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newmamma
08-26-2001, 09:23 AM
Hello! We live in a one bedroom apartment. I am six months pregnant and registering for stuff! Does anyone have any good suggestions for products (preferably reviewed by the book) that require less space? We will not be moving so please don't suggest that we move :)

karrie
09-04-2001, 08:14 PM
We had a similiar problem b/c we were moving across country when our daughter was 4 mo old so we tried to also minimize "her stuff". A crib, however, is a necessity and they only come so small. But if the one bedroom is not a permanent situation, our daughter slept in her pack-n-play bassinet until we moved. And the pack-n-play can accomodate a child up to 30lb, I think, when the floor is put to the bottom. That would save some space.

As far as a changing area, you could easily just buy one of those contoured changing pads and pull it out whenever you needed to change the baby. We would move ours from our dresser to the bed.

I think really the key to maximizing small spaces is not to get sucked in to everything there is for a baby. Not every baby needs an exersauser or a swing. A bouncy seat is a smaller alternative or the fold-up play mats w/ activity arches. My daughter has more toys (mostly gifts) than she will ever play with and they honestly just take up space.

Good Luck.

Geebee
09-06-2001, 01:23 PM
LAST EDITED ON Sep-06-01 AT 12:26PM (Mountain)[p]Another idea (for down the road) to save space is to use a booster chair instead of a high chair. First Years makes a booster chair that straps to a chair, reclines (for infants who can't sit), has a tray, and buckles your baby with waist and crotch straps. First Years also makes one that does not recline (but has all of the other features), and so does Safety First. Highchairs are bulky, and these save space. Plus, they are portable so you can take them anywhere. They may not last forever, but, for $15 or $20, you could go through 2 or 3 before you approached the cost of some highchairs.

In my opinion, I agree with the above post that you can skip the exersaucer. However, if you are going to choose between the swing and bouncy seat, I'd go for the swing. Although it is larger, the swing is a great help, and you can use it for your infant to just sit (like you use the bouncy seat). Another option is to just get both and keep the bouncy seat in another room (like your bedroom). The bouncy seat is nice because you can move it from room to room. (Am I contradicting myself?)

Enjoy!

cicely
09-25-2001, 02:12 PM
We live in a one bedroom apartment with our four month old and it is very comfortable! Here are my suggestions:

Baby bath tub: You don't need it. Our daughter takes her baths with us in the big tub and she loves them. Newborns are much easier to bath than you would think and we never would have survived colic without the bathtub.

Baby Carrier: Absoulte must! I recommend the Maya Wrap, but there are several good slings that work really well. If you get the baby used to being carried while you do things around the house, you won't need as many devices to put the baby in like a bouncy seat.

Swing: Borrow one to begin with to see if your baby likes it, but I consider this a must have item. There is a swing/high chair, but I don't recommend it because there will be a phase where you want both a swing and a high chair and it is a little bit of a bear to flip back and forth. I recommend the Graco, open top, flip tray, battery powered swing. The two speed is plenty and will save you some money.

Crib: Our daughter sleeps in a family bed and I suppose we wouldn't really need a crib, but it is nice to have for naps. If you are feeling cramped don't feel obligated to have one. Sharing sleep is perfectly safe, just add a bed rail (Safety First makes an excellent rail that flips down really easily).

Changing Table: We started with the pad that you can mount on top of the dresser. It worked great for the first three months. Now that our daughter has gotten more active we use the crib. We place a big, good puddle pad down under her bottom (Babies R Us has the best puddle pads). We have a shelf next to it for the supplies.

Gymini: Absolute must. This toy was the best because it is a great baby gym, but it folds up and fits in the closet. There are several different colors and styles. The black and white is cool, but by the time they are ready to really enjoy it they are ready for colors. I store many of her small toys on the links and they fold away into the closet.

Everything else is just for fun. Good luck.

kbalchus
09-26-2001, 12:57 PM
Hi! We lived in a one bedroom for the first 6 mos. of our son's life and it really worked out fine. I use a vinyl sheet (you can buy it by the yard at a fabric store) to change him--I always felt better having him on the floor and you could roll it up when you're done (and throw it in the wash!). Our living room was large so we had the crib in there with a dresser for his clothes (my hubby made it). As far as a diaper pail goes--we got one of those gift tins of popcorn as a Christmas gift and I can tell you that it did an amazing job of keeping in the stink, especially when he was still breastfed. It was small, much smaller than any diaper pail on the market. I never got him an exersaucer--they're nice but bulky, expensive and babies are only in them for a few months. I would suggest a bouncy chair or something like it.

We have the Chicco Mamma high chair and I definitely recommend it. It folds up to save space when not in use.

Hope this helps!
Kristen