Creating Room for Your First Baby in a Small Apartment

As a young couple, having your first baby is one of the most joyous moments of your lives. One thing you may worry about as you bring an additional member into the family is space. While babies don’t take up a lot of space, their stuff does! When you bring a baby into a small apartment, you start to notice just how much space you don’t have.

The good news is that you don’t need to have a permanent home when the new baby comes around. You may be working in San Francisco, Los Angeles or Phoenix, and going for a small apartment instead of rushing to the suburbs can be a great idea.

San Francisco, for instance, offers great job opportunities if you are a doctor, IT guy, or marketer. If you are a lawyer, professor or engineer, Los Angeles is known for these types of jobs. Granted, you may not have to live in these cities forever. However, living in a city in California or Arizona does have its benefits, and it can be great fun if you take advantage of self-storage.

While living in a small apartment, your family can make good use of San Francisco parks, for instance. What you lack in a yard you can make up for with strolls in the many parks within walking distance. With self-storage on your side, you get to buy yourself some time as you research and decide on a permanent home. All while enjoying the city life!

The small house may not be enough for the number of kids you want to have eventually. This should not stop you from enjoying your kid’s first years. There are ways to work around space issues in your small apartment when you have your first baby. Those large homes in the suburbs can wait!

Choosing the Baby’s Room

Since having your first baby does not mean that you must move, there are some ways to create extra room. With self-storage solutions available, you won’t have to throw away anything either. You simply have to reorganize and de-clutter your small apartment and move some of your things in storage. Sounds like fun!

Self-storage units can help you store seasonal items (think Christmas trees/decor). They can also help you downsize some rooms to create space for the little one. Your stuff will be safe, and you will have a permanent base as you move around the cities or towns.

Now, in your current situation, creating extra room for your baby in a small apartment will involve some changes. You can choose to downsize a home office temporarily if you have one. You probably don’t use every piece of furniture in there every day!

Who knew having a shared office and nursery can be great fun. Now Mom and Dad can work as the little gem snoozes. Think of all the memories you can create here.

Converting a home office into a nursery isn’t too difficult. Some of the stuff in your home office is probably not essential to your everyday grind — think historical file cabinets and a second desk. You can move and store any bulky furniture/equipment like these and items such as printers, paperwork boxes, and scanners in self-storage units.

If you have a large desk, consider replacing it with a mini-desk. After all, how much space does one person take? You will only need your computer and a small desk. You can install shelves above your chosen workspace to keep your documents, pens and other stationery.

If your apartment has an extra room that you used as a storage space or a bachelor pad, you can downsize it too and turn it into a nursery. Once you have tucked away your belongings in a self-storage unit, you can focus on the essentials, filling the room with only must-have everyday items.

Look for a sturdy mini-crib with fixed sides. You can also add a dresser where you can save space with one that has a changing table on top. You can use the area beneath the dresser to keep your baby’s clothes and toys. This is one of the easiest ways to make room for a baby in small apartment.

Lastly, you can make room in the master bedroom to fit a crib. Look around and single out the items in your bedroom that you rarely use. Chances are there are several items that you can put into storage. The items can include bedside furniture such as drawers and chairs, as well as desks and cabinets. Sharing a room seems crazy at first, but when your baby is a newborn, you’ll want to be close to them anyway!

Since you may be living in the city apartment for a short while, an upgrade may not be necessary. Make good use of storage units and move these items there. You can also install shelves in the master bedroom to keep the baby’s stuff. Another option is to use the space under the crib. You will find that you can stash plenty of things under then crib in organizers.

How to Prepare Your Small Apartment for the Baby

You must make your home safer for your new baby! Take the time and have a thorough look around the apartment. This will help you identify any potentially risky or dangerous things that you can put into storage.

• The first place you want to start with is the sleeping area. Babies snooze all the time, and so your little tot will be spending a great deal of time here. Get a child-safe crib and ensure that you have a firm mattress that fits without leaving any gaps. Keep all stuffed toys, pillows, clothes with strings, and excess bedding away from the sleeping area.
• City apartments can have areas that are dangerous for your baby. Identify these areas and prevent access. These areas can include the balcony, staircase, water features, or terraces. Install baby gates in these areas.
• Your baby can get hurt by unprotected sharp edges. Place bumper guards along the edges and corners of your coffee table. Better yet, why not keep it in storage for a few years.
• Check the sturdiness of your furniture and reinforce shelving units. Babies like to use furniture for support, and if they are flimsy, your baby could get hurt. You will want to get anti-skid rugs. Very soon, your kid will be running around, and slippery doormats and rugs can injure him/her.
• Look for any items in the apartment that can trip your baby. Having any materials, tools, or cords lying around is inviting an accident. Ensure that you cover up all electrical outlets and put safety locks on your cabinets. Babies are a curious lot, and yours won’t be any different. Remember that children are naturally attracted to mirrors. As such, keep all hand-held mirrors in storage. Make sure that any mirrors in your house are braced to the walls where your baby can’t pull them down.

All in all, your baby is going to grow up so fast these few months living with a little less will be a blink! Having a baby while living in a small apartment doesn’t mean that you have to throw away your precious belongings or move to the suburbs.

Renting self-storage units is a great solution. You get to enjoy the social and professional offerings of the cities as well as the amenities, all while having fun raising your baby. Simply tuck away your possessions for a few years until you can move to a larger and permanent home.