The Saturday Question: Are you raising baby in a small space?

18 Responses for "The Saturday Question: Are you raising baby in a small space?"

1. Heather January 31st, 2009 at 5:35 am 1

   I would love to hear the responses! I have a 3 bedroom house, an expansive yard attached to a park and a small SUV, YET I complain to my husband that we need a bigger house and more space. HELP!!!

2. Kacie January 31st, 2009 at 6:21 am 2

   Our six-week-old is here with us in our two-bedroom apartment and it’s fine. The only time it feels crowded is when we have a bunch of visitors!

   We opted not to get a “travel system” since the stroller is incredibly bulky and I thought it wouldn’t fit well in our trunk along with other things. Instead, we got a convertible car seat, so it stays in the car. I carry my baby in a sling, and we’ll get an umbrella stroller when he’s bigger.

   At this point, he doesn’t have a lot of stuff and that’s fine by me! I do think we have way too many clothes, but that’s how it goes I think.

3. DeeAnn January 31st, 2009 at 6:38 am 3

   I live in a 1,050 sq ft house and am expecting baby home soon. My house is tiny compared to urban sprawl. But, we have more than we need. I have a basement to swap out toys when she gets bored. I agree with Kacie, nix the travel system. They will use it for such a short time and it is a monster. I also drive a Saab instead of a SUV. With it’s hatchback, I can stow more than my brother’s gas guzzler SUV. In a small space, you need to be more savvy about storing things “upward” and under beds. It also keeps your life a bit more simple. I need to clean my clothes closet out every 6 months. But, I’m also not so tempted to buy a million clothes.

   I also think that those of us that live in smaller spaces tend to use outside spaces more, such as local parks, rec centers, restaurants/coffee houses, and our backyards.

   Babies don’t need much besides a place to sleep (can sleep with you), something to eat, and clothes. It seems babies’ toys are generally the day to day things and not the latest gadget.

4. Mallory January 31st, 2009 at 7:13 am 4

   My husband, 3 month old son, and me live with our fat cat in about 750 sq. feet. It’s a lot better than our previous apt. at 390 sq. feet! We feel like we like in a palace now!

   Though it is a small space, it has really forced us to live simply and be very organized. When registering for our wedding and baby we chose things that could be hidden away (hand mixer instead of kitchenaid mixer, fold up travel swing for baby). We purchase toys like wooden blocks with letters and numbers on it that not only last a long time, but can be used for different stages (knocking down towers then learning the abcs and counting). We go to the library instead of purchasing a lot of books. We are also forced to part with unnecessary material goods and treasure the memory instead. I keep a few of my son’s outfits like the one he wore in the hospital, but donate the rest. It keeps me in check, because otherwise I would be a horrible packrat! And it is a very safe area, because I always know where my son is. We don’t have to worry about stairs he could fall down or numerous bathrooms he could explore.

   I agree with DeeAnn’s comment about exploring the outside more. When Liam starts becoming more active it will be a great joy to go to nearby parks, coffeeshops, and lakes.

   Sometimes it can be difficult to live in a small space. It is harder to have a lot of people over, play loud music, or never have a lot of space for yourself. We don’t have a backyard to run around in anytime we want. However, at this point in our lives it is perfect.

5. Daisy January 31st, 2009 at 8:16 am 5

   I still remember traveling with a 5 year old and a baby in our tiny Mazda Protege. In later years when my brother in law insisted they needed a minivan to take their one baby anywhere, I just shook my head. We didn’t get our minivan until my kids were in middle school and we were carpooling 6-7 preteens at a time. It’s all in the perception; babies don’t really need that much space.

6. Michele @ Frugal Granola January 31st, 2009 at 8:27 am 6

   We live in a small one-bedroom basement apartment. We have a 2 yo daughter, with another little one on the way. Right now, my husband & I sleep on a futon in the living area, while our daughter sleeps in the bedroom. We plan to use a combination of a cradle/co-sleeping with the baby at first, until the kids share a room. (Plus the baby can easily sleep in the bedroom for naps during the day, while big sister plays in the living room.)

   We have a small car that gets great gas mileage, with room for carseats in the back. It’s not ideal for long trips (that require lots of packing), but for the most part it should work. I rarely use the car anyway, since my husband takes it to work. Right now, I walk for most of my errands, with the toddler in a Red Flyer wagon (with all-terrain wheels) or the Maclaren umbrella stroller. (Up until this fall, I was still wearing her, and I plan to pick up babywearing again with the new baby, & hoping to avoid purchasing a double stroller.)

   We also just use the convertible carseat, to avoid the bulk, as well as the expense of multiple purchases. Instead of carrying a newborn around in a carseat, I would just pop the baby into a sling to wear her during outings. It kept her close & comfortable, and I had my hands free. (Plus, I wasn’t hauling that heavy seat around- much easier on my back!)

