So what do I really need for a baby?

In My Humble Opinion
1

We’re expecting WhyBaby in June (yay!) We also live in a very tiny apartment, with no room to be the “baby’s room.” There are two relatively large closets (nope, not large enough to be a room!) that we can clear out for her, and she’ll sleep in our room for a good while, at least.

So, what do I need, with relatively little space, in baby paraphanalia and furniture? What do you actually use, and what was a waste of space and money? For example, is a changing table really needed? High chair? Swing?

(Obviously, I know there are women living in mud huts who have two cloths and a goat. I’m not looking at being quite so spartan. And I do have grandparents who are going to want to buy her everything under the sun, so I have to let them get some things - I just prefer not to be buried in useless crap.)

2

Of all the people I’ve known who have had babies, none of them had a changing table. They all changed the baby on the bed.

You’ll probably need a crib (make sure it’s safe!). You may need the swing thing later on (I’m not sure what the age range is for one). Same for the high chair.

Unless you plan on having more children and not moving into a larger apartment or house, once the child outgrows the furniture, move it out.

3

Congratulations! June’s a wonderful month, too. :cool:

I never used the changing table to change the baby on, more of a plop down on the floor or bed with them type, but if the grandparents want to buy a crib/cradle/table set just remember that changing tables make good shelves.

Swing? Eh, I could never put the child into it without bashing his head at least twice, but other folks find it a lifesaver. I preferred a 3lb umbrella stroller that’s easy to carry instead of one of the convertible types with forty-two features, again it’s all about preference. Unless maybe you go with one of those combo lines, where the baby carrier fits into the car seat base, the stroller base and the swing base? I’m not sure whether all those bases are collapsible for sliding under or behind something when not in use, it might be space-saving though.

No real need for a playpen in a small place, probably. Most folks I know use them as substitute cribs for naptime far more often than for actual playtime. Whybaby’s crib will work for naps or mommyneedsashower containment, and they develop better playing on a blankie on the floor anyway, IMO. I loved the highchair that slid right onto the table edge, like they sometimes use in restaurants, strong and safe and took up next to no room. Once s/he outgrows that, it’ll be time to switch to a booster that sets in a chair, still out of the way.

Somehow or another, you’ll make it work in a cramped space, we all figure it out one way or another. Enjoy your little one.

4

When my first baby was new, we lived in a tiny apartment as well. In fact, lived there until she was over a year. So, this is what I found:
—We did not get a separate changing table. I had a low dresser in our bedroom already, so I just put a changing pad on top of that and it worked just fine.
—The low bouncy chair was invaluable, and didn’t take up too much space. personally, we also loved the swing, but YMMV with that.
—We got the travel system that Queen Tonya mentioned, with the car seat that snaps into both the base in the car and the stroller. The big problem was that we lived on the 2nd floor, and there was no way for one person to get the stroller and baby-in-the-car-seat down the stairs for a walk, so that particular stroller was nearly useless until we moved. Some people get was is called a Snap-n-Go instead, as they are cheaper and lighter.
—We waited to get the crib until she was a few months old. This saved some space.
—We never got a freestanding high chair—we got this booster/high chair thing with a removable tray that straps on to an existing kitchen chair. Saved loads of space and, now that she is a toddler, we use it without the tray and just push her up to the table.

Good luck! I just had my 2nd baby 3 days ago. They’re amazing creatures. June is good, too, b/c you’ll skip being pregnant in late summer, which I did not.

5

Skip the umbrella strollers for wee babies (until they can sit up). My second child actually never rode in a stroller until she was over a year old, so you can get by without it, certainly.

Needs? To start with:

Diapers and wipes, whether cloth or disposable
Clothes: at least 10-12 outfits in newborn size, plus half a dozen in the next two sizes up. Leave tags on the bigger things so you can return 'em if needed. Lots of people might give you clothes, so you can adjust that.
Half a dozen receiving blankets, which double as burp clothes.
Soft baby carrier, whether frontpack or sling
Somewhere safe to place baby while you tend to dinner, take a shower, etc. A bouncy seat, crib, bassinet, all these work well.

Things I thought were a waste and did without:

changing table
playpen
swing
loud electronic toys

YMMV, of course.

6

Ikea makes the spiffiest changing table thingy that wall mounts. in the in-store display they have it mounted above the toilet, but you could put it on any wall i guess, think of a medicine cabinet that the front drops down like a retail store baby changing table. I am headed to ikea this saturday, I will try to get the ‘name’ of it [they dont number they name things, and the website is absofragginlutely useless unless you know the name of the stupid item.]

7

I’m not sure we would have survived the first year without our carrier. My mother got us the Baby Bjorn one as a shower gift. It really was priceless. There were many times that this was the only way we could get him to sleep.

