• Lack of proper organization can lead to clutter in your baby's closet.at the nursery image by Eric Issel??e from Fotolia.com
  
  There is a lot to do when designing your baby's nursery. Before the baby arrives, you are showered with gifts of all types including many toys, clothes and stuffed animals. Plan a closet design for your baby that allows you to easily find items while maintaining an organized layout.
  
  

Shelves

• Whether reach in or walk in, adding shelves from top to bottom in a closet gives many options for displaying toys, shoes and folded clothes. Since baby clothes are small, shelves are also a practical option for laying dresses or suits flat without them getting wrinkled. Special occasion wear should be placed near the top of the closet while play clothes can be folded on the middle shelves. Reserve the bottom shelf for baskets where socks, bibs and other items can be placed. Shoes can be placed either on a shelf or basket depending on the space required. Take the doors off your closet and hang a thick curtain matching the color of your baby's room decor. Tie back the curtain with a decorative string to show off your closet display.
  
  

Hanging Organizers

• Hanging organizers simplify baby closet design greatly. Typically, hanging organizers are inexpensive and hang from the closet rod from sturdy hooks similar to a clothes hanger. Many hanging organizers are specially designed for a wide range of baby essentials. Pockets on either side can be used for bath products, socks or shoes making it easy to quickly access items in time of need. The benefit to this closet idea is that it requires no installation.
  
  

Rods

• Many parents are fortunate to receive tons of clothes for their new baby. Rather than force the tiny clothes onto one closet rod or attempt to crowd them into drawers or on shelves, add two additional wooden closet rods to your baby's closet. One rod should be at the very top, one in the center of the closet and one near the bottom. Remember to add size organizers, either store-bought or handmade, that fit around your closet rods to mark which size clothes should be added to each section. This helps maintain organization when your spouse or older child helps put the baby's clothes away.