   As the above commenter mentioned, we also use outside spaces a lot more- and as a family! We’re not all divided into separate rooms, with separate hobbies throughout a big house (as we were in years past). We love having plenty of time together as family, just living life.

   I’ve found that the basic layette clothing items in neutral colors work just fine. We can now use them again from the first baby, without buying new ones. (Except for a few additional items to accommodate a different season of birth.) We don’t find out the gender ahead of time, which helps prevent those spontaneous or “extra” purchases of items geared specifically to one gender.

   Michele

7. Betsy January 31st, 2009 at 4:38 pm 7

   We live in a 956 sq foot, 2 bedroom condo. My daughter is 3 and we have done just fine. We are thinking of adding another baby to which he/she will share a room with our daughter until we eventually move. When your space is minimal, you would be amazed at all the extra stuff you don’t need. We have a compact car too. We are thinking of getting a Mini Van but not until number two arrives as having a 3 year old in a compact is super easy.

   Despite our minimized space, I have slowly discovered how to maximize our quality of life.

8. Ellie from Toronto January 31st, 2009 at 4:45 pm 8

   We have an almost 2 yo and also live in a 750 sq. so I guess here’s were you see an how we all have different opinions. I hate it!
   Yes I know were my daughter is at all times. Yes we spend a lot of time together! Still, I can use more space!!!. We have a TV mounted on the wall, a small sofa and small dinner table, my daughter’s bed and our bed, thats all the furniture we have.
   She’s got a few toys and I’m not buying more and still I feel like the ceiling is closing on me, maybe it’s just been a long winter, but I’m ready to move to a bigger place.

9. Serena January 31st, 2009 at 6:23 pm 9

   We’re in 730 square feet, and I find the biggest challenge to be the layout! I love the amount of space, because it is so quick and easy to clean up, but I would have done the layout soooo much differently! Okay, maybe the second biggest challenge is the layout, the first is actually my packrat tendencies, which have definitely gotten better since having children. I purge clothes and toys constantly!

   We opted for a travel-size crib and a convertible car seat. I ditto what Michele said above about car seats and slings.

   I didn’t cloth diaper my first baby, but I am cloth diapering my five-month-old, and I have found that I don’t need nearly as many clothes as I did with my first, since the cloth diapers don’t leak! This is great, because we have a three-drawer dresser for them to share: top drawer for baby, middle for three-year-old, bottom for dress-up clothes and socks–and I still have space for something else in there. Children DO NOT need that many clothes–my girls have way less clothes than any of their cousins, and they STILL have too many! One exception would be if you use the laundromat. I have one of those many-pocketed back-of-the-door hanging organizers that gives me so much space–I haven’t even figured out how to use it all efficiently yet!

   We’ve gotten most of our small-space organizational stuff from Ikea, because they have things FOR small spaces. Inspiration is wonderful.

10. Celeste February 1st, 2009 at 8:02 pm 10

    We lived in a 950 square foot, 2 bedroom condo with our daughter until she was 2 1/2 years old. We were completely content. We organized the space well and kept things neat. I liked the easy clean up. I knew where everything was. We didn’t go overboard on toys, only a few age appropriate, interesting toys. We did have a tiny backyard (maybe 70 square feet) where we had a sandbox. Our only car was a Honda Civic. I thought it was the perfect size for us.

    Now, we have a 2000 square foot house (with a small but bigger yard than the condo) and a mini van, both of which I feel are too big and unnecessary. We’re expecting our third baby and while I don’t want to go back to our little condo, I think our family size would work well in a smaller space.

11. Eileen February 1st, 2009 at 8:44 pm 11

    I don’t really think my place is that small at 1400 sf, but I know people with a lot more who can’t imagine less. The biggest challenge for me is that there is no garage or even outdoor storage closet. the bedroom closets are pretty decent sized and 1/2 of my daughter’s closet is used to store all the camping gear and christmas decorations. I have forced myself to make do with the storage space we have. I feel like I”m constantly re-arranging and trying to find a better solution to the “puzzle” but I like puzzles so I don’t mind. I also just don’t hang onto anything that doesn’t seem necessary. I’m still SO far from “there” but I have taken on the mindset that if my stuff doesn’t fit it’s because I have too much stuff, not because my space is too small.

