best, most fave items for first timers in small space

[lmh2402]

yep, i'm posting again for ideas for my sister - due with her first in march. lives in apartment in NYC - decent space, but still...it's an apartment. what new baby gear should they consider - swing and/or bouncer and/or rocker and/or...what? would love ideas for any new / great gear

thanks!

[hellbennt]

a sling & a sling meet-up (Facebook group, babywearing class, etc) :)

a quick google search: http://www.metrominis.com/new-york-resources/

[lmh2402]

a sling & a sling meet-up (Facebook group, babywearing class, etc) :)/[/url]

LOL!!! Not sure she'll find this funny, but I do!

[TwoBees]

Rock and Play. Maybe even the new one that rocks itself (might take the place of a swing). I cannot count how many time our RnP (the original one) has saved our sanity. DD2 is currently teething and congested and has been sleeping in the RnP in our room for the last several nights. And she's 10 months! (She hasn't hit the weight limit yet).

FP spacesaver high chair, although they won't need that for 4 months or so.

[lizzywednesday]

Tell her about the Carry On Babywearers - a babywearing group in Manhattan: https://www.facebook.com/carryonbaby

I think that Caribou Baby out in Brooklyn has all kinds of events & classes, too: http://www.cariboubaby.com/collections/classes-and-events

As for gear, I don't have an NYC-sized space, but our "nursery" is fairly small for the 'burbs, so I got a lot of things that could multitask - set the changing pad on top of the dresser (HEMNES), 3-drawer plastic cart for diapering necessities, etc. - and we held off on registering for a swing (opted for a bouncy seat.) DD ended up liking the one they had at the hospital, so we bought it (battery operated, Fisher Price Rainforest series) before she was discharged.

Not sure what else I'd recommend, other than a sling or wrap (I'm a woven wrap girl) in case the baby's the same as mine - must be in Mama's arms at all times - because not being able to do anything but sit & hold Baby gets really old, really fast.

[Mommy_Mea]

If the baby has its own room - I agree with the dresser that doubles as a changing table (we used the Ikea Hemnes 3-drawer as well) and a compact crib (DS2 used the Ikea Gulliver crib.

I would recommend the Tripp Trapp high chair with infant insert over a high chair. We had the Fisher Price Space Saver for DS1, and it was fine, but couldn't be pushed up to the table. The Tripp Trapp will also be used for much longer. Less stuff to get rid of in a year or two!

In our small ranch, we never had a pack n play or any additional changing areas. If I needed to change a diaper, I would put down a blanket on the floor.

[gamma]

This is great for stroller storage!

http://www.amazon.com/StrollAway-Stroller-Storage-Hanger-White/dp/B001GPBJP8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414436092&sr=8-1&keywords=stroller+door+hook

[meljc]

We're in a 2bd apartment, so a little more space obviously, but we're now on kid #2. Honestly we could get by with:
-small dresser w/ changing pad on top
-a pack n play (to serve as the ONLY sleep space, not in addition to a crib)
-additional storage under our bed
-a few good baby carriers (I really liked the Boba wrap at the beginning, now at 4.5mo I use the Tula more often but still use the boba sometimes)
-play mat (we have a skip hop that's very nice quality and folds easily)
-car seat
-stroller
-compact high chair (we received a Graco contempo as a hand-me-down; not compact when set up, but folds super small)

For the car seat she could either go with an infant seat and adapter for a "real" stroller or something like the Combi Coccoro. If they rely on taxis rather than their own car, the advantages of a Coccoro are two-fold: LATCH built in, so installs a little faster than doing a baseless infant seat install; will last RF until at least two (my son is small and just outgrew it RF at three) and can then FF for another year or two after that, while an infant seat is typically outgrown a little after one. It's the same weight as an infant seat, roughly 10lbs.

We do also have a FP snugabunny bouncer that both of my kids have loved. We borrowed a RnP and a mamaroo this time around and the baby doesn't seem to love either one. I wouldn't use them for night sleep due to compromised breathing position. A good space saving option might be the FP infant-to-toddler rocker or similar, as this could double as the child's reading chair later (rather than just collecting dust).

[Zukini]

We really like our Nuna Sena playyard. It comes in two sizes, so a Mini version is available if it were to be used as the primary crib for an infant. For a small space, the best feature is that it takes less than a minute to collapse. Remove mattress pad, bend, pull loop and collapse. Could probably be moved into a coat closet depending on size of said closet. It's like the 4 Moms Breeze but $100 less at $200 retail (Nordstrom had the red color on sale too a couple weeks ago). If you leave it out its pretty minimalist looking and does not scream baby gear. It comes with a bassinet and travel bag. I also heard that Nuna is releasing an add on changer this Fall so that would make it even more useful like other brands of play yards.

