Essentials for a baby in a tiny flat??

[Memsahib]

We have a tiny one bed flat and due to the fact we are emigrating when baby will be 6 months we are loathe to move. I can find threads on what pram etc etc but would appreciate any opinions on what is the absolute essential baby kit.

hmmm. baby bath, somewhere to sleep, car seat? Maybe a little bouncer thingy for them to be strapped into when awake. And a little rug for the ground, one of those play mats. absolute max imo. But i am not super mum and can't remember much about dd's first six months! someone may be on soon with better advice.

No need for baby bath. Bathroom sink is fine until they sit and then take them in bath with adult or use bath and hold them.

Yes sorry, I forgot about bath - I only had a shower when dd was a baby.

How do you feel about co-sleeping with a bed rail? Eliminates the need for cot or moses basket.

Using a sling means you don't need a pram.

Clothes, nappies, feeding equipment (boobs take up less room than bottles ) and car seat.

When I was pg with ds2, I broke my ankle and couldn't get up to the loft for all the baby stuff that I had stashed up there after ds1 and turns out I hardly needed any of it.

We spend time in a one bed flat in London. Here is what I have as essentials:

A washing machine!!

3 Sleepsuits. one on, one spare, one in the wash. With integral scratchmits. I like Mothercare ones.

2 cardigans

3 vests.

All in one outdoors thingy or a little coat.

Hat

Bibs- drooling starts in earnest at about 12 weeks- they're essential to keep number of sleepsuits down.

2 blankets suitable for swaddling.

2 sleeping bags for when your DC is a bit older perhaps 8 weeks.

Cheeky Wipes (google it- better than cotton wool and water, kinder on skin than commercial wipes).

Changing mat with little pillow.

Changing bag featuring changing mat, pockets for nappies etc.

6x muslins but tea towels are fine too. Good for catching bodily fluids!

We use an Amby Nest for DD to sleep in and its portable but if you're stuck for space co-sleeping may be a good option.

Bouncy chair- Fisher Price do a good vibrating one.

Nappies

Zinc and Castor Oil cream for bottom.

Nice to have:

Bath seat £14.99 from Mothercare and fits into Amby Nest bag, but you can bathe with your DC. My DD loves the bath and hated the sink. She used an Ikea baby bath until 15 weeks when she became too long for it.

Bottles, Steriliser and breast pump. Totally not essential if Bfing is working out for you.

hth

car seat if you have or will be in a car.

DON'T but a baby bath. By the time the baby is too big for the sink, you can put it in the bath or shower.

get a pram that you can lift and fold one handed. It needs to be small and light. If you have a car, keep it in the boot.

You will need 5 or 6 cellular blankets. You will need 5 or 6 sheets to fit the cot. Unless you are planning on co sleeping, you will need a cot. Choose a very small on if you are moving when baby is 6 months old.

You don't need a play mat - a blanket or a towel is fine. You don't need special baby towels, baby sponges or baby flannels. Use your own.

If you choose not to breastfeed, you will need at least eight bottles and a steriliser. I found milton more convenient than an electric one.

You will need 7 baby gros, 6 vests and 3 cardigans (NOT jumpers, they are a hassle), 2 hats (baby will puke on one of them just as you are preparing to leave, this will happen frequently), 2 scratch mitts, and depending on season, a sun shade or a snow suit.

You will need a rain cover for the pram. (Nobody told me this!)

That really is about all you NEED.

Ooh, forgot- yes car seat if you have a car. Little collapsable pram/pushchair suitable from birth. Can strongly recommend Silver Cross Pop Sport we got it from Babies R Us. Our building has a bike store we put it in and its robust enough to cope with a plane ride etc.

Oh God yes, nappies and changing mat, you need those too (you can push changing mat under sofa when not in use .

If you have a tumble dryer you will need fewer clothes than I have stated

I raised ds1 for 6 months in a titchy little flat, he was fine.

Wow. thanks all. In terms of the clothes issue my ma in law will be arriving from India at some point and shes an utter shopaholic so we are going on the theory that she will just buy clothes and we will just have to find a place for them, I can nudge her in the direction of the other stuff you mention.

Good idea about storing the pram in the car cold tits!

You'll need many more than 3 sleepsuits and 3 vests. Newborns save the random puke/leaky poo/weeing in the air until you're just putting on the last clean babygro. We found 10 sleepsuits was the absolute minimum (and we washed daily... how DO they generate so much frigging laundry?)

Sorry.. I'm scaring you

Car seat
Somewhere to sleep (travel cot with bassinet might be perfect for you so you don't have to buy a cot)
Muslins
Change mat (very very essential IMO)
Bouncy chair
Baby mat of some kind (they're more cushioned thank just a sheet on the floor)

The M&P Luna is good if you're short on space, you can get a soft carrycot to attach to it, and it's true lie flat. 4 wheeler though, the 3 wheeler is unwieldy.