12. Audrey February 1st, 2009 at 11:17 pm 12

    I have no idea how many square feet our townhouse is, but it is NOT very big! The living room can fit one couch, our dining room can fit one of those tiny tables and two chairs + a high chair, and the bedrooms are not very big. Although we do have 3 bedrooms and 1 1/2 bathrooms, which is great…. We only have our 18-month-old daughter, so we use the third bedroom for storage…. Christmas decorations, all of my daughter’s old clothes and toys and whatnot (I refuse to get rid of anything of hers until I get pregnant again….. and find out what I’m having! I don’t want to have to find stuff again), boxes of diapers and wipes, food (we have NO cupboard space), camping gear, overflow toys, clothes my daughter has yet to grow into, etc. etc. etc. That third bedroom has helped soooo much! We have had two roommates in our tiny place, one of which had two kids, so they used two bedrooms….. Princess was about 2 months old when they moved out and we were able to use the other rooms. Then we got another roommate for 4 months, who used the third bedroom. We managed, but things we very very cluttered! The small space is great because the family is always together, no matter what we’re all doing. My daughter can be playing with her toys, my husband can be watching TV, and I can be making dinner, and we can easily have a conversation. It’s also waaaay easier for cleanup! The only problem is that my daughter has SO MANY TOYS. It takes up so much space in the living room, her bedroom, AND the third bedroom! But we manage, and I love our tiny, cozy little apartment.

13. Heather February 2nd, 2009 at 2:24 pm 13

    We live in a 700 sq ft studio apartment. Co-sleeping has made it easy to live without a crib. Since we do infant-led feeding, I never mushed my daughter’s food, so a high chair isn’t necessary. We just hold her on our lap or let her sit in a big chair when she eats with us. My mother keeps telling us we need a bigger place. I really don’t think that’s necessary. We limit the toys and clothes and I go through things and de-clutter pretty regularly. We don’t have washer/dryer hookups so we go to the laundromat which is only 2 blocks away. The biggest trouble is our lack of dishwasher, but it’s not so bad. We are limited in decorating, but that’s fine. What’s important is the people in the house, not the things.

14. Larisa February 2nd, 2009 at 4:45 pm 14

    We don’t have a minivan (Toyota Prius does just fine, thank you) or a huge yard, but we do have an excessively large house and quickly discovered that we expanded to fit in no time. It’s 2760 square feet (though we rent out two bedrooms and one bathroom) and we now have way too much stuff! It’s also an older house and super expensive to heat. It is our plan this year to downsize to a smaller, more energy-efficient house and stop being such packrats. It’s been very liberating shedding a lot of our stuff already and selling it/giving it to friends/taking it to Goodwill. I don’t think we could make it in a 750 sq. foot space, not so much because of our 2 year old but because my husband and I were only children and are used to each having our own space. Though I am hoping that a smaller house will help us spend more time together, and it’s helpful to see the advice from people who are making it in small spaces.

15. Jillian February 5th, 2009 at 5:43 pm 15

    When Ethas was born we were in a 800 sf 1 bdrm apt and everyday i got more and more claustrophobic. Even though we minimized the amount of “stuff” we had, there is only so much you can downsize with out resorting to disposable products or throwing money you already spent away. I would get so frustrated because there was just no room to walk or do anything comfortably. We had a tiny kitchen where i could touch all the walls around me standing in the middle, had a small dining table, crib in the bedroom with us and stuff stored everywhere!!! Living in FL the summer humidity makes it hard to spend to much time outside before you’re dieing for some air conditioning. As much as you try to keep things simple family and friends will give toys, clothes and so much more without even considering if you have room to keep it all.
    We’ve since moved to a larger 1300 sf 2 bdrm apt and it is AMAZING! Ethan has his own room, bathroom and closet (which we use for storage). He has room to crawl and we have a patio for our plants, we’re also right next to a huge public park where we often go walking. I feel like we’re still living small in our new apartment because we want a house with our own yard and garage. But for now we couldn’t be happier to have room to stretch and exercise our little legs!

16. esme February 19th, 2009 at 9:52 pm 16

    “What’s important is the people in the house, not the things”

    AMEN to that!

17. Rita May 27th, 2009 at 12:44 am 17

    Hubby and I live in a 440 sqft studio. No children yet, but our plan is to buy a house before I get pregnant. Although he thinks we could raise children just fine in our current home – I completely disagree. We share our studio with two (very small) dogs and a fat cat. We have no table for meals. Hubby is a bit of a pack-rat, so there is NO extra storage space. And there’s no way he would give up the enormous TV he bought that COMPLETELY blocks our sliding door. I could probably manage during the baby’s infancy. But he/she would have no room to crawl without being trampled by dogs. Also, intimacy would definitely be an issue with a child always in the same room. I also plan on homeschooling our children, which I don’t think would be possible in such a small space.

18. Sasha February 18th, 2010 at 8:38 pm 18

    My husband, me, and my four-month-old, live in a 450 square foot studio apartment. My husband is a master’s student and we live near campus. All our friends with huge, 4-5 bedroom houses told us we were crazy to have a baby in this place. But our friends who have studios or one bedrooms on campus told us, “You can make it work if you want to!” So we do. We are organized and stay minimal as possible. It’s tough at times, but we are happy and are closer (literally and figuratively) for it!