Extra Room For Your Baby’s Belongings: When To Move Them To A Storage

For many couples, having a baby completes their world. For the first few years after the arrival of your little one, almost all your personal time and energy is spent on making sure that your baby is well cared for. Apart from spending time with the young one, this also leads to a gradual increase in the number of baby stuff that lie around your home. This includes the crib, numerous toys, stuffed toys, towels, baby utensils, prams and a baby car seat.

But like always, time flies and leaving behind a pile of baby stuff jam packing your home and a child almost ready to go to school! 

So when is the right time to move your baby’s things into a self storage? Is moving them to a self storage the right thing to do? In this blog, our storage experts at The Box will give you a few pointers to help you decide what should go into your self storage unit in Dubai.

Your baby’s belongings can be broadly classified into three – clothes, toys and furniture. So what do we do with them? Let’s take a look:

Baby clothes

Babies grow out of their clothes really quick. As young parents tend to shower their babies with new dresses, these tend to accumulate over time. In most cases, baby dresses are practically new even when your little one grows up.

Storing your baby’s clothes will give you time to think as to what to do with them. So instead of storing them at home and filling up your space, why not move it to a self storage? So here are some things you must remember before going ahead with this plan-

• Wash, dry and lightly iron your baby’s clothes before storing them. Ensure that they are completely dry.
• Sort them by age and size to get an idea of how many clothes are there in each pile. If the piles are big, separate them again according to seasons.
• Use plastic storage boxes to keep the clothes dry and free from dust. Label the boxes so that you don’t have to search for things once they are stored at the self storage.

There are different ways to dispose of your child’s old clothes off. Some parents like to save them for their next child while some like to donate them to other expecting parents. If you are the creative kind, try to reuse your baby’s old clothes to make new ones or create crafts from them, which can be quite pretty if done well!

Baby Toys

Although you never realize it, toys are the next thing that can accumulate in just over a few months of your baby’s birth. From the ones you buy, to the gifts he or she gets over time, this can amount to a big pile by the time your kid outgrows them. So before you decide what to do with them, here is how you can keep them out of your way and in a self storage unit.

• Clean and disinfect the toys much similar to how you deal with cloths. Ensure that stuffed toys are air dried before packing them.
• Remove batteries from moving toys. Use plastic boxes or totes to store them. 
• Sort the toys into studded dolls, plastic ones, books, puzzles and so on.
• Wrap the toys in old towels for safekeeping. 

Once again you can donate the old toys to expecting or new parents. Then again, if your child was fond of a toy in particular, keep them in the self storage as a memory. Use your parental judgement to identify and save these toys for the future so that one day he or she can again hold it close and cherish it.

Baby Furniture

Raising a baby is an expensive affair, especially when it comes to investing in baby furniture. Buying cribs, prams, chairs, high chairs and car seats are all a costly affair. Apart from that, they take up a lot of space in your home once your baby outgrows them. So here is how you can store them in a self storage-

• Use soap water to clean your baby’s crib and dresser. You can also slightly polish them to keep the wood in great condition.
• Disassemble your baby furniture for easy storage. Make sure that you store all the screws and bolts in labeled pouches along with the furniture.
• Cover the furniture that cannot be taken apart using old sheets or throw blankets. Don’t use plastic to cover them as it can lead to moisture being trapped within the wrap.
• Car seats are an item that shouldn’t be sent to a self storage for long. Most car seats have an expiry date anywhere from 6 to 7 years, as the plastic parts degrade after a while, greatly damaging its safety.

Once again, you can go for a “baby furniture give-away” or store them for your next baby. As wooden furniture have a longer lifespan some people store their baby’s crib for decades to give it back to their children to use for the grandkids. What could be more special than that!

In a nutshell, self storage units might be just what you need to safe keep your baby’s belongings for a short stint or even to preserve them for long periods as memories without obstructing your living space. Don’t forget to visit us at The Box to find the best self storage options for all your needs.