I’m a First-Time Mom — 6 Things in My Apartment I’m Storing Before the Baby Comes

Imagine getting a new roommate with a ton of stuff, none of which you can use for your own personal gain. That’s what adding a baby to your home feels like.

In just a few weeks I’ll welcome a new baby into my two-bedroom apartment, but he’s been moving into my home in slow motion for the past six months. Items that are only for him (I definitely can’t gain anything from teethers or high-contrast books) are taking over. To find space to put it all, I had to declutter what was already around.

Even if you’re not having a baby, you can still look around your home and think “if I had another roommate who needed one third of the space, what would I be okay getting rid of or not having immediate access to?”

Here are the six items I’ve decluttered and wished I’d put into storage sooner.

Games and Puzzles

I realized I don’t need games and puzzles immediately accessible. Game nights are planned, and puzzles require some prep to free up space on the kitchen table, so I will always have time to go retrieve them from storage.

I decluttered the games and puzzles I knew I never really wanted to reach for since there was always a different one I wanted to do and put those in a giveaway pile. I removed all the games and puzzles from the TV console in the living room and put them in storage. Now I have room for books and toys for tummy time.

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Highly Specific Kitchen Supplies

I have never needed a bundt cake pan in such short notice that I haven’t had five spare minutes to get it out. Casserole dishes of various sizes, a juicer, and cookie-making supplies all went into storage. If I’m going to make something that requires a specific piece of kitchen supplies, I’ll know in advance because I’ve had to plan for that recipe.

Removing the infrequently used kitchen supplies (and tossing the never-used items) has made my frequently used items so much more accessible.

Free Samples and Sample-Sized Items

I don’t know why I was holding on to free samples of eco-friendly dryer sheets when I have no intention of ever using dryer sheets. Asking myself “do I really want to use this instead of my go-to product?” helped me get rid of a bunch. What I did want to use I stored in my box of travel-sized toiletries (i.e., the time you actually need a small size).

Clothing, Particularly Out-of-Season Clothes

There’s something about no longer fitting in your clothes for a reason that’s completely out of your control that really helps you to assess your closet. The items that I looked at wistfully I knew I wanted to keep. The items that I held up and felt fine about not wearing, those were the ones that I knew I could declutter.

I don’t really need my out-of-season clothes at a moment’s notice, even though it felt like I did. I’m aware of when the weather is going to turn and can plan a big swap for a weekend when I have time.

Old Work-Related Items and Supplies

Next to my desk is a rolling cart of work-related notebooks I’ve filled and extra office supplies. My desk doesn’t have drawers, so the cart has filled in the gap. But even when I do go back to work, I don’t need my old notebooks and boxes of extra office supplies in reach. It will be very clear when I’m running out of Post-its, and I can go retrieve more.

The rolling cart that I previously used like an office supply closet will be portable storage for baby stuff.

Decor on Flat Surfaces

The dresser, the entryway table, the side tables, my nightstand—every flat surface that had accumulated decor had to be decluttered. I want space to set down pacifiers, bottles, burp cloths, and teethers, and I don’t want to have to worry about knocking over some random trinket.

These were the decor objects that had been around so long that I no longer really saw them—they just faded into the background. If it was a sentimental item, I put it into storage. I think I will appreciate them more when I rediscover them later and rotate them with some other pieces.