Making Space in a Tiny Apt when Moving isn't an Option

TMH2013

I've been feeling overwhelmed lately wondering how to make room for baby. We decided to wait a year to get a house to be in better financial position, which means we will have to stay put in our small townhome, which is already packed with stuff. I'm not the best at organizing things and just get stumped when I try to start sorting things out. We do have a second bedroom but it's been used as a sewing room, and a room to store my clothing & shoes. Our bedroom has my hubby's clothing, shoes and more of my jackets/coats. I have gone through and thrown away clothes so many times this year but I still don't have enough space! Is anyone else struggling with how you'll make room for baby when moving wasn't an option? What are some things that you've done?

Ladybird2014

I think you all are brilliant for waiting. The baby will not need a space. We have a 2 extra rooms on our home but we know that the baby will be in our room for the first year at least. None of our children have used their fully decorated nurseries the first 2 years. My DD's just started venturing upstairs...I'm sure you can make it work.

wtfisup

Check out corner birder and closer nursery. We're in a similar boat. The first few years, they need a bed and a little storage. That's it.

Mowill59

With DS we lived in a one bedroom apartment and shared a room with him. We didn't have much at the time so it worked out. This time around we are in a 3 bedroom house. The third bedroom, like yours is a sewing/storage room. I plan on selling/ donating A LOT of stuff as we will be moving two hours away next year too. Maybe you could try renting a storage space if there's things you don't want to get rid of but have no space for? We might do that with our spare bed and desk. It's definitely a long process though so I know how you feel!

katekat8721

I think you'll be ok. I would try to buy things that are multipurpose, such as a pack n play with a changer/bassinet on top so you can use it for multiple things. We lived in a very small 600 sq foot apartment for the first two years we lived together. We used armories as pantries and futons as couches... you'll get creative

SarainColorado2013

Yes, we just bought a house but are constantly dealing with space issues too. My husband and I share a small closet for all of our clothes, so I rotate out things that are out of season and put them in the basement. We also have a storage bed from Ikea with four big drawers under the mattress, and that gives us lots of extra space. Do you have any place you can store stuff, like a garage, that you don't need everyday?

The other thing is don't fall into the trap of thinking you need a ton of stuff for baby. A friend of mine is raising two kids in a small NYC apartment and she sent me some great tips about all the stuff you DON'T need like toys, a bath, etc. We're being really thoughtful about only getting stuff we know we'll need, and we can always add things later.

Laddiedahl

Look on pintrest to find storage ideas. That can help with space.We have a two bedroom home and our little boy has his room. We are struggling a bit to divide the spaces between him and the baby. But like ladybird2014 said baby will probably be in your room for a few months so I wouldn't stress it to much until the baby is a bit older. Baby won't know if your stuff is in the room for a while.

chance_encounters

We live in a 3 bedroom house with a den. I have 3 children and one on the way. I am getting ready to schuffle rooms which is going to be nuts! All 3 rooms will need to be painted and their wall organizers will have to be moved (think California closets). This is no small task. My oldest has the largest room which will soon be my 11 mo DS room. She is then moving to my 10 yo dd's room and my 10 year old is moving...well you get it. When I was pg our den was the office and my sewing room. We got rid of most of the furn. And put all my sewing stuff in drawers. It is blocked off by a baby gate and we just make it work. Although we would love to move, a 5 bedroom house (or even 4 for that fact) is in our budget.

MississippiCatfish

We live in a small 2 bedroom townhouse. We are putting up a wall in the small "loft" area at the top of stairs to create a bedroom for this new baby, with a new small closet, too.

I'm already freaking out about space. I know everyone says "the baby doesn't need that much stuff" and while that's true, it isn't easy to live by. It would basically mean forbidding the grandparents from buying toys for bday/Christmas! We are tripping over all the Christmas junk and we only got LO ONE small toy. I honestly just said to my husband ten minutes ago, "I'm already freaking out about where everything's going to go after next Christmas."

I'm sorry, I know that's probably not the encouragement you're looking for, but know that I commiserate. We just bought a new bookshelf for DS's room and a storage ottoman to throw some toys in in the living room. Those are some thoughts:)

ETA: the worst stuff to store is the stuff you don't use anymore. Boxes of clothes, too small cloth diapers, a swing, a bouncer, bumbo, boppy, breast pump...there's so much stuff that I can't get rid of but won't need again for a while! Just a vent. I suppose if our parents where closer we could ask them to store things for us. Do you have anyone nearby who could help like that?

bebemac

MississippiCatfish said:

It would basically mean forbidding the grandparents from buying toys for bday/Christmas!

Everbody should do this. The amount of toys some kids have is absolutely ridiculous.

wtfisup

bebemac said:

MississippiCatfish said:

It would basically mean forbidding the grandparents from buying toys for bday/Christmas!

Everbody should do this. The amount of toys some kids have is absolutely ridiculous.

YUP. This is the only grand baby for both sets. Our rule is 2 gifts of anything you want, but that's it. Nothing plastic or noisy. Beyond that, you can contribute to the college fund or store it at your house.