do you live in an apt. or condo?

[skohng]

hi everyone,

dh and i are looking for a new condo in the city (chicago). we just moved out of a 1-br and are looking for a 2-br -- staying at my mom's in the meantime.

well, now that we have our 19mo and are wanting to conceive soonish, space is a big issue for me. for dh, the investment is the top priority. either way, we're looking at very small spaces.

I'm wondering how you manage if you're in this situation. I wish I could give ds a huge playroom, but the bedrooms we're looking at are 11'x11' on average, and living rooms are combined with dining rooms, and kitchens are tiny. How do you deal with storage? Are there any creative ways to maximize space? Any pieces of furniture that double-duty?

If we had to, we could afford a larger space in the suburbs, but we're really set on staying in the city.

selena

[tiapam]

Have you looked at houses in the city? Prices are dropping all over the place. My house is small as are the rooms, but we have unfinished basement and attic for storage and/or expansion.

-Pam

DD - Two years old!

[ljackson]

I think the Rail Rider changing table is a good idea. It sits on top of the crib, so doesn't take up any room. It is on sale at Baby Center at the moment.

http://store.babycenter.com/product/furniture_bedding/changing_tables_pads/1430;jsessionid=WCKZXGIDSS2CICUAQMMSJBQ

I have one but don't need to use it yet. It seems as though it will work well.

[C99]

Did you read last week's article in the Trib about buying with baby? This would be a good question to ask on the BBB-Chicago list; I know there are several people there (who don't always still read the BBB) who have dealt with this situation.

[skohng]

Caroline, no I didn't! What did the article say? Can I ask how to get on the BBB-Chicago list?


Thanks for the tip about the Rail Rider, lindsay. that may be a good idea of we don't have room for the PnP for the next lo -- I'll have to bookmark the site!

[kijip]

Lived in apartments for over 2/3 of Toby's life. His current room is about 10 by 12 and mine is not much bigger. There is an ok sized kitchen, a bath, a big patio, a panty/closet in the hall and a combined living/dining space. Total of perhaps 1000 sq feet. My main advice:

-harness the closet space. Toby's toy storage is primarily in his closet and at one point (in a different apartment) his room was a glorified closet.

-if you live near a park and a library, you need less stuff in the way of toys.

-Be brutal on paring down stuff and not getting new stuff.

-Get some storage for the living room that does double duty (like storage in the ottoman or under the sofa or in the coffeetable for toys so that tota can play in the living room but you can stash stuff away when you want/need your living room to look like it belongs to adults.

-Make sure that furniture is not too large for the space.

-dedicate the car trunk or a spot on the patio to the stroller. :) Try and find places for all other gear to minimize the clutter.

[sadie427]

Lived in an 800 sq foot chicago apt til DS was 18 mo. Now live in a house (now on the west coast) that seems huge to me but trying not to accumulate too much stuff as I don't want to outgrow this house ever.

There are lots of storage options, but it really depends on the space. You can also build things yourself, or have them built. DH built a partition in our first apt so he could have an office space in the living room, freeing up space for DS bedroom.

IKEA has great stuff of course; eg DS bed is from IKEA and has room for storage bins underneath, all his small toys are under there. Don't forget wall storage. There's a storage system from DWR called cubitech that we bought and really like; I think they don't make exactly the same system anymore but have something similar with doors, so probably better. Pricey (and modern-looking, so needs to be your taste) but we've already used it in two or three different configurations so worth the investment. We have an antique chest as a coffee table so that's some storage, there are lots of options.

Never had large toys (exersaucer, play kitchen, etc) and anything even medium sized (like little people sets) goes in the basement and gets rotated in and out. Remember all the opportunities you're keeping by staying in the city. Who needs a playroom if you have the field museum and the aquarium, etc? :-).

[lizamann]

We live in a condo in the Chicago. Our place is actually pretty huge so I have no tips there, but what I miss is having no outdoor space in front. We don't even have a front stoop to sit on to wait for a ride or a visitor. So I urge you to get something with at least a teeny patch of grass in front for jump roping, or at the very least a step to sit on! That's what I miss most about where we live.