What furniture do we need?!

[superlambanana]

So far we've negotiated our way through the pram and car seat decision minefield, decided what baby will sleep in for the first few months, and decided to get a cot bed (not bought yet).

Apart from this though what furniture do we need in baby's room? We're on a massively tight budget so don't want to get anything unnecessary but also don't want to be fiddling around searching for stuff in boxes and wishing we had a better storage system! I've no idea how much stuff we'll need to store. Anything we get will have to last baby until it's at least ten years old! Thanks in advance

gaaah just wrote a reply and then lost it, doh!

In brief - check out 2nd hand furniture places, we picked up a 1950`s gents wardrobe with 2 drawers underneath, little drawers inside and hanging space too. It's perfect for our needs and should last donkeys years. I've put baskets in the base to hold toiletries and other supplies.

It does entirely depend on your tastes tho, I would have a think about what you will be needing abs how much of everything and whether you want anything out on display or not. in-drawer spacers are a godsend too if you're like me and hate dusting things or on display!

when you buy a bed for the baby get a full size adult one

To start with you don't need much. Somewhere for nappies/cream/wipes/cotton wool, somewhere for bedding, somewhere for vests/suits/cardys and that's it really.
Cd you get an under drawer for the cot bed? I used that and the space at the top of the cotbed to begin with until I got into the swing of things and could clearly decide.
I then got a 3 door wardrobe really cheaply from ikea with loads of storage boxes inside and changed the handles. That, the under bed drawers and a large old chest of drawers are plenty of storage for my twin DDs. I have a few hangers for wet weather stuff and silly tutu dressing up stuff but their clothes are much better in drawers.
Don't get me started on DS' room as it's still work in progress and he's 4 months old!

Don't bother with a changing table or "baby wardrobe" etc, they are pretty much pointless and have a very short lifespan of use!

We got a chest of drawers, a cotbed - get a decent spring mattress rather than foam so it will last as long as the bed - and that's pretty much it! DS is now 3 and still fine in the bed, will probably last him another 12 months when we will get him a single bed. We plan on getting him a wardrobe when he starts school and will need to be able to hang things up, but as a baby / toddler there's really no need, his coats get hung up with ours and everything else is fine in the drawers.

Stick a couple of shelves high up on the wall to keep toiletries on, or put some baskets on top of the chest of drawers for them, make sure they are well out of grabbing distance of the cot though!

We bought an Ikea Expedit unit (4x4 boxes) and filled each alternate hole with brightly coloured fabric boxes - which they also sell. It's been so useful! We store sheets, sleep sacks, nappies, wipes, blankets, muslins etc in the fabric boxes. In the empty holes we put stuff that looks nice on display, e.g books, teddy bears and her piggy bank etc. as she gets older we can use it more for toy/book storage. Best thing we bought. Agree with everyone who days don't bother with change table or wardrobe. We bought an Ikea Malm 4 drawer chest and plonked a change pad on top of that. Above that we put a shelf which has baskets on that house nappies, wipes, nappy cream etc. all in easy reach. All her clothes fit in the draw chest. No need to hang baby clothes.

I have a chest of drawers, changing mat on top and a bookshelf next to it where I keep nappies, wipes etc at the right height - so they are reachable while changing. The other shelves hold toys and books. Over time it will just become a book / toy shelf...