Minimalist baby gear - planning first 6 months in a small flat

[WolfMother326]

Hello,

I'm interested in hearing from mums who have lived in small spaces with their first baby. What are the minimal essentials that you got by with for the first 6 months?

We're planning to stay in a very compact 1 bed flat until the baby is between 2-6 months old, depending on factors to do with buying a bigger home with a spare room. We've been clearing out stuff we don't need and will also store some furniture and book cases to make room.

So far we are planning on getting:

• Bedside bassinet for first 6 months (will get a proper cot later)
• Small changing table with shelving and storage boxes for nappies/changing supplies and baby clothes (some room in my wardrobe also)
• Odor capturing container for nappies
• foldable soft mat for floor play/tummy time
• foldable baby bath
• foldable bassinet buggy (will have to live in tiny entry hall!)
• Sling that can hang in wardrobe

What other essential things would you get/skip?

Thanks!

I wouldn't bother with nappy bin- I used to have one, it's stinking, really better to dispose the nappy straight away.
I used it only for a couple of first months then got rid of it.

I would get a pushchair. Slings are all very well but when you are tired, have 2 bags of shopping plus the change bag it's much easier to have baby in a pushchair. Get a compact small one that folds really small (always be prepared to have to fold on public transport). It doesn't have to have a bassinet - just lie flat.

Oh and even though you say you don't drive get a car seat. You will use it - taxi to the doctors etc.

For my third baby I had

• Close Caboo sling
• Rucksack change bag
• Car seat (also don’t drive but an essential IMO)
• Cloth nappies (hadn’t used them before but loved them)
• Bouncy chair (a gift from DSis)
• 2x2 Kallax for clothes (and nappies)
• Muslins. Lots of muslins.

And a cot

And as others have said get a baby bouncer seat. This was probably our most used piece of baby equipment. Babies don't always want to lie flat they sometimes want to be just sat in a safe place watching the world go by.

Don't bother with change table - totally unnecessary

Also no need to have a nappy bin (newborn nappies don't smell) but I couldn't live without a bouncy chair - get a relatively laid back one - mine napped in it constantly for first three months and still sits in it to play now

A cosleeper cot may not last you six months if you have a big baby. Ikea sniglar converted to bedside or just a bed guard can work well and have baby directly in with you.

Bugaboo bee or another city type stroller with a lie flat parent facing seat may well be perfect for you. You don't necessarily need a carrycot if the seat goes properly flat and the carrycot takes up loads of space.

Agree no need for a changing table. It's a very bulky way to get storage! Babies don't have that much stuff. I had a couple of plastic tubs from ikea that I put the clothes in for the first year or so and then moved them into a cupboard we already had.

Shnuggle baby bath is lovely although not foldable. Angelcare bath support seat is the best one for inside a baby bath though! Bathing them in the sink works as long as you don't have a tap in the way.

We had a bugaboo bee: expensive but (once you're out of the bassinet attachment phase) folds flat and is v compact. If you don't mind that it doesn't do parent-facing past the bassinet phase, the baby zen yoyo is an absolute winner in terms of compact buggies and a bit more affordable.

The baby Bjorn baby bouncer also folds entirely flat, and would go under a couch: again, we had a changing mat that we tucked down the side of something when it wasn't out but for the amount of nappy changes a new baby goes through it was out all the time. However that was generally on the floor. No need for a changing table, I think they're generally really expensive and don't have the best storage. We bought a nappy tidy thing in an Aldi baby sale that we pulled in and out of a chest of drawers, and got the IKEA malm chest of drawers - they fit SO much, we got loads of hand me downs and basically could have one drawer for all the current sizes, one for the nappy stuff/muslins etc, and two for the next sizes up.

I'd also recommend the skip hop foldable changing mat for a travel changing mat: didn't need to get a new nappy bag, could shove that in an existing bag or clip it on to the buggy.

I'd actually say with a baby bath you might just want to get one that works rather than faffing with a foldable one. Even the shnuggle wouldn't take up that much space. Realistically, you will have some baby stuff out all the time.

Re: everything else, I think its how long is a piece of string - some babies never use muslins, some throw up thirty times a day. Some are happy in all nappies, others require a specific brand or they will get a rash. I think once you've those basics, you can figure the rest out. Don't forget you'll need some things in the early weeks too: I still have a cardboard box somewhere with my leftover maternity pads, breast pads, various nipple creams etc etc. And snacks! But the nice thing about a small space is things are usually near enough.

When I was pregnant with my first, I remember an older colleague saying that she'd changed her (now mid-30s) baby's nappy on a towel on the floor, and it was fine for them. You really don't need a changing station, but please don't change baby's nappy on the bed. They roll.

