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December 2015 Moms
Whovian84
member
The urban and nursery-less
Whovian84
member
I know I can't be the only mom to be on here who lives in a city apartment. Does anyone (first time or veteran moms) have tips/ideas they'd like to swap? It would be great to have an ongoing discussion on this as we have to be really creative space savers!
My husband and I live in a 1 bedroom apartment that's somewhat decently sized for NY (that's not saying a lot) and here's what I've figured out so far:
Buying combination pieces, such as the Graco stroller base/car seat combo
Travel versions of everything because they are smaller and collapse, like bouncers, swings, etc. My favorite so far is the clip on high chair by Phil & Ted which I'm registering for.
We're just going to use our dresser or bed as the changing space with a changing pad.
Over the door stroller holder for the collapsible stroller base (like StrollAway)
We're still trying to decide what we're going to do with the crib. It will probably go in our bedroom for the first 6 months or so, but then I'm wondering if we should move him/her to the living room or move my husband and I out there on a murphy bed or something. Any experience with this?
I wish I had space for a nursery and admit that I get a little jealous of all the ladies on here talking about theirs, but we love our place and our city too much to leave!
Re: The urban and nursery-less
We may move in to a two-bedroom apartment either a few months before the birth or a few months after, but the second room will be my husband's office with a pull-out couch for when he needs uninterrupted sleep.
So we won't have a nursery for the first few years. The baby will sleep next to us, but I want our bedroom to be a "sleep-only" room, that doesn't contain anything non sleep related. No television, no makeup table, etc.
I may decorated the walls and area around his crib a little bit to make it more of a nursery area.
Pack n Play is going to be our best friend. Plus we may get a co-sleeper. I saw a Pack n Play that had a little shelving system at the bottom that would be handy.
Pinterest has some good ideas for creating spaces for baby in a one bedroom.
To anyone in this situation- apartmenttherapy.com is your friend! This has been my go to design resource for apartment living and small space living since I first moved out on my own in 2007. Either sort by room on the side or simply use the search option for "nursery" or "one bedroom nursery." Such a great site in general.
Edited, because laying on my side typing onto a tiny screen is not one of my Gallup strengths.
I'm just getting the essentials, a moses basket then crib and I'm not getting a changing table but a changing mat and i can change him wherever
Space definitely comes at a premium here. But I know so many people that make it work with a baby in a small space.
https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/19990794/list/15-tips-for-small-space-living-with-baby
We are going to work with it instead of try to fight it. We're going with a baby-steampunk theme with an airship paper lantern and lots of whimsy and colour. We're thinking Cozy and not airy.
Thanks! I'll have to check it out. I found a mattress on Amazon for $30. Just kind of looking right now.
Pack n plays are good as a playpen when they're older. From what I hear, you'll just get more mileage out of it.
Here is what to buy now:
Bassinet or co-sleeper for first few months (bonus if your bassinet has a skirt so you can hide onsies, blankets, and diapers)
Changing pad with a couple liners for the top of your dresser if it is a nice height for that (Baby boys often pee while you are changing their diaper, so I avoided changing on our bed. If you must, lay down a thin changing pad liner first).
Soothing bouncer or rock n play (a life saver for when you need to set baby down while you shower, some babies love to sleep in them too).
Under the bed box (no lid) to use as a drawer to hide the huge stash of diapers, wipes, butt cream, etc.
Baby bath tub of some sort
Drying rack you can use for bottles or pump accessories
Baby-wearing carrier (We got one new, and two others from friends. I was glad to have a few options for these because the one I thought I would love, Ergo, baby just screamed in).
What not to buy now:
Don't get a crib yet, trade in your bassinet or co sleeper when you are ready to transition.
No need for a pack n play unless you travel a lot.
Baby swings are hit and miss, some could live in them, others only scream so don't spend much on one, and if you have to chose get the bouncer/rock n play first. Baby might graduate to a swing around 3 months old. Travel size mini swings are not worth it, better to get rid of something to make room for a full size.
