Baby in our room advice

[Primaryteach87]

Hi,
We're expecting baby 2 in November. We live in a two bedroom place and although we will be moving, for immovable reasons, this won't happen until next summer when baby is roughly 9-10 months.

Sharing a room with my eldest isn't an option as its too small and anyway they sleep through so wouldn't want their sleep disturbed.

So! Any tips for making our room work for us and baby? We have a large room which currently houses 3 wardrobes, 2 sets of drawers, kingsize bed and side tables. Most of our room is taken up with storing my clothes!! Eeek! Have 6 bags to a charity shop a month ago but maybe need to get more ruthless??

[FireflyGirl]

The advice is to keep baby in with you until at least 6 months, so it should be workable until 9 or 10.

They don't need their clothes etc in the same room, so those could be stored in your oldest's room. All we ever needed in the bedroom with us apart from the cot was a changing mat and spare nappies/change of sleepsuit in case of poo-nami. If you're bottle feeding, you might facilities to make them up in the night as well, such as a Tommee Tippee perfect prep kettle/bottles/formula.

You can get cots with storage underneath and changing tops to go over them.

I am that you still have so many clothes that fit you after 2 kids! In terms of reducing the amount, have a look at the Marine Kondo threads in housekeeping.

Lastly, congratulations on your new squidge!

[FireflyGirl]

*Marie not marine. Flipping auto correct. I know what I want to say, dammit, leave my post alone!!

[NoCapes]

3 wardrobes and 2 sets of drawers??
Wow! Yes you clearly need to get rid of some clothes

[Primaryteach87]

Thanks for the really practical advice. I'm taking it on board. I'm not a hoarder in any other area of my life but clothes are my weakness. The problem is that they DON'T all for me. With my son I did get back into pre-pregnancy clothes, but I also have my current maternity clothes as well as my 'in-betweeny' clothes that I was in from 3months-9months postpartum.

I do know it's excessive!

On the baby specific front, what do you think would be the essentials - cot may or may not fit (crib will last until 5-6months) depending on if I get rid of a wardrobe! I'm thinking some clothes storage as don't want to wake brother to get a clean sleepsuit. Also a changing mat (which I'm thinking could go on top of a chest of drawers).

[Primaryteach87]

^dont all for me it should say!

[Primaryteach87]

Argh, auto correct - don't all fit me

[skankingpiglet]

Yup, clothes cull and take out one wardrobe minimum... Are you in a flat, or do you have a loft? If possible I'd separate summer and winter clothes and keep the unused season in vacuum bags in the loft (or under your bed or another cupboard if no loft).

Do you mean bedside tables or actual side tables? If the latter I'd be removing those too.

Normally I'd always recommend getting a cot bed as you get more life out it, but I think a cot is better in your situation so you're not so cramped. As already mentioned get one with drawers underneath.

Don't get carried away with too many new clothes for the baby.

[Primaryteach87]

Drawer under cot sounds like a good plan. We do have a loft so could vacum up some clothes, but some probably need to go

Yes, I meant bedside tables, not side tables.

We had our eldest in with us until 6months but used his room for storing everything and changing, so can't see how it will all fit...!

[NoCapes]

You might not get that long out of a crib, you don't know how big your baby will be
My youngest was enormous and needed to be in a full size cot at 9 weeks

[Primaryteach87]

It's quite a big one, my 10lber just about fit until 6months. So I figure we should be okay for at least 4-5months. Goodness only knows where we for a cot.

We've been offered a cotbed which I'd like to take (family member) but not sure it will fit!

[AWaspOnAWindowInAHeatwave]

Congratulations on the new baby

DD (5mths) is still in our room, and will be for the foreseeable future as we don't have anywhere else to put her! DS was in our room till he was 7mths. Both times all we've had in the room is the crib, plus a small box for nappies, wipes and a change of vest/babygro. There isn't any need for anything else to be in the room.

[NameChange30]

Get rid of more clothes. Sort them into normal, maternity, summer and winter clothes. Store the clothes you're not wearing somewhere else.

[Pumpkin2010]

Co-sleep then you won't need to get rid of anything

[Daisyandbabies]

Surely you don't need so many clothes, haha! Clear one out for the baby. Store stuff under the bed or get a bed with storage underneath. I co sleep so found cot/ crib was just a huge waste of space. Don't bother with a changing mat, that's what the bed/floor is for

[Tippytoes13]

We still share with our daughter, who is 1. So 9-10 months should be fine, we are extending our house so our daughter will be with us until next year at least, if it doesn't work, the two oldest will have to share a room for the time being.

[youlemming]

DD2 turned 1 a few weeks ago and is still in with us as we haven't got our bums into gear and moved DD1 from the small room into what is currently the spare/junk room and both won't fit into the small.

We can't fit the full size in with us so we got a space saver cot off ebay and it's plenty big enough for DD2 to sleep in for a while longer, she is on the smaller side though only going into 9-12m clothing at 11m. So for 9-10m it should be fine.