Unless you plan to co-sleep, you will need a crib. Another shower gift we got was a musical aquarium for the crib. My critter is nearly two and he still loves that aquarium. It’s actually how I know he is up in the morning. I hear the music playing on the moniter.

Which is another “must-have”, in my book. A moniter. I know your place is small, but having that moniter really gave me peace of mind during the first year. I knew that I would always hear him no matter how hard I was sleeping.

Bouncy seats are pretty much required equipment and many people find that it is easier to feed in the bouncy seat at first.

Oh…and if you are breast-feeding, consider a Boppy pillow. That thing ends up offering a myriad of uses. I used it to prop during feeding, used it when I passed out on the nursery floor on bad nights, Mr. Photo loved it when he was bottle feeding since it made holding the baby a less delicate matter, critter used it to prop when he started pushing up on his arms, and he still uses it to lay about on the floor. Very handy little number there.

8

I get a lot of use from my playpen, I actually got a pack and play that has a bassinet and up until very recently (about August) he’s slept in the bassinet and then the playpen. We lived in a small apartment and didn’t even get the crib until we moved, the bassinet/playpen fit just nicely into a corner and we tucked a sheet around the bottom mat. He slept just fine in there, steps from my bed.

In total the furniture we have for him: playpen/bassinet, crib, high chair, stroller/carseat combo and a carseat. Two things I also found invaluable were an exersaucer and a bouncy chair. Both have been great to set him in nearby while I do chores. We started with the bouncy chair, when he got out of that we got an exersaucer. Both we picked up in good condition, cheap at a second hand store and consignment shop.

They won’t need shoes or anything, but I found the Robeez slippers were great to protect his feet and keep him from kicking his socks off outside. They also come in bright colours to catch their eye and get them playing with their toes.

Here’s the thread I posted awhile ago if you want to peruse it for other ideas.

Oh and tip for the stroller: Know what sort of one you want to get then shop around. Pick them up, fold them down, make sure the handles are at the right height (that was a big one for me). Make sure it’ll be the right one for you. There are so many out there and you can play with the store models all you want to help you find all the features you want and need at the cost that works. I think I was in and out of dozens of stores before I even got close to the end of my pregnancy just window shopping and picking what I thought might work.

And congrats!!

9

This isn’t a within-the-house thing, but…

Car Seat!

There are two ways (that I know of) you can go - you can buy/rent a newborn lying-down-only carrier, then get a sitting-up seat later down the track (at 6-9 months or so) or a reversible one which can either lie down or sit up.

The second option sounds, at first glance, like the better one (only 1 piece of equipment to buy) and it’s what we did, but there’s a BIG advantage in Option 1 that we missed out on - the newborn-only ones can generally be taken out of the car with the baby in it, which can be a wonderful thing if your baby is one of the 99% or so who goes to sleep well in cars. We could never get our TinyGirl out of her seat without waking her, so if she fell asleep on the way to somewhere, it generally meant one of us sitting in the car at our destination for 1/2 an hour or so waiting for her to have her sleep out.

I have to go against the flow, somewhat, and put in a vote for change-tables … I love my change table, it’s the only surface in the house that’s high enough not to give me bachache. But I am a tall chick with back issues, so YMMV depending on that. A change pad on any appropriately-heighted surface, like lorene should be just as good … assuming that you HAVE an appropriately-heighted surface!

Low bouncy-chair
Soft carry-pack (BabyBjorn/sling or whatever)

  • both wonderful items that don’t take up much space.

Things that are a waste of money: any automated baby-soothing device involving movement/sound that STOPS AFTER 5 MINUTES! Our girl would take at least 15-20 to soothe to sleep - little lullaby gadgets that give you about 3 rounds of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and then stop, just pissed her off.

10

What I’d advocate:

  1. co-sleep. No money spent on crib, no having to find space for crib, and, if you take some common-sense precautions, it’s at least as safe as a crib. And my wife liked it a whole lot more when her baby was snuggling up against her at night than when we were trying to convince him to fall asleep by himself and not cry afte waking up alone after 30 minutes. After we gave up on crib-sleeping (about 4 sleepless weeks), the crib became a changing table and place to put the kid while showering. Also comes in handy if combined with…
  2. Breast feed. No money spent on formula that isn’t as good for the baby as the breast milk is. Also, at some point in time, if you’re co-sleeping, then at some point in time the kid’s going to figure out how to latch on for his middle of the night feeding without you waking up. This is a good thing.
  3. whether you need a changing table or not is dependant upon your back. We just used the bed/floor/whatever.
  4. The “pack 'n play” was pretty much a place to put the baby while he was sleeping downstairs during the day. Very useful, but that was in a two story house.
  5. The baby carrier (baby bjorn or such) was just so invaluable…he hated the stroller, but loved being up where he could look everybody in the face. You can also get a reasonable amount of work done around the house while carrying your baby (vacuuming, etc, no cooking!).

