For those of you living in a small apartment, did you give your newborn an entire room?
My husband and I live in a two bedroom apartment - and we are soon to be three when our baby arrives. We're very excited. Anyway, we're using one room as our bedroom, and the bed is taking up the entire space. We are using the other room as a multipurpose room. For example, my study table and books are there (I'm a grad student with a whole lot of books and papers); and other items that have no other place to be put in the apartment.
When the baby arrives, I plan for her to sleep with us for the first few months, in a bassinet. But once she's a tiny bit older, I want her to get used to sleeping in another room - and she'll need a bed by then too, which we won't be able to fit into our room.
I'm not sure what to do about this. I'd love to give her the entire room and decorate it as a nursery, but there is literally no space to put my desk, bookshelves, etc. I'm not sure how to organize my apartment. Any suggestions?
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My son didn’t have his own room until he was 9 months old. He just slept in our bed, or his pack and play. Now, he has his own room, he is never in there, nor does he need his own space. The whole nursery thing is really more for you than it is fulfilling the needs of the child. Just be careful that if your child will be sleeping in this room it should be 100% baby proof. Kids start scheming ways to climb out of their cribs the moment you set them in one. You don’t want your kid to surprise you one morning with sharpie covered walls and a haircut.
For the first two weeks our baby slept in our room then as he started to grow we decided to put him in the spare room but it just depends how you feel if your room is small i suggest putting him in the other room babies do cry!
we live in a 2 bedroom apartment and have tons of space just because we dont have much to fill up are apartment so she has her own room but in your case its fine to do what your planning and they do have smaller cribs that are like half the size of a crib you could also get a pack n play for the baby to sleep in once you move the baby out of your room.
We have a 2 bedroom townhouse. The twins sleep in my bedroom. The other room is hubbie’s room. When they are 1 year old we will make it their room.
I think it is fine to have your desk etc. in her room, but at some point she may start to complain about it. But until then, absolutely okay.
Growing up I had a large bedroom, and my mom always had my closet 3/4 full of her clothes. I think that sort of thing is pretty normal.
I’ve never been into the whole nursery idea. The baby doesn’t care if it has its own room with some expensive decorations on the wall. As soon as the child gets old enough to care it wants a more grown up theme, like disney princess or spiderman.
Hi, I really wouldn’t worry about this for a good while to come.
When you have the space for your baby to have it’s own room, your circumstances may be different.
You may not still be studying for one thing.
Try and organise the spare room as much as you can. Have as many shelves as you can to free up floor space etc. Storage needs to be a priority.
And you will be amazed how much stuff you need for a baby!!
Also, in your bedroom. If you have space under the bed, use it and again lots of shelves to put stuff on.
Also, if you have a hallway. Try to use the space there wisely.
Another option is for you to have a sofa bed in your lounge and for you to just sleep there and free up some bedroom space, without having to have your bed in there
I’m pregnant and I stay with my mom, step dad and brother and sister. We all have our on rooms. My room is is to small to fit everything in it. I’ve had to move some of my stuff into my closet. My dresser is literally in my closet but its okay because I have a walk in closet and I don’t have anything hanging up. I gave up my entertainment center just to make room and my mom is making me buy a smaller bed where as I’m sleeping in a full size bed now but when the baby comes I’ll have a day bed. Maybe you can buy some of those storage containers for your books and papers and put them in the closet in the extra room that way they are out of site as far as the desk unless you have a desktop computer you should just use the table. Table are just as better as desk more room to scatter stuff out.
My husband and I live in a two bedroom apt with two small children. As a fellow student, I understand that space and money are hard to come by at times, so organizing around a baby while dealing with school supplies and such is hard. But, there are ways to do so, and do so well.
First, to answer your question, yes we gave our children an entire room to themselves. I am a firm believer that children need personal space, and you will need somewhere to let her sleep without interruption. Trust me when I say, giving her her own bedroom will be a lifesaver for you, your husband, and your baby. If for no other reason than you need 2 minutes to yourself without her being right beside you, you will not regret it.
