The typical nursery has a bassinet or cradle, a good supply of nappies, and a whole range of baby gifts that have been showered on the newborn by friends and doting relatives. So what should you do with your baby presents, and how do you keep them safe until your baby can play with them? Keeping Baby Safe here are some practical tips for storing different types of baby presents until they can be safely given to your child.
TOYS
Just about every parent has received a toy as a baby gift, whether it’s a soft toy or some other type of toy. Soft toys and other types of toys (such as dolls, Lego sets and trucks) can be stored away until your baby is old enough to play safely with them. You could use a special-purpose baby chest or ornamental storage box for keeping your baby’s outgrown items and gifts. If you’d rather not store these items away, they can be used as decorative elements in the nursery.
Keeping Baby Safe these items out of your baby’s reach with the following ideas.
- Floating shelving. Floating shelving can be installed for storage space and for displaying items in the nursery. Any toys, including soft toys, can be safely stored on high floating shelves.
- Dresser top. You can safely arrange any toys on your baby’s dresser top, as long as it’s out of the baby’s reach.
- Bookshelves. Many parents use bookshelves in the nursery. Toys can also be displayed on the higher shelves of your nursery bookshelf.
BALLOONS
Balloons are often given to newborns and babies. It’s probably not necessary to store these away, as balloons self-deflate and go flat within a matter of days. If you’d like to keep these in the baby’s nursery, remember to keep them out of your baby’s reach
PRACTICAL SUPPLIES
Many parents receive gifts of baby shampoo, moisturizers, and ointments. These types of gifts can be used straight away, as long as you know they’re safe for your baby’s age and skin. It’s a good idea to test these on a patch of skin before using them.
CLOTHING AND BLANKETS
As with practical supplies such as shampoo and moisturizer, baby clothing and blankets can be used straight away, or they can be stored in the cupboard until the colder seasons. If you find you have too much clothing for your newborn, consider donating these extra gifts to charity.
Keeping Baby Safe with JEWELLERY
Jewellery, such as necklaces, bracelets, or charms, is sometimes given as a gift to babies. Young babies should avoid wearing jewelry due to choking and other possible risks. However, you can still enjoy these types of gifts by displaying them in the baby’s nursery. Rather than stowing it away in your baby chest, a great way to use jewelry given to babies is to hang it from a jewelry display board or around a soft toy or other ornaments in the nursery.
ORNAMENTS
Decorative ornaments such as snow globes or hanging lights are often given as gifts for newborns. These can be displayed in the nursery as long as they’re kept out of your baby’s reach. Alternatively, you might want to store them in your baby chest until your baby is older and can decide what he or she wants to do with them