At some point in time (4-6 months), you’ll want a good food processor to turn fresh fruits and veggies into baby-ready mush. Freeze it in ice cube trays for individual servings.

-lv

11

We had a baby 8 months ago and are expecting again in April. When we had Erin, we were living in 1 room and had a tiny box room for her. We did get a couple big pieces (car seat, dresser and crib) but that is all we needed.

Here is what I suggest:
~A moses basket would suffice for the first few months - until baby starts rolling then it is vital to have a crib (unless co-cleeping).
~Baby carrier/sling - very comforting to baby and easy to store.
~Car seat - these do take up a bit of space but it can also be used to sit baby in when you start weaning (I do as I can’t hold baby and feed at the same time). Also, most hospitals will not let you leave with your baby unless you have one to take baby home in.
~Breast feed for as long as possible. The room sterilisers, bottles and whatnot take up is quite a lot.
~Dresser or lots of shelves in a closet for clothes and blankets. You can get hanging shelves that would do the trick until you had room for a real dresser.

What’s not so important:
~Changer - dresser top, bed or floor works a charm, just get a change mat or thick blanket for especially messy jobs. I bought one that sits on top of the cot but found it quite heave and awkward to handle one-handed and once she started rolling over it became difficult to keep her on it.
~Swings, baby bouncers etc. Until baby can hold its head up these are just a space taker-upper. When a bit older and space provides perhaps a door bouncer. Erin loves hers.
~Playpen - at least until baby is awake more during the day and you need somewhere to put baby safely whilst doing housework.
~Highchair - until baby can sit by self, or use carseat as long as possible. Erin is 8 months and we are just now considering getting one as she is eating more finger foods so it would be beneficial for her.

Good luck!

12

We have two kids, the latest arriving just three months ago…

  1. The high chair can wait and even when you do need on (and you will) you’ll want to get one with a smaller footprint. My father-in-law got us one for the first kid that took up like 25 square feet in the kitchen. You can go much smaller.

  2. The changing table isn’t necessary. We never used the one we got before. The bed and floor get the job done.

  3. You will certainly want a bassinet for the kid to sleep in eventually.

  4. SOME sort of storage container or location for endless diapers and washclothers and wipes. You won’t BELIEVE how many of these you go through.

13

There are dressers out there that are designed as a changing table. My two have out grown the changing table so we took off the pad and its now just their dresser. It wasn’t any more expensive than a good dresser and it work out well for us.

14

The door bouncer was the only way I had a shower for the first year. Best Invention Ever.

We co-slept but only because it made middle-of-the-night breast feeding so easy. iI is a lovely feeling to feed the lil one off to sleep while everyone is snuggled up in bed. As others have said changing tables are an incredible waste of space. You just won’t use it that often.

Pets are the best toy ever! Even ones they can’t touch. The child stood for the first time to see the fish better. He crawled while attempting to get the dog.

That old saying about babies liking the packaging better then the present is true. Make use of this.

15

Oh! That’s why the make swings like this now…I always wondered that when I worked in the baby’s department of a store a few summers ago. I never considered head wacking.

I know a lot of people advised that you probably won’t need a playpen for a while, but they told my parents that too. I was three weeks old when they needed to buy one. Some babies can roll over really really young, and roll under the floor length blinds…my mother almost had a heart attack thinking I was kidnapped when she came back from the next room with a diaper. Here’s to hoping that your kid stays out of trouble for another couple months longer than that :stuck_out_tongue:

16

Congrats … and how well I know your dilemma.

I think you’d be best served by registering for things. Then you’ve got a list of what you think will work best for you, and you won’t end up with as much crap as you think you would.

We’re in a 2/2 ‘cottage’ but one room belongs to the dozen or so computers we have in various states of aliveness.

We didn’t use a** crib**, and we didn’t do a lot of co-sleeping. We got a baby hammock and it worked rather well for the first seven or eight months. He could cry but jounce himself back to sleep, from a sitting position I could lift him easily even while healing from a c-section (he was 9 pounds 7 oz at birth), and the whole contraption only took the footprint of a portable crib. Once he could escape (7 or 8 months) into a sitting position, we took him out, though calmer children can sleep in it up to two years of age.

We didn’t buy a changing table, but used my sewing table for a while. After the hammock was of no further use to us, we put up a crib and change/d him there.

We didn’t buy a **dresser **at a baby store. We bought one at a regular furniture store, better quality and more longetivty style wise. Recently have purchased the matching full headboard and night stands (on clearance, and we’re moving) for a few years from now (guest suite furniture until then).

