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Original poster

How to deal with a cluttered house with a baby?

56 replies

Muddlingthroughthis · 20/12/2022 12:35

Hello!

I have a 10 month old baby.

When we bought our house it was with the mindset to start a family but now I think actually we didn’t go big enough.

downstairs we have a living room. Small dining room and kitchen.

The clutter since having our baby is INSANE and really gets me down.

I’ve bought the kallax boxes for storage but the Baby equipment is too big.

weve put all big items in the dining room so that’s a mess.

Baby changing unit, bouncer, sit-me-up, kallax boxes.

The living room is cluttered with toys. We had to get rid of the coffee table for more floor space for her to play.

basically my home is a bloody cluttered nightmare. I don’t see how it can get better as I’ve maximised storage.

any ideas? Or is this just the norm?

OP posts:
Fleur405 · 20/12/2022 12:38

Yeah we moved into our house just before baby was born. We actually have plenty of space really but it all seems overrun with baby stuff. Soon though you won’t need the bigger bits of equipment like bouncer etc so I think you just have to be ruthless in getting rid of stuff when you no longer need it. I figure my house may be occasionally tidy(ish) once DD starts nursery….

MrsFionaCharming · 20/12/2022 12:41

Same problem here. We’re not even at the toy stage yet, but baby gym, Moses basket, and changing stuff all take up so much space! Our house seemed so big with just the two of us in it, I didn’t think a baby could make it seem so small.

Seeingadistance · 20/12/2022 12:44

You really don’t need all that stuff. If it’s getting you down, get rid of some of it.

I never had a changing table - I just used a folded towel on the floor, and kept nappies etc in a box.

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fghj149 · 20/12/2022 13:35

Sorry, I don’t have much advice just wanted to say solidarity, sister. Got a 3 month old and am sick of the sight of my cluttered house especially living room!! I suppose as long as the equipment is getting used there is at least the clutter for a reason? Just remember it won’t last forever :)

Original poster
Muddlingthroughthis · 20/12/2022 13:37

Thanks for the solidarity guys. I guess I’ll just have to suck this up for a few years but it’s so hard as the house now feels so small!

OP posts:
BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 20/12/2022 13:38

Ours looked like a Preschool room til the youngest was about 4. I cannot tell you how happy I am now that they are 8 and 11 and my house looks like a house, not a Nursery.

idontknow54789 · 20/12/2022 13:39

Now they're 10 months I guess you don't need the bouncer or sit me up? And I'd get rid of the changing unit and just keep a changing mat and box of nappies/wipes under the sofa. It does get better as they get older but for now just make sure you're ruthless with what you actually need.

LindtChristmas · 20/12/2022 13:48

Well it is the norm.... but you seem to have a LOT of stuff. You don't really need a baby changing unit - and I remember 10 months (barely) I think I had stopped using mine because the squirming and trying to wriggle off was a nightmare! Could you move it to their bedroom and use it for storage?

And like a pp said- do you still need a bouncer and a sit me up?

But regardless of the bigger things - these will all go in the relatively short term anyway. The toys are something you need to keep on top of because they will just keep going. The living room is a great place to play but it shouldn't be a place to store a lot of toys. maybe one small boxful. You need your sanity and it sounds like your whole house is being taken over!

HellsBells87 · 20/12/2022 13:55

I think it's normal. I've got 4 kids and I'm not exaggerating when I say every room of my house has got toys in, bar the kitchen. The toys start to gradually lessen when they're about 8 and they have more of an interest in electronics. But don't worry about it. I've got some of those IKEA units and a big storage chest which store toys and look OK in the living room.

Original poster
Muddlingthroughthis · 20/12/2022 13:59

Thanks guys!

You are right! We don’t use the changing unit anymore other than for storage’ so I’m theory this could now go but I’ll need something else to store the stuff in that’s I’m there.

baby still uses the bouncer as isn’t yet mobile and is quite small so loves it!
The sit me up isn’t used anymore so could go.