We used an Ikea fold up changing mat, with inflatable sides, which was great. Also, if you buy baby suits and vests, just get white. You can chuck them all in the wash together.

@WolfMother326 I just changed my babies on a change mat on the bed when they were younger and even on the floor if I was in the living room. I don’t really see the point in change tables as they take more room. We have a wee canvas type storage box with a foldable change mat, nappies, pack of wipes, nappy cream and some nappy sacks and we just pop it in store cupboard when not in use x

I would get a changing table just make sure you get one with draws instead of shelves, they fit so much more. Even if you don't use it after you move you still have a perfectly good chest of draws.

Make sure you get a bedside cot rather than a Moses basket as many babies outgrow those before 6 months.

I wouldn't bother with a nappy bin, you can always buy one after if you want.

You can change them on the bed as long as you don't leave them unattended! Beds are quite big so when I changed my baby in the middle of one they weren't going to roll off the edge without me noticing.

Normal bin with lid or even a fancy kitchen one with odour control is usually cheaper and just as effective as the pricey nappy bins.

I used to change my babies nappies on the bed all the time, but didn’t leave them unattended.

I had a the newborn insert rather than the bassinet for my Bee, which meant I could fold it down with it still attached. It kept them very snug!

Hi, I live in a small one bed flat and I’m due in July. I’ve bought mostly everything already except for pram (have an appointment next month to be shown prams as I need to physically see how compact they fold down to!)

I have:

• a changing table, has one shelf but I found that more convenient as now I can fit the nappy bin on the shelf itself and also have storage boxes on the shelf. Also plan to have storage boxes under the shelf

www.johnlewis.com/anyday-john-lewis-partners-elementary-changing-table-white/p5496070

• tutti bambini cozee bedside crib. Should be big enough to last up to 6 months which is what we hope for!
• a hanging ‘wardrobe’ for baby’s clothes as we don’t have any drawer space

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B07ZSCLN7H?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title&tag=mumsnetforu03-21

• Joie sansa bouncer and rocker
• folding play mat that we will store in a storage box in our bookcase
• angelcare bath support, it has a hooking loop at the top that I will hook on to a suction cup with a hook on the outside of the shower door

www.amazon.co.uk/Angelcare-Baby-Bath-Support-Grey/dp/B07LD1MGKK/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?dchild=1&rdc=1&keywords=angelcare+bath+seat&sprefix=angelcare+bath&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&qid=1618419328&sr=8-4

I plan on having a carrycot to go on the pram for the first few months, and hope to use this as a sleeping place for the baby in the living room. So without the carrycot on the pram chassis this will allow the frame to fold down more compact than if there was a seat attached! Hoping it will then fit in our boiler cupboard. I’ve looked at the Nuna Triv, Bugaboo Bee and Joolz Hub+ on my list of compact prams although they are all quite pricey 😓

Happy to give more tips or advice on how to utilise your space ☺️

Danger of changing on the bed.... they always seem to pee when you 1st open the nappy so don't just whip it off as you could end up with it on the bedding. They also like to poo as you wipe their bum lol

We had two kids in a small 2 bed flat.

Cot in our room (full sized), tiny love 3.in.1 Napper for the living room (for sleeps, is a seat and rocker). Sponge change mat kept under the couch. Wheelie trolley thing from IKEA stacked with nappies, wipes, sleepsuits, toys, the remote control, my water bottle etc. Wheeled it to the bedroom overnight.

We didnt use a baby bath - had a small ramp we put in the main bath. We didnt have a nappy bin - just bagged them and put into a carrier bag which we put in the outside bin once a day.

Doorway bouncer once they want to be upright more.

We were/are in the exact same situation. 6.5 months and we're still in the one bed but hoping to move soon! We had:

A Moses basket and stand (now repurposed as toy box in the living room). That was replaced by an Ikea cot and we had to put a couple of bits from our bedroom in storage to make that work.

For storage we had this - www.argos.co.uk/product/7013227?istCompanyId=a74d8886-5df9-4baa-b776-166b3bf9111c&istFeedId=c290d9a9-b5d6-423c-841d-2a559621874c&istItemId=ixilatttl&istBid=t&&cmpid=GS001&_$ja=tsid:59157%7cacid:844-913-7556%7ccid:9567867118%7cagid:99275631118%7ctid:aud-641224041017:pla-889386694449%7ccrid:423233944798%7cnw:g%7crnd:16986449476231793868%7cdvc:m%7cadp:%7cmt:%7cloc:9045999&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=9567867118&utm_term=7013227&utm_content=shopping&utm_custom1=99275631118&utm_custom2=844-913-7556&gclid=Cj0KCQjwpdqDBhCSARIsAEUJ0hMv4kR0hzbh2Id26gyR3a7nUM7tQfDhGugwtuvX7NjSte26oy8ONeIaAj9LEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds. Much smaller footprint than a changing table and it fits all her clothes, bedding and muslins with spare nappies and wipes underneath this/the cot.