For high chairs, we own three. One is from a consignment shop ($10) that is your basic “the kid can sit up and bang a spoon on the tray or eat” one that lives at Grandma’s house on her porch when it is not in use. The next one is a ‘hook on the table’ one that we use at restaurants. We were going to use it at home, and do in a pinch, but our table doesn’t have a flat underside (kick panel hanging down). We also bought the Fisher Price Healthy Care High Chair. Not the super deluxe one with the extra fit-in trays, but the one with the single tray that FOLDS for storage. You can always also call Fisher Price and get multiple replacement trays very cheaply.

For Swings we got the Ocean Wonders Aquarium Swing and the Kick and Play bouncer chair … but I think we would have been better served with the portable swing and a bouncer chair that later converted into a child-sized rocking chair.

For bouncers of one sort or another … we got a standard “exersaucer” type thing, but they have “foldable” ones now. As an alternative to the “bump your head on the doorframe” bouncey seats, Fisher Price makes a Jumperoo. One or the other should be doable, but if htye have one at daycare, you don’t really need one at home.

For playpens we over bought. We got a double sized one (the size of standard ones now) with a basinette feature. We used it a lot until he was too big for that feature, now it is a toy collector. We would have been better served with a superyard system, overall.

For carseats we got a convertable but ended up using a (free) baby bucket and monster stroller at first. The monster stroller was heavy and usless except for rolling the bucket around (take kid in and out of car w/o waking) so I got a universal frame that acted as a bucket holder and was much lighter. Under fifty bucks and saved my ass. We moved him to the convertable and have used it since.

For strollers we have a Volo. I picked it becuase it is light and small, and sturdy. But it has no shade. It has no wind protection either; fine as we live in Sunny Floriday. I use it more for groceries daily than the boy; I prefer to sling him in an Over the Shoulder Baby Holder or similar sling. But it works for when we need it, such as long 10 hours of walking days.

For **feeding **we breastfed and pumped; I used the Medela PIS, though I hear the PISA is great. I pumped straight into Avent bottles using a converter kit. I also bought The Ultimate Chopper and some ice cube trays to do the baby food making thing.

People have posted good timelines below for need and acuqisition timelines … good luck!

17

Don’t have time to give a detailed list, but just want to chime in on the changing table thing. I find the bed to be too low, and the floor uncomfortable, and I like having all my changing supplies ready at hand. We used my old student desk. Added a foam pad covered with sheet (nice to be able to sew!), a flannel-coated changing pad and stored all the clothes and stuff in the drawers. No pee/poop on the bed for us! Kept a small bowl with a washcloth in the bathroom, so when you head to the diaper table you just add some warm water as you walk past, rinse it out when you’re finished, much less expense and waste than wipes (which irritated bottoms and where awkward to get out of the packaging with one hand twenty years ago.) I’ve heard they’ve improved and are great for being out and about, but such a lot of waste!

18

Congratulations!

It’s been a long time here, smartinibaby is all grown up now. I agree with most of the previous posts…

Probably the only absolutely must-have equipment you need is the best carseat you can afford to buy. And, yes, the hospital will probably not let you take baby home without one, even if they have to provide it…and many are willing to do that if needed.

Changing Table? Floor, sofa, bed, lap…you don’t need a special table unless it is multipurpose and you just place a pad on top but don’t buy a special one.

One piece of “movement” equipment – why you need this will become apparent :slight_smile: – smartinibaby loved her swing. When her dad heard of this piece of equipment he went straight from his office and bought one – and we ate dinner at the same time that night! – while she burbled and watched. You may decide you want a doorway bouncer or a table bouncer – but think something that moves.

Another thing that we did and really liked-- when our baby started “pulling up” I was afraid she would bang herself on our sharp edged furniture so we installed a teeny tiny “ballet barre” about a foot or so from the floor in our hallway. She loved it. I think my husband just used a piece of inexpensive stair rail and brackets.

One good baby book about development and common illnesses, etc. Lots of comfort at 2am :wink: I happened to like Dr. Spock because he gave reasonable medical advice, but YMMV a lot on this. Get the one closer to your own ideas of how you want to take care of your baby.

I bathed her in the kitchen sink. Some of my favorite pics now.

Point to all this rattling on…a lot of things don’t have to be “baby-special” to be the best way. Find your own way – and have fun!

19

If you blow-off the changing table, I would buy a waterproof mat to lay him or her upon while the diapers get changed.

20

Unless you have a boy. Then a change table or wareproof mat is only as good as the pressure in the pump :D. Oh you might like to wear a diving mask when you change the nappie :smiley: