What do you keep on your nightstand/bedside table?

[Danae]

On top, not in drawers.  
 

I just cleaned mine off, and there was so much crap that clearly doesn’t belong.  I’m trying to make a hard list of what is allowed to be there to avoid the slippery slope of things piling up. 
 

Currently present:

Sunrise lamp/clock

Box of tissues

Charging station for Kindle/phone/tablet.

Insulated water glass

Reading glasses

 

I could move the charging station, but I’d need a cord for the Kindle because I need to be able to read at bedtime even if it isn’t fully charged, and if I don’t have the station the cord falls down behind the nightstand and I have to fish it out.  So I think it’s better to keep the station.
 

I’m contemplating a dish of some sort for hairpins and earrings, because if I forget to take them out before I get in bed I know I’ll put them there whether there’s a dish or not, and then they get pushed off or pile up.  I had about a hundred hairpins under all the other crap I just sorted, and I’ll probably find a thousand more when I get around to cleaning under and behind this furniture item.

 

[Katy]

An ugly stack of everything I didn’t get to in the day.  Under that is permanent residents: a box of tissues, chargers, and a coaster. Usually a couple books. I switched out the lamps for ones that hang on the wall with swing arms. 

[J-rap]

A small lamp, my current bed-time book (I have different books throughout our home), charging station for my watch and phone, nail clippers, and chapstick.  

[marbel]

Lamp, clock radio, tissues, face cream, chapstick. Sometimes, my phone, though I don't always charge it in my bedroom overnight. 

The books are on the floor. 

[Lady Florida.]

I have a small table but it has a shelf, a door, and a tiny drawer. On the top I keep a box of tissues and a tube of hand cream. Those are there all the time. At night it has my phone (usually plugged in and charging), my glasses, water bottle, and Kindle. I read before going to sleep and put my Kindle there when I'm done. Oh, and my smartwatch if I decide not to wear it while sleeping. That's all that will fit on the small surface.

[alisoncooks]

I just cleaned mine, lol, so it'll sound better than it typically is. 

Lamp and alarm clock. Kindle. Phone charger.

IKEA wooden tool caddy (holds lotion, mason jar of pens, several notebooks, Bible, chapstick, a set of yoga toes) -- this way I can keep a crap ton of stuff handy but...contained. 😉

A stack of photographs that I need to deal with. 

[Loowit]

It have a water bottle, several books, a book light, my Kindle, some hair ties and other hair fixing accessories, and a broken bluetooth adapter for my laptop that I need to replace.

[prairiewindmomma]

2 hours ago, Danae said:

On top, not in drawers.  
 

I just cleaned mine off, and there was so much crap that clearly doesn’t belong.  I’m trying to make a hard list of what is allowed to be there to avoid the slippery slope of things piling up. 
 

Currently present:

Sunrise lamp/clock

Box of tissues

Charging station for Kindle/phone/tablet.

Insulated water glass

Reading glasses

 

I could move the charging station, but I’d need a cord for the Kindle because I need to be able to read at bedtime even if it isn’t fully charged, and if I don’t have the station the cord falls down behind the nightstand and I have to fish it out.  So I think it’s better to keep the station.
 

I’m contemplating a dish of some sort for hairpins and earrings, because if I forget to take them out before I get in bed I know I’ll put them there whether there’s a dish or not, and then they get pushed off or pile up.  I had about a hundred hairpins under all the other crap I just sorted, and I’ll probably find a thousand more when I get around to cleaning under and behind this furniture item.

 

I’d be tempted to get a small packet of Kleenex rather than a box if you are trying to find space.

[prairiewindmomma]

My nightstand has my UV phone sanitizer and insulated water tumbler, and I use the free space for my glasses and phone at night. 
 

I have an adjustable brass reading lamp mounted to the wall beside the bed.

[Arcadia]

We don’t have one. My husband keeps his cellphone leaning against the bed frame. DS16 leaves his cellphone next to his bed. 

When we are staying in hotels, the bedside table holds our cellphone and our glasses. It’s basically evacuation drill when the fire alarm rings in our complex, the two most important items to grab would be cellphone and glasses.  

I wear my watch even when sleeping. My earrings are the studs kind and I wear them 24/7.

[Terabith]

Lamp, alarm clock, multi-prong outlet on floor next to bed with phone charging cord, tissues, lotion, massage oil and a couple bottles of essential oils, a couple fidgets I use when I'm anxious.  Sometimes a book, but I tend to carry whatever book I'm reading around the house with me.  My glasses are there at night.  