We just used a changing mat on bed or floor. Highly recommend getting some kind of caddy to carry changing stuff around in. Very cheap on Amazon.

We started out with just a sling but she wasn't initially a fan so we got a pram as well. We have the Ergobaby Metro, which is the only one I found with a foldable bassinet that baby doesn't have to be strapped into. We've been very happy with it.

If you don't have a tumble dryer, highly recommend a heated clothes rail for the never-ending laundry. On which note, you will need tons of outfits in whatever is your first size as you will go through multiples per day, but way fewer in the next size up as peeing, therefore accidents, get less frequent. In terms of bedding, we used velcro swaddles and then sleeping bags so the two lovely cellular blankets I bought are the only thing that was hardly used (though useful to have at least one for pram/impromptu naps when they're already asleep and you haven't got them into sleeping bag etc).

We got a Skip Hop Pronto instead of a changing bag - can carry it around in whatever bags you already use, or clip to the pram.

From about two months, a baby gym will be your most used item - loads available on eBay and they can generally be folded and stashed behind the sofa so don't begrudge it the space.

If you get to this stage - we spent ages searching for the perfect foldable high chair and eventually settled on the non-folding, ubiquitous IKEA Antilop because the footprint of most is still so big when folded that you probably wouldn't bother folding it down in a small flat.

I know it's frowned upon on Mumsnet but we would not be without our nappy bin - the outside bin is miles away, no way were we visiting it regularly with a newborn. Similarly, we have a folding baby bath stand from Ok Baby and find it much easier than our attempts to bathe her in the sink in the early days (it just lives propped against the wall in the bathroom). In the first month or so you can bathe them infrequently and get in with them, but that's not a solution in the medium term.

Don't spend lots on a sling before they're born as not all babies are fans. Ours is reconciled now that she's able to look around but I would have been gutted if I'd spent a lot in the early weeks/months when it was a total screamfest. Happily, a stretchy wrap is your best bet for newborns and also cheapest and most compact option so start with that.

Oh, also, ours much preferred lying flat on the playmat to her bouncer so I suggest if you do get one it's a loan that you can return or foldable. We use ours very occasionally but it's definitely the worst usage to footprint ratio of everything we have. But then apparently all other babies love them so yours most likely will too!

Oh, and some bits and pieces that we bought after she was born that I would not be without (though I'm sure some would say these aren't necessary): white noise machine (yes, you can get it on your phone but then you can't use your phone!), a nightlight for night feeds/changing etc and a nursing pillow if you are planning to breastfeed.

We've found it really helpful to kind of compartmentalize storage of baby things so the flat doesn't feel overwhelmed. Now that we're weaning, all her cups and bowls etc live in a bag that hangs on the back of the kitchen door. We got an Ikea suction caddy thing that contains all her bath stuff. That kind of thing.

We had a baby chair that rocked, vibrated etc but also you could clip and lay flat. Perfect for naps downstairs!

We’ve done the baby and small flat thing. We have 2 children in a Victorian terrace with almost no storage.
We did:
Big cot from day 1. No need to have multiple sleep solutions in a small space.
-Cot top changing table.
-Tripp Trapp high chair with newborn pod.
-Babyzen YoYo stroller with newborn nest.
-Normal baby bath but you could easily use the kitchen sink.
-Nappy bin which I’d consider an essential if you don’t have easy access to the outside bins.

We don’t have a bouncy chair and I’ve never used a sling. Naps are generally in the Tripp Tripp newborn chair or the pram. Overnight sleep in the cot.

Thanks everyone, this is all so helpful.

I should have said: we will still get a car seat despite not planning to drive much. I just won't have to keep that in the flat so didn't put it on my list!

I have changed my mind on the nappy bin based on comments, ordering some bags instead. I can always add this later if it becomes a problem.

I think for the most part though I feel good about my original list (despite widespread disapproval of the changing table!) we want one- I have had back issues in the past so would rather have a standing option that is not our bed.

Thanks again for all your input!

A decent chest of drawers may be better than a change table - can be repurposed after as a piece of useable furniture and would provide all the storage for all of babies things.