Choosing the best nursery storage solutions is the secret to a beautifully decorated, calm space for you and your baby. You can use it for both displaying cute toys and photos, and concealing the not so pretty baby must-haves, like nappies and breast pads. Our guide will help you enjoy the tranquility of a neatly organised nursery while you can – let’s be honest, you’ve only got six months, max, until he or she is busily pulling it out all over the floor… on repeat.
Wondering where your nursery storage should go in the nursery? Find out how to design a nursery in our comprehensive guide. And for more nursery room ideas, check out our gallery.
1. Pick a nursery storage basket to up the cute factor
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There are quite a few of these Scandi-style canvas baskets around – and they needn't be cute and cuddly like this one. Plain storage baskets have a much longer life anyway – you might not believe it now but your baby will soon be an opinionated child who doesn't like cute...
2. Pick a chest of drawers for stylish storage
Forget boring old pine drawers, this Sparrow Three Drawer Dresser by Oeuf NYC has a subtle Mid-century vibe that'll take your tot right up to teen’dom. Soft-close drawers on decent runners ensure smooth access to all your baby’s clobber, and you can even buy a tray top to turn it into a changing table (available separately). This is the White and Birch option but it's also available in All-White or White and Walnut. The three-drawer measures H84.5cm x W94cm x D50cm.
3. Pick a woven storage hamper for versatile toy storage
Wicker storage hampers are perfect for homes by the coast or country. Look for ones lined to prevent snagging, and with straps to keep contents neatly closed away, plus leather handles for lifting ease.
Find more toy storage ideas in our buyer's guide.
4. A toy organiser to help them learn to tidy up
It’s never too early to start teaching your little one to tidy up after him/herself, and this Gulliver Toy Organiser from GLTC is the perfect starting point. Low level, so that everything is in easy reach, it’s super sturdy and topple-proof so you won’t need to worry. It’s designed to be used with GLTC’s Canvas storage cubes, which come in 20 fab designs.
Find more brilliant children's book storage ideas in our guide.
5. A nursery storage changing unit can cover all bases
For a small nursery, you'll need to pick a storage unit that can multi-task, especially if you can only fit in one item of furniture apart from the cot. The Pottery Barn Kids Mid Century Dresser is just the ticket, with enough storage space for all the baby stuff, and a changing table.
6. Choose modular nursery storage for a bespoke result
Fully customisable on colour, size and shelving configurations, the Tall Holly Bookshelf by Nidi is made to your specification in Italy. Nubie can help with your design, including the various colour options for both frame and backing board, and also provides an installation service for this fitted unit, if required.
7. Find a nursery wardrobe to match your other nursery furniture
Timelessly stylish, East Coast’s Montreal nursery furniture includes this chic Two Door Wardrobe, with a full width hanging rail and top shelf inside, plus deep bottom drawer that’s perfect for toys that your little one will be able to reach, eventually. Add the three Drawer Chest, with removable changing tray, for a coordinated look.
Find our pick of the best baby changing tables in our expert guide.
8. Mobile nursery storage makes moving toys easier
Filled with cuddly toys, Olli Ella’s Luggy wheeled basket is fast becoming an Instagram icon – all the best-dressed nurseries have one. And when you’re little darling starts dragging it around the house, be ready for your heart to melt (and the ‘likes’ to go postal). It comes in natural, pink, yellow and white, plus there’s a mummy/daddy sized version of the natural one, which is perfect for lugging book-bags and 'craft' back from the school run.
9. Pick out nursery storage that adds some fun too
We know that nursery storage has to be practical above all else, but it can look cute too! This bookcase from Maison du Monde is perfect for displaying your favourite books and hiding away toys, but it also adds something cute to the room too thanks to the adorable shape and pink spotty baking.
10. Keep dress up clothes close to hand with a rail
Not only do clothes rails mean that your kid's favourite dress-up clothes can be close to hand, they look lovely in a nursery too. This rail is from Great Little Trading and it's mini! So cute and means your children and use it easily – you get six hangers too to display the outfits that make the cut.
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Linda is a freelance journalist who has specialised in homes and interiors for the past 19 years, beginning on a trade rag for the Daily Mail Group and now writing full-time for the likes of Homes & Gardens, Livingetc, Country Homes & Interiors, and of course Real Homes. Linda is our resident mattress reviewer. She spends at least a week on every mattress she tests for us, as does her ever-patient husband. In reviewing mattresses for us for more than a year, she has become something of a very opinionated expert. She lives in Devon with her cabinetmaker husband, two daughters and many pets, and is locked in an on-going battle to drag their red brick Victorian home out of 1970s swirly-carpet hell...