The house has been taken over downstairs.

currently we have a shit ton of clothes I need to store into vacuum bags. It’s just a nightmare in general.

Before baby this house felt big but I still struggled a lot to keep on top of things but everything was tidy 90% of the time.

Now it’s like a shit show of clutter and ‘stuff’. My dining room is now a playroom that isn’t played in as it’s just filled with ‘stuff’.

What could I use instead to store baby stuff in I wonder!

OP posts:
LindtChristmas · 20/12/2022 14:11

Is the baby's bedroom being utilised properly? I know that downstairs is where most of the "living" happens but is their room big enough to cope with more storage? I always kept the majority of toys in the bedrooms (but was lucky to have big bedrooms to do that).

Your house is probably big enough if it felt big enough before but the amount of stuff seems overwhelming. You need to up your storage and at the same time be ruthless about what you need. It's something I think you need to do every year as the little one grows - well I did anyway!

So much stuff!

kenadams86 · 20/12/2022 14:21

I feel the same my house is just full of clutter all the time it drives me mad. I have 3 kids.

I've learnt to be pretty ruthless. Just get rid of stuff, don't be over emotional about it. If it isn't useful get rid of it. I've got a 8 cube kallax in my lounge for all the toys and crap. I use 1 box to store nappies and wipes. Then the changing mat under the sofa. Get rid of the unit and sit me up - stick them on market place: or family store the bigger stuff in a family garage??

The baby clothes can go in the loft or under beds. Only keep your favourite items and neutral stuff.
I have just had a mass Chuck away session this week prior to Xmas and I know there will be shit tons of new toys in this house next week 😭

Mommabear20 · 20/12/2022 14:25

From experience it only usually lasts a year to 18 months as after that all the bigger bits can go. The mass of toys however is here to stay for many years to come!! 😂 until they're at an age where they can play unaccompanied and you can move them all into her bedroom.
We have 3 under 3 in a 2 bed terrace house, which only has 1 room downstairs (plus kitchen and bathroom) so I completely understand the chaos and mess! 😂

thejadefish · 20/12/2022 14:33

Same. Doesn't help that we had to try and cram in a desk into the living room too because my employer moved offices to a location 50 miles further away so I wfh now (I'd have to leave at 7am to get to work on time, breakfast club/wraparound care doesn't start until 8am). I have a 5 month old and have to move the coffee table in order to put the baby gym down. It's so frustrating. I live in a relatively affluent area and all of elder DC(6) friends have houses twice the size of ours (or larger) and all have separate playrooms, I feel like a right outsider lol. I keep thinking I should embrace a minimalist lifestyle but half of it is toys and games! I've tried hiding toys that DC hasn't played with for a few months and if she hasn't noticed they've gone in 6 months time off to the charity shop it goes...

I wouldn't call it normal as such because I didn't grow up like this. I probably had fewer toys than my DC do in fairness but my parents also had/have a bigger house than me (they've always been able to have both a washing machine and tumble dryer in the house for example, and have always had a chest freezer, 3 piece suite and sideboard/wall unit - I've never had room for any of these never mind all 3). Sadly I think it's a combination of modern houses being shoeboxes and the cost of housing generally. I know it doesn't help but you're not alone.

ZeldaWillTellYourFortune · 20/12/2022 14:38

Why is most of this not in baby's bedroom?

N4ish · 20/12/2022 14:43

You really don't need all of this stuff and it sounds like your living space is pretty generous if you have a dining room as well as a living room. I never had a changing table, a sit me up, a jumperoo etc for my kids when they were babies. A bouncer and a play mat was all they needed.

Having tons of clutter around is very stressful, maybe a New Year clear out is needed?

