A lack of nursery space doesn’t mean that you don’t have enough room for your newborn. Try using these tips to get your home ready to bring home your baby.
New parents are often faced with a world full of social media posts and ads depicting the perfect nursery. While you might think that new babies need a room filled with fluffy rugs and tons of gear, the truth is that newborns really do take up very little space.
The best things in life often happen when you aren’t quite prepared. You might need to wait to move into a bigger apartment, or you could be sharing a home with family or friends. For now, a nursery just isn’t in the picture, and that’s perfectly fine. You can welcome your baby and be ready for all those late night snuggle sessions by making these simple changes.
What to Do When You Don’t Have Nursery Space
If you take a serious look at your home right now, you may find that you have more nursery space than you think. Walk through each room in your house, and open up the closets and drawers. As you do, be honest about how much you use each item you find. Did you stop pursuing a craft or a hobby? Then, it’s time to clear out the supplies. You might also be ready to sell or donate that chair that you never sit in anyway. Getting rid of some items may reveal that there is plenty of room to set up a nursery area.
Babies don’t require a ton of supplies when they are first born. You can easily store their diapers, onesies and tiny socks in a single drawer or two. The same also goes for their feeding supplies. Just clear out a part of a kitchen cabinet, and you’ll be ready to store their items.
New parents don’t tend to spend all of their time in a nursery. Instead, you may find that you need to change a diaper real quick in the living room while you cook dinner. Or, you might prefer to get your baby dressed in the bathroom after they have their bath. Try to view your nursery space as a set of zones, and set up furniture and supplies accordingly.
It is possible to lean a diaper pad against any wall. It can be picked up and also put on a bed to change a baby. If one room doesn’t work, it can be taken to another room. A diaper supply station can be placed on a dresser. A diaper basket works perfectly and enables the person changing the baby to move to any place in a home that works best.
If space for a nursery is limited, parents should realize it isn’t that important for a newborn to have their own crib. This is something they can use for sleeping when they get older. There are many sleep options available for a newborn, like a portable crib, co-sleeper bed or bassinet. Many parents like the idea of having their newborn within their reach. Another option is a sidecar-crib. It can be placed right next to the parents’ bed. This makes it so a mother doesn’t have to get out of bed for nighttime nursing.
You might not need that oversized glider and footstool combo if you already have a comfortable recliner. Many baby furniture units are also made to have more than one function. For instance, a changing table might have drawers that you can use to store clothing.
The majority of people rarely use space that is more than a third up their walls. Consider swapping out a small side table for a taller bookshelf that you can fill with bins to hold your baby supplies. You can also hang shelves to add your favorite pieces of baby decor when there isn’t much room down lower.
Although babies don’t care about decorations, you might feel a little wistful about not getting to choose the perfect paint colors for the nursery. Fortunately, you can still indulge your desire to decorate by choosing functional pieces. Putting a stuffed toy on a bookshelf or tossing a baby blanket over a chair makes a big difference in how your nursery space feels.
It’s important to realize that babies can play anywhere. If space is a problem, a baby and their toys can be taken to any place in a home. Parents need to realize infants are more interested in interacting with them and cuddling than their nursery situation. The daily life of a newborn involves playing with some toys, interacting with their parents, eating and sleeping. The toys used with a newborn don’t need to take up any significant amount of space.
When getting a home ready for a baby, it will have to change. Things will have to be moved out of a space and a baby’s things will be moved in. A specific area could be designated for a newborn, but this may change when they arrive. After a newborn spends time in a home, other arrangements may work better. Parents need to be flexible. Things will evolve over time.
Parents should not spend too much money purchasing or registering for various versions of baby jumpers, seats, bouncers and swings. A single bed and unique bouncer or seat will be enough. When space is tight, it’s important to purchase items that are not bulky. A fancy baby mat is not necessary. A soft blanket placed on the floor surrounded by a few fun and colorful baby toys will do the job.
When you think about it, a perfect nursery only lasts long enough for a quick picture. Soon enough, all nurseries get overrun with baby supplies and gear. Starting out smaller might actually be better since you’ll only have what you truly need to keep your baby safe and showered with love. There may not need to be a designated space right away for a nursery, but there will always be space to keep the things a baby needs.