So, on to the hard part: Organization. In small apartment spaces the key is to using every bit of space you have. Utilize the wall space. Take down unneeded pictures and trappings…instead, hang shelves where you can. For example, my husband and I do not have room specifically for a desk that will hold a computer and give me space to study. So, in our small dining room we’re setting up shelves on the walls surrounding the table so that I can stack my books on them, pencils, pens, excess notebooks, and other items. This will also come in handy for putting breakable and small objects out of reach for when your baby begins to move. If you begin putting your books up on a shelf, you can use your table to study when you need to. The key is to remember to put them up when you’re not using them. For those times you have to stop studying, you might as well start owning stock in post-it notes and tabs. They will allow you to mark your place when you have to put things away.
Another thing you can do is (and this will sound strange, but please, bear with me.) to organize your small closet space. Invest in hooks and bags, storage containers which can slide under beds, and shoe racks which will use the space more efficiently so that you can store some of the objects that you have no other place for in your apartment. This will be the time to begin going through any boxes you may have, as well as your house in general, and decide on things that really are useless. Before my children (and even some now) I liked to hold onto everything, afraid that I would need or want in the future. If it has no use or purpose now, get rid of it. My rule is: If you have to think more than 2 seconds on what you need it for within the next 6 months, throw it out.
Also, you might want to consider what furniture you and your husband really need. Many people have too much furniture for when a baby arrives, especially those who live in small apartments. Babies take up a TON of space, with jumpers and swings, and toys. If you can, get a couple of trunks that will function as a coffee table or night stand, use those to store things, or make into "play bins" where you keep toys out of sight and underfoot while your baby is not playing.
Finally, if you decide to set up a nursery, make a list of all the things you need and can live without. For example, you really don’t have to have a changing table. A changing pad laid on a bed, or on the floor works just as well. Put up shelves and stack diapers in a basket…it’s cute, and efficient. You don’t need bottle warmers, they just use up space on the counter. A mug and hot water does the same work, in the same amount of time.
Good luck! If you need any more suggestions or help, you are welcome to e-mail me.
Have her bed and her stuff on one side of the room and your work/study stuff on the other side. You can still decorate it all girly on her side.
I live in a 2 bedroom apartment as well. Our daughter has had her own room since about a week after birth.
I can’t give any advice on how to organize your apartment since I have no idea how big it is, how cluttered it is or how it’s laid out.
I live in a one bedroom apartment so obviously my daughter (11 months) doesn’t have her own room, but luckily it is a pretty large apartment. Our bedroom has our queen size bed, her crib, dresser, bookshelf, and more and we still have more than enough room in there for another crib if needed!! The living room is also quite large so it double as a living room/play room. My daughter has plenty of room to play in the living room and I bought a ‘super yard XT’ and blocked off the kitchen so she can run freely in the LR without escaping and getting into other things! Can you squeeze the bookshelf/desk in the living room or kitchen? I would try to clear out the extra room for a nursery if you can possibly manage to. Your baby is going to need room. I would seriously consider a bigger place if it’s that cramped. Before you know it your baby will be here and need room to roll, then crawl, the soon walk/run around and play! Without seeing the layout and everything it is hard to give advice as to how to organize the space, but just try anything you can! Get rid of anything that isn’t absolutely necessary!
I live in a 2B/1B apartment, roughly 900+ sq ft. My bed is a full and is in my room, along with my dresser, her crib, and a rocking chair. I’ve never wanted her to sleep anywhere else b/c that means I have to get up and go out of the room if she wakes up crying, which young babies do. She’s 10 months old now but she still sleeps in my room. My other room has her dresser, changing table, my desk, her dad’s extra TV and her dresser’s matching nightstand, along with all the extra boxes from the move. If you don’t have the room to do what you want, you simply can’t.
But, I don’t think your baby is going to need her own room, especially this young. And if the rooms are small, there’s almost no point. A lot of things I wanted or expectations I had dissolved once my daughter was born and I learned, day by day, what babies are like, what MY baby is like, and how that fits in with my personality, her dad’s, our home, our stuff, etc.
Be flexible and patient. Babies’ needs are small and simple.