ReindeerMcReindeer · 20/12/2022 14:55

My kids are late teens/early 20s now and the one thing I regret from their childhood is the utter waste of money on tons of plastic crap.
My kids had tons of toys and equipment like painting easels, bouncers, dolls houses, plastic lego sets and a million variants. Lots of it was played with for a short while only.
Two things they really liked to do in the house when they were little:

  1. draw on paper with felt pens.
  2. play in a sink full of soapy bubbles with all of the kitchen sieves, slotted spoons and funnels.
Good luck. It gets better xx
WonderingWanda · 20/12/2022 14:56

Do you have a loft, garage or shed? Think about getting a loft boarded out with a decebt ladder. You can vacuum pack old clothes etc and store unused baby equipment that you might be saving for the next one. Also think about where you can introduce hidden storage. Ikea do a sofa range with storage in the seat. We have one of those beds that lifts up with storage underneath. When mine were little we used a toy library and I encouraged relatives to buy clothes or books as gifts rather than bulky toys. Be ruthless with stuff you no longer use. We used a booster seat that went on a dining chair and a had tray table you could attach rather than a high chair which gave us some space. If you have a drying rack taking up space is it an option to get one that hangs over the bath or stairs instead.

NoelNoNoel · 20/12/2022 14:59

Firstly do you actually need all the stuff? If not sell it on Facebook Marketplace.
Secondly try and make more use of your baby’s room and the upstairs in general. Most toys could be kept upstairs and you rotate them.

Dinneronmybfpillow · 20/12/2022 15:04

Ah, same OP, same. Sometimes I dream of hiring a big skip and emptying all the rooms of clutter (although I do mini versions of this via the charity shop).

  • Have at least one room clutter free ie your bedroom, which can be an adult sanctuary to retreat to.
  • Have a constant box on the go for charity shop donations.
  • Have an open box/basket for baby to select toys from (they only need a few at a time at this age) and put everything else away out of sight. The aim is to have everything chucked out of sight in 3mins or under so you can make it look ok again twice a day (don't try to make it nice all the time, it won't happen and a house should be lived in not just looked at). I tidy before leaving the house of going to a baby group etc and at the end of the day.
PoinsettiaPosturing · 20/12/2022 16:04

Baby bouncers/jumperoos are not recommended for babies due to the abnormal hip position and it can inhibit walking as the baby is on their tiptoes. I'd ditch the bouncer - anything that's not used daily, find it a 'home' in the loft/garage/shed/under bed storage.

The toys should reasonably fit in Kallax boxes unless they're absolutely massive - can they be broken down? Babies play more effectively with a few different toys rather than a whole room full. I'm guilty of 'filling' my home initially but I'm now reversing it as I love a clutter free space

Sartre · 20/12/2022 16:10

Babies and toddlers do come with a lot of equipment I’m afraid, not much you can do about it. Even larger houses feel cluttered with all the big equipment babies use.

Original poster
Muddlingthroughthis · 21/12/2022 00:58

Thanks for the tips everyone!

we didn’t buy most of this stuff. It’s 90% hand me downs from nieces and nephews who are all a year or two older.

You are right in that I’m going to have to be ruthless. I am keeping a lot of stuff for the next baby so o don’t feel im able to get rid of a lot of stuff.

The loft has been converted into a fourth bedroom we use as an office but hardly ever need to. So I may just have to store it all up there.

The jumperoo baby loves but after Christmas I will stop using it as a PP is right about development. The Sit me up is no longer in use so that can be stored.

Where can I store all the bath stuff, nappies, wipes etc? I’ve been using the changing unit. There’s quite a lot of stuff as we bulk buy once every few months and store it all in there.

OP posts:
AgathaMystery · 21/12/2022 01:03

Bath stuff in the bathroom or under the kitchen sink if you bath baby in there. We used the kitchen sink. No bending and good for getting them used to showers too.

nappies put under the cot/ in office and every couple of days decant into a shoebox and take downstairs. One shoebox will hold a dozen nappies, some bags, wipes and metanium.

just be ruthless. Only keep the baby clothes you absolutely and utterly adore. Flog the rest or give them away.

DeFacto · 21/12/2022 01:11

I never had a changing table. I used the floor.

All I had for my babies was;

Tit

Nappies

Floor

They never slept in their own rooms. They only ever slept in ours until they were about 18 months.

Toys?

They had some stuff, but not loads.