Tips on living in a very small flat with a baby!?

[Aspenn17]

Hi all!

Our first baby is due soon and we were hoping to be in a new house by the time she arrives but our very small 1 bed flat has taken longer to sell than expected, so the 3 of us will be here for a bit. Any tips/tricks/advice from those who have been in a similar situation to maximise space in a small flat and make things easier? Or things you recomend we could put off buying until we are in the new place? (We've already bought the tutti bambini as that fits in our room fine.) Thank you in advance.

Babies dont need anywhere near as much as people think they do. If you have a car you can keep the pushchair/pram in the boot. Then you have your Tutti and that will be fine for 6 months.

Things like baby baths etc aren't needed, I just washed my son in the sink or had him in the bath with me.

Changing units etc, all not needed. Again I just had a changing mat under my bed and one under the sofa - changing on the floor is easier when they start rolling too.

If worktop space is limited in the kitchen and you're bottle feeding then microwavable sterilisers are good because you can store it in the microwave.

I had a baby bouncer which i found really useful when I was in the shower etc. It was small and I could move it around with me.

You honestly wont need much to start with. I'm sure others who have had babies more recently (my son is 6 now) will chip in with ideas.

I think AKP79 is spot on. Changing, feeding and sleeping is all you need in the apartment. We had a few big toys gifted to us and it hasn't stopped since so that was/is a pain in the butt so make sure you are clear with family. Is there anything else you are thinking of getting? We lived on 4th floor so had nappy disposal bin and was a lifesaver post c-section as our bathroom had no windows and we had a nice hot summer that year! A complete waste of money since moved to a house though...

I'd say don't buy clothes too far in advance and don't stock up on things like nappies too much.

If people buy you 6 month + stuff maybe put it in a vacuum packed bag to reduce how much space it uses.

You could also say that you'd prefer a playmat to a play gym as the gyms can take up loads of room whereas a mat rolls up.

My brother is in a studio with his partner and baby, their approach is -

Travel cot instead of cot/Cotbed (theirs has two heights)

Sling/carrier instead of pushchair

One changing mat, stored under the bed.

Playgym or bouncer as a ‘safe space’ when you’re busy washing, doing jobs or whatever.

I live in a small flat with a 7yo and a 9yo. Declutter constantly. No space to save things and no space to be sentimental. If you have tall ceilings then Ikea is great for floor to ceiling furniture. Make the most of the wall space.

Good point@KanielOutis. We've put new cupboards on the wall in the bathrooms and it's added so much more storage. We've also been decluttering our own stuff to make room. Binned five old mobile phones today - why was I keeping them?!

All you need is space for a cot, clear a drawer for the baby's clothes and change nappies on a towel on the bed.

Space isn't a problem until they start moving around

We lived in a tiny flat with our DD until she was 19 months. They don't take up much space and you'll climb the walls staying in all day no matter how big your place is.

Baby Bjorn bouncer, great to contain baby and folds flat to chuck under the sofa/bed.

If I could pick one play thing it would be the baby gym/playmat. Again, can stash it in the evening.

Don't bother with baby bath, get one of those fabric support things to use in main bath. Maximise hooks on back of doors, high and low storage. You don't need a nursing chair. We had a designated chest of draws that held all the baby's stuff, with a changing mat on top in the early days.

You can get compact sized cots, Bloom does one I think. Don't bother with moses basket, maybe use a Sleepyhead in the cot when baby little, which you can use in living room during day.

Get a compact buggy like the Bee or Yoyo. Our downstairs neighbor let us keep it folded in the communal hallway.

I'd agree with other. Most things you 'must' buy for babies, you don't actually need, so think carefully about what you buy.

When we had our first, we were very short on space & we used to keep the pushchair in the car too.

Thanks so much for all your replies! Our parents are going to let us store some bits at their house so I can just have 0-3 clothes in the flat for a while. Keeping the pram in the car and a foldable bouncer are great ideas I hadn't even considered! Thank you again.

Great advice. I would add not to accept clutter and kit from well-meaning friends. Wait and see if you really need it before buying or borrowing.

Don't even consider a jumperoo. Those things need their own postcode.

There are five of us in a two bed flat while we are waiting for our house. We have bunk beds and a cot that goes next to the bed so not as big. Changing mat goes under the sofa with the nappies and wipes on it, ready to go, I just put it all back underneath ready for the next change. We don’t have wardrobes, just those ikea box things that cover an entire wall in the bedroom (kallax I think it is) a chest for toys, the play mat gets folded and put behind the sofa. The baby bath is one of those angel care things that I hang on a hook in the bathroom when I’m not using it. We had a really large babydan gate that could make a seperate area for the babies when they started crawling and I wanted to keep them out of the kitchen area.