[Danae]

6 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

I’d be tempted to get a small packet of Kleenex rather than a box if you are trying to find space.

That would be counterproductive.  I'd need to have extra packets for when I run out and I can easily go through one in one night if I'm having a bad allergy day. Plus when they get low they look like empty plastic wrappers, and that would attract other wrappers that should go directly into the trash.

It's not that I don't have space, I just don't want the space to become a pile (again) where missing papers and doodads go to die. 

[HomeAgain]

Water glass

Lamp

Divided letter holder (special cards, notes from my kids, and important memos go there)

Night mask

Lotion

That's it.  It's a pretty small nightstand, Now, my desk in the other room is a total catch-all right now and is a mess of books, papers, and doodads, so it's a lot messier.  I like my bedroom to be more of a clear space, with all the surfaces as cleaned off as possible.  Dh likes all his things in his face and handy, so his night stand and dresser are always full of Useful Things. 😄  It's a room where you can definitely tell what belongs to whom.

 

[Lady Florida.]

I get the square tissue boxes because they take up less room. The travel packs would be useless for me too, my allergies mean I need lots of tissues all the time, even with taking three different allergy meds.

[fairfarmhand]

Lamp. 

Foot cream and face cream that I put on right before bed.

Clock.

Whatever I am reading. 

A jewelry tray where I put earrings and such. 

I don't charge my phone on my nightstand. I try to put it in the kitchen instead of my bedroom because I look at it too late/too early if it's there. My fitbit actually is my get up alarm.

 

OP, for your kindle, you could get these things to hold the cord and keep it from slipping behind the furnture.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Shintop-Computer-Electrical-Charging-Colorful/dp/B00YJ1CS10/ref=asc_df_B00YJ1CS10/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=167140037427&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=14346469189671121051&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9013167&hvtargid=pla-305293736334&psc=1

[Danae]

4 minutes ago, fairfarmhand said:

Lamp. 

Foot cream and face cream that I put on right before bed.

Clock.

Whatever I am reading. 

A jewelry tray where I put earrings and such. 

I don't charge my phone on my nightstand. I try to put it in the kitchen instead of my bedroom because I look at it too late/too early if it's there. My fitbit actually is my get up alarm.

 

OP, for your kindle, you could get these things to hold the cord and keep it from slipping behind the furnture.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Shintop-Computer-Electrical-Charging-Colorful/dp/B00YJ1CS10/ref=asc_df_B00YJ1CS10/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=167140037427&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=14346469189671121051&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9013167&hvtargid=pla-305293736334&psc=1

Those are cute.  If I decide I want to move the charging station I’ll keep them in mind.  

[Pawz4me]

Lamp

Clock

iPad and Kindle

Eyeglass case

At night - Phone, ice water (Contigo travel mug) and a small plastic container that I place one of my thyroid pills in each night

I make sure to charge my phone, iPad and Kindle during the day, and my charging location is in another area. So that's not an issue on my nightstand.

Edited August 30, 2021 by Pawz4me

[Familia]

Lamp, a little polymer Baby Jesus, a few books, and a coaster for my husband to place a cup of coffee on that he brings me each morning at 6…a new habit that took 25 years of marriage to begin, but I am not complaining about that!

[HS Mom in NC]

lamp
kindle
drink
charging phone with it's morning alarm
small discrete emergency battery operated lamp (still there from last power outage a year ago)
glasses case
Arthritis cream
 

[frogger]

I should keep a flashlight beside my bed, but it appears the last major earthquake taught me nothing. 😂

 

I don't have a bedside stand. The less flat surfaces to clutter up the better. I WILL just keep random assorted things there if I get one. 

 

[Annie G]

Lamp, charging station for my phone and Apple Watch, and my glasses while I’m sleeping.  There’s a drawer that holds a few things, and a bottom shelf. The bottom shelf holds the braces I wear while I sleep (carpal tunnel) 

Dh’s bedside table? Not enough time in the day to type out what’s on his. Drives.me.crazy. 

[HS Mom in NC]

1 hour ago, Danae said:

That would be counterproductive.  I'd need to have extra packets for when I run out and I can easily go through one in one night if I'm having a bad allergy day. Plus when they get low they look like empty plastic wrappers, and that would attract other wrappers that should go directly into the trash.

It's not that I don't have space, I just don't want the space to become a pile (again) where missing papers and doodads go to die. 

I have soft, thick fleece handkerchiefs and thinner cotton handkerchiefs in the top drawer of my bedside table for allergy season. It's easy to get into when needed. They're more absorbent than single use, disposable tissues. I have a laundry hamper 5 steps away from my bed on the back of my masterbathroom's door. I don't live in an area with water issues anymore, so reusables work for me.