Definitely don't bother with a huge cot, a bumbo, a baby bath or a change table ( I really needed a change table, but just stick a change mat on a chest of drawers/the bed

Ikea is brilliant for baby essentials, avoid mothercare like the plague.

Jareth - I teach in a big inner city comp, nothing scares me....so hit me with the truth! Lots of colleagues think Bugaboo is the best pram in terms of storage and practicality - whats your take on it?

I think it's brilliant and easy to steer. I also think it costs 3 times what you actually need to spend on a pram. Travel systems are a waste of time, in a small flat you need someting SMALL.

In an ideal world, if I have anoter kid, I will get the M&P Urbo. If at the time we can't afford it, I'll get the Luna. It folds up tiny, and it's a really really good pram. Fits all the practicality tick boxes as far as I'm concerned.

I can probably write you an exhaustive list of essentials in the morning. Don't discount John Lewis for the really important stuff either, they can be cheaper than Mothercare.

i use a fold up (travel) change mat, that came with the change bag i was bought.

Or you could use an small old/cheap hand towel.

i actually like using a baby bath rather than sink for my baby. but i only spent about £3 on it.
I think i've seen a fold up baby bath (!) for traveling somewhere. might be a bit pricey though.

definitely a fold up (umbrella) pushchair - not sure that there are many suitable for newborn use though. you can use that up to the stairs to the airplane! and then fold it and get it put in the hold.

bugaboo - i like it, but i have space for it and space to store the carrycot now its not in use. I've got a big boot on the car, for it and the shopping.
And live on the ground floor.

its a smooth ride, but big and fiddly.

BUT - when i'm traveling abroad, going on public transport, doing a quick run in and out the shops, clothes shopping (narrow aisles) i use the fold up maclaren.

To be honest i use my maclaren the most. far more practical. especially for Cities.

(but not sure if its suitable for under 6months)

If there are things like a baby bath that you want to get, try Ikea first. They're cheap as chips and you could just freecycle them when you no longer need them.

(Milton is good because no need to rinse with boiled water like some sterilisers, also works in 15 minutes rather than 30 )

You can get inflatable or fold away baby baths, good for travelling.

I liked the John Lewis sponge baby shaped thing so baby could have a bath without a baby bath.

Little babies hardly need anything. Yes we like to get them things. They need parents, milk, fresh air, and to be clean.

When you emigrate will you have to pay for the relocation? Where will you move to?

We are in a one bedroom flat too. This is what we have bought:

• Bugaboo Bee

After a lot of discussion and research we decided that this was the right one for us. We don't have a car, so this will be baby's main mode of transport. We wanted a forward and back facing pram that didn't need a separate carrycot for a newborn. With Bugaboo Bee we just got the cacoon. It folds down pretty flat. We looked at the Urbo, but it didn't fold down as easily with the pram seat attached.

• Graco Travel Cot

Travel cots are smaller than normal cots. We will probably be in our flat for more than 6 months and babies in both of our families are long, so we decided that a moses basket or crib may mean that we would have to invest in something bigger any way. The cot as a detachable change table on top.

• Car seat

We don't have a car but will from time to time be taking taxis or travelling in friend's cars and we wanted our little one to be safe.

• I am planning on getting a rocker from Fisher Price that folds up and perhaps also a play gym that also zips up back into a bag. I also want to get some sort of front pack or sling, but will wait until the baby is born to get that.

My other strategy is to get as much off the floor as possible. So hooks on bathroon and bedroom doors. I also want some sort of cot tidy to hold things.

This is so useful!
We also live in a small, one bedroom flat and will be there at least until the baby is 6 months.

I once read on MN (where else?) to only buy what you need for the first 6 weeks. After that you can decide better what you and your baby need.

if your flat is in a block with communal bins then you might make use of a nappy wrapper. i know they are much derided on here, but IMO that's because people are used to having bins right outside the door. I had to walk for ages to get to our outside bin when i lived in a block of flats.

I would go for a moses basket if the baby grows out you can always co- sleep for a time. I agree with 10 sleepsuits and vests, but what I did was 5 in newborn and 5 in 0-3months and then used the two sizes.

Pram I have a petite star which is like a quinny but from birth is small, light 7kg (I think) and 3 wheels. Also second nappy wrapper if there is a long way to your bin.

Agree with most people on here, but my essential tip is don't think that you can do without the baby chair/ bouncer - they are lifesaving!! Means that you can put the baby down somewhere (without having to lie them down in their cot, which usually makes them cry if they're awake) so that you can actually get things done!

Lived in the tiniest flat ever with my son til he was 9 months old. One thing I learnt was that 90% of the crap Mothercare try to sell you is unecessary. I second co-sleeping, great for breastfeeding and saves space. Failing that a moses basket by the side of the bed.
No need for a pushchair if you have a sling/baby carrier.
Wash baby in the sink or take in the bath with you.
Use a roll up travel change mat, or a towel on the bed.
My boy was incredibly pukey, so muslins were a God send.
I found we really didn't need most of the stuff I thought we did. Babies don't need much at all.

A fully functioning washing machine would have to be my essential item!