Don't get a high chair, wait until 4-6 months old then get a travel high chair.
About Strollers: choose just one stroller that will suite your lifestyle. My hubby and I are both avid runners so we got the BOB with car seat attachment kit. We had a second floor walk-up with on-street parking so I stored my stroller in the car always. The snap n go strollers are nice, but then you have to trade it in for a different one when baby outgrows the bucket car seat.
Websites like Craigslist are your best friend when trying to have it all, but keep clutter to a minimum. There are many things that I wanted to register for while pregnant, but couldn't justify storing for several months. In the end I got a few newborn essentials new, and bought used when the time came. Plus it is easier to let go of used items when baby outgrows them.
Finally, I totally get the nesting instinct! I think I may have cried a few tears over not getting the chance to paint the baby's room or pick out cute bedding and window coverings. I did make a crafty ABC wall hanging, and hung it over the bassinet in the baby corner of our bedroom just to feel better. Luckily we sold our condo when baby was about 8 months old. If we were still living in the condo two years later, I seriously would be considering making our bedroom exclusively for the kid, and setting up our living room like a studio so my two year old would have a separate sleeping space than mommy and daddy.
I've been looking a lot at the over-the-door organizers. I think it could help us declutter in a couple places around the apartment.
The living room has pretty much become the play area. Everything there is pretty well baby proofed and we have two large plastic buckets we can quickly toss all his toys in. These have been great and he's figured out he can get anything out if he wants to play with it. He's also figured out to put a few things in (shoes and empty bottles included).
Honestly the only thing I miss is having a chair by the crib. It would be nice to rock and sooth him right there then transfer him the short distance to the crib. As it is I rock him in the living room and then have to get him down the hall, open and close the bedroom door to keep cats out, get him in the crib, and get myself back out all without waking him.
2nd apartment therapy... I LOVE that site. I live in a 1 1/2 bedroom in Brooklyn with a toddler, hubby and his sister (don't get me started on that!). The boy has the 1/2 room and we moved our bedroom around so baby will be in the room with us in a bassinet. Hubby's a borderline hoarder and I'm a minimalist, so I had to twist his arm to get rid of a lot of stuff that just took up room. As far as gear the stroller (Britax b-ready) stays in the car, and in the house we have a swing and bassinet. I will wash baby in the kitchen sink in the beginning, and all the clothes are in big brothers room. Diapers etc are in a fabric boxes that blend into the existing decor. Trust me it's doable without sacrificing your space or style. My situation works much better if an additional adult wasn't thrown into the mix, but hopefully that situation will work itself out before baby gets here.
The book is called "The life-changing Magic of Tidying Up" by Marie Kondo
Loooooove the KondoMari method! I did it pre-pregnancy and intend to do it again before the baby comes
Also, how is your closet space? My first slept in our walk in for about a year. Our second will be in our closet again until she sleeps through the night and can share with her older sister.
Also minicribs often have wheels and fit through doorways better than regular sized cribs.
If a p&p would be more practical for you, maybe you can test it out and see how baby sleeps in it. Some babies hate how hard they are but my son actually preferred it for a while over his crib. I also found a quilted p&p sheet helped.
If you decide on the mattress (we didn't get one so I can't help too much here), I would think just follow the same guidelines as you would with buying a mattress for a crib. Make sure it's firm and fits snuggly with as little space between it and the sides as possible.
* even though I feel that this may be an obvious observation, I would hate for somebody to come along and read that they could put their baby in the closet and wind up with a tragedy.
Once he started sitting up it was used more again. We could sit him in the middle and he'd have to support himself but there was a little cushion when he'd topple over. Now he's 10 months and crawls into it to lounge or sit and when he gets a bottle or sippy cup he leans back in it while he drinks.
We took it away for a while to see how he'd do and he just dragged it right back. We finally decided they're cheap enough we'lljust get a second for this baby. Also like my mom pointed out, if you wouldn't reuse a mattress why reuse a pillow.
Also definitely get the protective cover.