Do you have a place elsewhere in your home for individual papers that you don't want to throw away but you don't want to deal with immediately? Do you have a container for doodads that need to be sent home later? Does everything in your house have a home? Do you have a "put/file things away" routine built into your week so you address them regularly? Those are some ways to minimize clutter. 

[Indigo Blue]

On top: Lamp, iPad, pretty glass candle holder with candle. 
 

Everything else is in the drawer. Lotion, flashlight, glasses case, and hydrocortisone cream for any itch that won’t stop itching during the night. This is so I don’t have to get out of bed at night to go get itch cream. All of my books on on my Kindle app.

Chargers are are hanging behind head of the bed behind the mattress. I can just grab them and plug in. They don’t show during the day.

Edited August 30, 2021 by Indigo Blue

[KidsHappen]

A lamp, a stack of books, my medicines and a cup of water.

[Danae]

I’m not really looking for suggestions to replace or deal with the things on my list, or decluttering advice.  I asked what other people keep on theirs to see if there are things that would be good to add to my whitelist.

So far I’m thinking hand lotion, lip balm, and a flashlight, but all of those could probably go in the top drawer if I put in a divider that would keep them easy to grab and not mixed in with the other stuff stored there (it’s a big drawer).

[Shoeless]

Lamp, lotion, Vaseline, my glasses, phone, (doubles as my alarm clock), and The Complete Inspector Poirot DVD boxed set. 

[happi duck]

Lamp, kindle, glasses case, mouth guard, scented oil that helps me sleep

[Corraleno]

Water bottle, tea thermos, phone, glasses case, candle, clock, and a pretty wooden box that holds ear plugs, hair ties, lip balm, hand cream, and a tiny bottle of lavender-vanilla essential oil. My night tables are a pretty good size, and I have wall sconces on either side of the bed in lieu of lamps, so there's plenty of surface area, plus there's a lower shelf that holds my laptop and any books I'm currently reading. The night table on the other side of the bed has a phalaenopsis orchid, scented candle, porcelain bowl, and a stack of books.

My bedroom is my favorite room in the house; it's upstairs and has a 6' wide east-facing window right next to the bed with a totally private view of the small wooded area behind the house. I usually wake up sometime between 5 & 6, so I will make a thermos of chai and then head back to bed to watch the sunrise and listen to all the birds and squirrels waking up as I plan my day, answer email, order groceries, read a book, or catch up online. It's my favorite part of the day.

[ScoutTN]

Lamp

Glass of water

Books

Kleenex box

at night: phone and reading glasses

 

[Slache]

On top is nothing.

On the open shelf beneath it is phone, kindle journal.

In the drawer under that is about 25 items, the reason the stuff you can see is so neat.

[PeterPan]

6 hours ago, Danae said:

 I had about a hundred hairpins under all the other crap I just sorted, and I’ll probably find a thousand more when I get around to cleaning under and behind this furniture item.

 

How about a hairpin jar in your bathroom and just get up to put them away?

On my bedside table: lamp, doily (which precludes messes), 1-2 books, ipad, pulse oximeter. Basically on the things I use while in bed. 

[PeterPan]

2 hours ago, Danae said:

So far I’m thinking hand lotion, lip balm, and a flashlight, but all of those could probably go in the top drawer

See for me, all those things are in the bathroom. I do them in the bathroom and then go to bed. Where do you use them? If you spend time in bed and use them there, it makes sense why you're trying to figure it out. In that case, the drawer idea sounds terrific. I just tend to do those steps in the bathroom before I get in bed. 

[PeterPan]

4 hours ago, prairiewindmomma said:

I’d be tempted to get a small packet of Kleenex rather than a box if you are trying to find space.

See I don't even keep kleenex unless I'm sick (which is its own dispensation). They're in the bathroom, and if I need them I get up, use the kleenex, toss, wash my hands, return to bed.

So it's really just about where you do things. But if you're going to have kleenex, you also need a trash can. 

[Danae]

12 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

How about a hairpin jar in your bathroom and just get up to put them away?

On my bedside table: lamp, doily (which precludes messes), 1-2 books, ipad, pulse oximeter. Basically on the things I use while in bed. 

This is a “know thyself” thing.  I have a place for them in the bathroom, but if I’m already in bed I know I will not get up and go put them away, I will take them out and set them on the nightstand. 

