Raising your little one in a small space is possible with the right tweaks. Don’t worry; soon, you’ll live under a roof with better organization and more room to watch your baby grow. Here’s a guide to everything you need to know about preparing a small living space for a newborn.
Start Spending Less on Nonessential Items
As a new parent, the one thing to do is cut costs. Raising kids requires money, but it can be easy to manage through budgeting. Banking apps let you control how much you spend in a day or week and sometimes reward you for saving toward a goal.
Since one of your money goals on the app is to save for essential baby items, consider taking unnecessary items off, such as a baby walker toy. Your infant isn’t old enough to walk yet, so spending money on a walker isn’t the right choice right now. Save that nonessential item for later.
Create a Minimal Baby Registry
Some parents may be at a fork in the road with friends and family excitedly telling them they plan to buy big things for the baby. It’s a good idea to lay out gift expectations now so that the giving doesn’t turn competitive. Also, it keeps your space less packed.
Create a minimal baby registry so that you can limit what guests buy. If you have extra space for other things, such as decorations, encourage family and friends to purchase small items that you can hang or place on a shelf or bookcase.
Start Decluttering the Rooms and Closets
Before buying anything and even before having a baby shower, you should declutter your space. Every room and closet in the tiny home or apartment should be neat so that there’s room for baby essentials, such as diapers, wipes, and clothes.
Store, Donate, or Sell Bigger Items
Some expecting parents may have items too big to move around the house. If this is your situation, the best idea is to put it in storage, donate it, or try and sell it. Selling could be better if you have no use for the item anymore. Plus, there’s extra money to spend on things later, such as a baby walker.
Create a Nursery With Only Essential Furniture
Creating the nursery is the most exciting part of the pregnancy journey. But before you buy anything, it’s essential to measure your space so that you know what size crib to buy, including a dresser and rocking chair.
Use ergonomics to create a better nursery. One of the ways to create an ergonomic nursery is to arrange furniture in a way that’s most natural for you as you move around the room and do different tasks like changing diapers. Certain nursery room essentials, such as a convertible crib, can make organization easier and prevent clutter by fulfilling multiple roles. This kind of crib fits perfectly into any room size and easily transforms from a crib to a bed.
As you learn how to prepare a small living space for a newborn, consider the furniture you put into the bedroom. The bedroom should only have the essentials.