We also like our Mamaroo and it takes up very little space, and is very quiet and pretty unobtrusive. However, I honestly don't know if it is $250 worth of "like". My big beef with it is that it is essentially a newborn/young infant device but yet they sell the newborn positioner pillow for an additional $30. Without it, little babies tend to slouch down and it's not great for breathing. Made me nervous and I would constantly be checking on DS during the first couple months when reflux was occurring and we needed to keep him upright after each feeding.

[hwin708]

Bjorn bouncer (http://www.amazon.com/BABYBJORN-BabySitter-Balance-Black-Red/dp/B001GZQYRQ/) and vibrating RocknPlay (http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Newborn-Vibrating-Sleeper-Snugabunny/dp/B00C2KW3II/). Skip the bulky Fisher Price bouncers, they are space hogs. The Bjorn is slim lined and folds up into nothing. If baby turns out to love vibration, then the RocknPlay delivers that, as well as being a great first bed for the first few months. And it also folds up.

Swings were never huge here, so I would never make the space for one, but if she really wants one, I would get one of those frames (http://www.amazon.com/Graco-SnugGlider-Infant-Swing-Frame/dp/B000M4K4BY/) you can just attach a carseat to, and fold up when not in use.

I had this wooden baby gym from etsy (https://www.etsy.com/listing/96620623/wooden-baby-gym-for-hanging-baby-mobiles) for the last baby and loved it. The regular Tiny Love and the like mats all fold up, but they are still a pretty bulky fold. This is just 3 slim curved pieces of wood that fold together into a crossbow like shape - can shove it anywhere with ease. Then just use on a regular blanket and with hanging toys (http://www.amazon.com/Lamaze-Play-Jacques-Peacock-Along/dp/B000I2MRLK/) you can also attach to the carseat, strollers etc - multi-use is the key to space saving.

I love the Tripp Trapp (http://www.amazon.com/Stokke-Tripp-Trapp-Highchair-Natural/dp/B001D1A4IS/), but it would come down to how much dining space she has in the apartment. It is a super convenient highchair, works from very young to much older, and I love love love how the kids can get in their chair themselves. We never used a tray, always kept it pulled right up to the table like a regular chair, so in that sense it took up no extra space. BUT I don't find it comfortable at all for an adult to use as a chair, at least not without adjusting from the child settings, which is time consuming. So if she needs to move it out of the way for dinner parties and the like, then it would be a space-sucker. The best space-saver would likely be a hook-on high chair. We use the Inglesina (http://www.amazon.com/Inglesina-Fast-Table-Chair-Black/dp/B00IOGIM9S/) at the in-laws and it works great. We have even packed two of them in a suitcase. A little bulky for that, but definitely doable, so very much stashable around an apartment.

I agree with the rec for a hook to hang the stroller, but no need to buy the $40 branded (and ugly) one. Any deep, over the door hook will work fine.

We had this changing pad (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006OKU7RQ/) and LOVED it. There's no cloth cover, so you can just wipe it clean. Which presuming your sister's place is like many NYC apartments, is a HUGE convenience, since there were times I had to change the cover on the regular pads 4 times in a day. Kind of impossible to do that emergency load of laundry when the washing machine isn't in your home! You do have to be careful with the surface it sits on, it can start to "cling" if left in the same spot for a long time, and damage the finish below. But that is easily avoided. I strongly disagree with the reviews about it being small, it's normal changing pad sized, and my kids fit on it til about 18 months (which is when I basically stopped bothering with the pad, not that they outgrew it).

ETA: Oh, and this isn't a new product, but a baby bath sponge (http://www.amazon.com/Summer-Infant-Comfy-Bath-Sponge/dp/B000H953Y2) takes up no room compared to the traditional hard plastic bath tubs, and works WONDERFULLY.

[abh5e8]

we lived in a 650 sqft apt when dd was born. we didn't have much extra space, but were fine with a pretty minimal stash of baby things. If I were there again today, i'd be fine with:

pack n play (for naps, she slept with us at night)
laundry basket to keep her blankets/clothes/diapers/wipes in. (a pretty wooden one from pier1)
svan wooden bouncer (but the baby bjorn one looks even better)
wrapsody bali breeze (wrap baby carrier) and later an ergo
combi coccoro - skipped an infant seat and later a radian.
mac quest (later a bob for running)
chicco hook on high chair (later we bought a tripp trapp when we moved, but still use the chicco now).

I gave baths in the sink. just layed down a small towel and put her on that.
I skipped a play mat, but LOVE that wooden on on etsy. I would hang a scarf from the fan over her, on my bed and she loved it.
I changed diapers on my bed or the couch or floor. I use cloth diaper/prefolds as changing pads and wash with regular laundry.
i liked the basket better then a dresser...with my younger kids, their clothes always seem to get lost and forgotten in the drawers. now, for DD2, I hang her dreses in my closet, she has 1 drawer in the dresser dh and I share and a basket down stairs for most of her play/day clothes. workes well for us.
I have a boppy, but its not essential IMO. i often just used the pillows already on my bed.