 

12 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

See for me, all those things are in the bathroom. I do them in the bathroom and then go to bed. Where do you use them? If you spend time in bed and use them there, it makes sense why you're trying to figure it out. In that case, the drawer idea sounds terrific. I just tend to do those steps in the bathroom before I get in bed. 

In the winter I often use lib balm on in the middle of the night.  It gets very dry even with a humidifier running and my lips chap easily.  If I wake up I take a sip of water and put on lip balm.  Not going to get up and go down the hall to do that; it would make it harder to fall back to sleep quickly. 
 

[Danae]

21 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

See I don't even keep kleenex unless I'm sick (which is its own dispensation). They're in the bathroom, and if I need them I get up, use the kleenex, toss, wash my hands, return to bed.

So it's really just about where you do things. But if you're going to have kleenex, you also need a trash can. 

There are people who don’t have trash cans in their bedroom?

[Carol in Cal.]

Lamp.  Alarm clock.  Computer/reading glasses.  A rather alarming couple of piles of books.  Tiny sewing basket.  It is aspirational.  I aspire to have an empty enough bedside table that that sewing basket will be a charming little item more or less all by itself.

[Melissa in Australia]

My glasses case, a crystal dish and a torch. I put all my jewellery that I wear every day into the dish when going to bed, I put my glasses in the case as I hop into bed. I use the torch when I need to get up at night.

[Annie G]

34 minutes ago, Danae said:

There are people who don’t have trash cans in their bedroom?

We do not. But the bathroom attached to our bedroom has a trash can. 

[Melissa in Australia]

No trash in my room to need a rubbish bin , my bedroom has a bed and lots of plants. 

[Melissa Louise]

Lamp, coaster for my tea, radio, books I'm reading/Kindle. 

[Melissa Louise]

27 minutes ago, Melissa in Australia said:

My glasses case, a crystal dish and a torch. I put all my jewellery that I wear every day into the dish when going to bed, I put my glasses in the case as I hop into bed. I use the torch when I need to get up at night.

Oh, I have a jewelry dish too. 

And also no bin. I would not want a bin in my sleeping space. 

[PeterPan]

52 minutes ago, Danae said:

There are people who don’t have trash cans in their bedroom?

Dh has one on his side, but I don't on mine. 

 

30 minutes ago, Melissa in Australia said:

a torch.

Ok, if this is a flashlight, have y'all thought about motion activated nightlights? They come on as you walk toward them and give just enough light to do what you're doing without waking you up. We keep one in our bathroom and it's perfect for that. Also the overhead fixture (fan+ light) in our bath is a low wattage bulb, giving something in between the regular full blare of lights around the sink mirror and the dim nightlight.

[bookbard]

We only have one rubbish bin in the house - no, two. One in the kitchen, one in the bathroom. But it's a small house.

So much stuff on my bedside table - that will be my job when I get home, thanks for the push. Mostly lots of books, diary, schoolwork for kids that I need to sort, other random things that get put there for later . . .

[Melissa in Australia]

4 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

 

 

Ok, if this is a flashlight, have y'all thought about motion activated nightlights? They come on as you walk toward them and give just enough light to do what you're doing without waking you up. We keep one in our bathroom and it's perfect for that. Also the overhead fixture (fan+ light) in our bath is a low wattage bulb, giving something in between the regular full blare of lights around the sink mirror and the dim nightlight.

A torch is the same as a flashlight. It is very useful, has rechargeable battery. Everyone in the household has a torch by their bed. For all the children it was given to them when they started being toilet trained.

[AnneGG]

I have an oil diffuser thing, a succulent, and a little framed picture on the top of my bedside table.

Maybe I’m weird, but I just move things that land there at night back where they belong in the morning. 

[PeterPan]

1 hour ago, Melissa in Australia said:

A torch is the same as a flashlight. It is very useful, has rechargeable battery. Everyone in the household has a torch by their bed. For all the children it was given to them when they started being toilet trained.

My ds LOVES flashlights and has oodles of them in his room. 😄 

[SKL]

An alarm clock and some pictures.

[LucyStoner]

On the nightstand?  

My CPAP machine

Hand lotion and chapstick

Sunrise alarm clock

Waterbottle

 

There's a lamp hanging above it (mounted on the wall) 

There's a shelf down below for current books and magazines

There's also a drawer with, um, in board parlance, teA aids.  

[SoCal_Bear]

alarm clock that only displays if you tap on it or clap
tissues
glass of water

book

Nothing else. I sleep in a completely electronics free zone. It's better for my sleep quality and for health not to have devices where I sleep.