alive” I say this in the most respectful way possible-Get a system and fast!
Solution:
When choosing what type of organizational system to put into place in your kitchen, my best advice it to know yourself and be honest about what you can and can’t do on a daily basis several times a day. Ladies, I warn you, do not deceive yourselves here. I cannot organize items like a dear friend of mine. She is like the Mommy Marine of organization. And although I admire the tight ship she runs in her immaculate home, that is definitely not me. How can you tell if a system is truly doable for the every three to four hours we are repeating our individual feeding rituals? Believe me; it will not help you to adopt a method of organization if you are not able to follow through with it on your own without anybody else’s prompting. Now, although I am not the Mommy Marine, I do like to have organization in my home. It makes taking care of baby run much smoother and both parties are happy. This is especially true if you are a mom that has multiple children in your home. However, I like to think of myself as the low maintenance organizer. What are my secret weapons in this age of high tech living? I will tell you: decorative baskets, simple baby organizers, plastic bins, labels, and a Sharpie marker. There you have it. I know I must be offending every hi-tech mom out there right now, but this is what works best for me. The pure amount of equipment, and diverse food needs has made me put my personal system into place.
First, I am a basket girl through and through. I love how a decorative basket can dress up a room. Secondly, I am an advocate of baskets that have a designated purpose because I can quickly place an item inside of it and my kitchen looks neat and orderly. Plus, I have the benefit of not putting much effort into keeping up with everything. For example, I have this beautiful basket that compliments my kitchen décor. I place it on the countertop with all of baby’s bottles, formula, and cereals. Next to the basket, is a gallon of water I use to prepare the bottles. Inside the basket, I placed a $1 bottle organizer that separates and stores clean bottles and nipples. Next, to the bottle storage in the basket, I place the other items. Tahdah!! You can also place the bottle warmer next to the basket. I buy my baskets from the local designer discount stores. I usually find them for cheap in the Clearance section of the Home Goods area. It looks impressive, but believe me; I put little effort in keeping it up. Next, I bought a three drawer bin and placed that next to the refrigerator. I used my labels and Sharpie to give each drawer and basic name like: baby food, formula, and misc. After I grocery shop, I simply put items in their drawers. It takes me mere minutes to get my food together for baby meals. Now, for those mom’s who have Toddlers, you can do the same thing, but rename your labels or you can create a system using your cabinets to keep little hands from sneaking snacks and treats when they are not suppose to have them. When I am preparing for a sitter to come, I use a small divided basket on my kitchen table to store and separate baby’s snacks, and dinner. I also keep the bowl and spoon in this area so it can’t be missed. I hang the vinyl or wipe able bibs right on the back of the high chair and the container of baby wipes next to the napkins. With everything in place, my kitchen is kept orderly and I appear to be the organized Super Mom. When, in reality I just do what works best for me.
Therefore, if you feel like your kitchen is being taken over by all of baby’s food and equipment, take a moment and think about what you personally need to maintain order. Look at experienced moms, observe what they do, and then create a system that works for you. It might mean that you combine the Mommy Marine style with someone else’s approach. Hey, it might mean that you print out and label everything. You may even just keep baby stuff in an area of your kitchen. I just want to say that if someone low maintenance like me can do it, anyone can do it too. Take the time to put an organizational system in place because the last thing you want to do is become frustrated during feeding times. If this happens, it is likely that baby will be frustrated too with waiting for you to feed him or her. Develop your own style so that you can spend less time navigating through everything and spend more time with baby.
Ref: Photobucket.com
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