apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

We came upon the "swaddleaze" because our son would frequently startle himself awake. it zips up the front and then there is a "wing" that wraps their arms in and velcros on their back. genius! yes, it looks like a baby strait jacket but let me tell you, it saved us and got him sleeping through the night in no time. i buy them for all my pregnant friends now. i will definitely have a couple on hand for the next baby!

ps. the link to the swaddleaze is embedded in my name above. :o)

Living in a small one bedroom the extent of our baby furniture was a dresser with a changing pad on top. Yes you don't have to leave the room to change your baby, and can do it on the floor or on a bed or couch, but your back will thank you if you use some higher surface at least some of the time. We also had a Diaper Dekor which I also thought was very useful.

We didn't have a crib for the first 5 months. Just let the baby sleep in the bassinet until he could roll over/sit up. They are smaller and more cozy then the crib. You will get blankets and quilts as gifts, esp. from older relatives. Your baby will spit up, drool and have diaper spills all over them so don't worry about the style.

Bumpers, in my opinion, are not hazardous once a baby rolls over because if they can roll onto the bumper, they can roll back. And my kid was a thrasher in his sleep so the bumpers did prevent a lot of bruises. Just make sure they are tied securely to the crib bars. I do agree with you about the superflousness of the crib skirt. Looks pretty but not really worth it, esp. if you get a crib with a drawer underneath. And in a small apt. that extra storage was a plus.

You do need somewhere to put the baby when you aren't holding him/her. The infant car seat will do but you can also get a bouncy seat. You can also roll up a blanket, prop your baby up in the bassinet and have them watch the mobile.

If you have a dishwasher no need for a bottle sterilizer, but we didn't have a d-wash so we got the electric setrilizer (the microwave ones are smaller). Sat on the counter, easier to deal with than boling big pots of water. Is it a must, no. But I found it useful, quick and easy for bottles and teething toys. Also must recommend a boppy pillow or my breast friend or whatever pillow you prefer if you are going to breastfeed. Makes it more comfortable and does double duty as another place to prop your baby up.

Ignore the extra "must haves" like wipe warmers, bottle warmers and random stuff that in your gut you know is useless (i.e spoons and bowls that change color when food is too hot). And if you can, try big toys out at friends' and relatives' homes. Things like swings, gyminis, exersaucers etc. It is good to get a sense of what your baby likes before you plunk down the money and watch the item sit in the corner gathering dust.

Take 90% of baby shower presents back to the store for credit, then use it on diapers and such.
Our baby is a year and a half and has spent almost every night in a pack-and-play, and a small travel one at that! They're great on space, have a removable bassinet for when the baby is small. We're talking crib for her now (head and toes are touching the ends), but I'm glad we haven't had one around yet.

Gliders and changing tables are two pieces of furniture that are nice to have but totally unnecessary. I think mostly they are used to fill up space in a nursery. Rather than a changing table, which is hard to repurpose after the baby is out of diapers, I used a wicker basket packed with diapers, wipes, Desitin, and a changing pad, and stashed it under the coffee table or out of the room when visitors came over. I don't know anyone who picked her baby up and took it into another room just to change a diaper.

Wipe warmers and diaper genies are also superfluous. I would have traded both of them to have a bedside bottle fridge/warmer.

diaper genies are superfluous? really? especially in my tiny ny apartment, i find that it is an absolute must! i don't know about you, but my baby's doody diapers are toxic!

i think changing tables are a total scam! you can use a dresser and secure a changing pad on top and voila! a changing table at a fraction of the cost.

I gave my reasons for not liking the Diaper Genie in Sofia's Nursery post, among them:

-- Does not hold many of older baby's diapers
-- Liner refills are expensive and difficult to change, and must be changed often (see above)
-- Does not prevent smell any better than lined trash can with tight lid (I personally recommend throwing dirty diapers away outdoors if you can)

Diaper Genie, no; Diaper Dekor, yes. DG has annoying custom bags, but DD just takes regular trash bags. Esp in winter when you can't always get as much air in the apt as you might like, the smell containment is a must.

Other alt to the diaper issue is to use british "nappy sacks" - i.e., every diaper goes in a small plastic bag for individual odor-containment.

and I am pro-bedskirt - I like that it hides the plastic bins I have under the crib, and the weird gap between the storage drawer and the mattress when you have the mattress in the high/newborn position.

I personally also needed:
- a baby bath of some sort - just using the kitchen sink was too stressful for me when I tried to bathe a newborn
- dedicated storage drawer/bin/basket for toys; even though your baby won't play with them for months, you'll need somewhere to corrall all the ones you get as presents.
- some sort of babywearing something - bjorn/sling/etc.

and in NYC/similar urban environments, I advise expectant parents to focus their buying energy on the stroller - your kid is going to spend waaaaaay more time in the stroller than suburban babies, make sure it is as close to the holy grail perfect urban stroller as possible (light, compact, comfortable for you, comfortable for baby, etc).

KLO, does it really take regular trash bags? Just want to be sure. On Amazon, a lot of women were saying they had a hard time finding the refills...thanks for the advice.

We bought a few things in doubles, for one up, one down in our 2-story house, that we were integral to our comfort & stress reduction. Changing pads (placed on existing furniture), boppy pillows, and bouncy seats (so you can comfortably/safely set the kid down anytime). The other winner for us? A yoga ball w/ stabilizing ring base. We spend a lot of time in the first 3 months bouncing a fussy baby on it - saved my feet, back, etc. That is now the gift I give all new parents.

Throwing in a recommendation for the Diaper Champ http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Trend-Diaper-Champ/dp/B00003TL7P

Holds a decent amount of diapers, takes regular garbage bags and is well designed. Our daughter is nearly two and it's worked out well for us.

Among our few "must haves" in her room were black-out curtains. We don't live in a neighborhood where there's tons of light; we've just become firm believers in complete darkness for sleeping.

As for what we didn't need... I wish we'd gone simpler with the changing table/dresser. We bought the IKEA Diktad changing table. Awkward access to drawers when in changing table mode so they are rarely used, easy for child to whack her head on when running blissfully through her room, and when folded back for safety, useless as a changing space.

If we had it to do over, I think we would have put a changing pad on a little rolling trundle under her crib or stuck to a more traditional table.

We got a portable, folding baby bath right away, but never used it until our daughter was seven or eight months old. We just gave her sponge baths until then.

Chiming in here to say that you are definitely going to want to have somewhere to put that stinky diaper down in the middle of a change. We use the Champ (picked it up from a consignment store), but there are lots of other solutions out there, too.

With regard to bumpers, no need for them at first, but I recommend picking up a breathable mesh one for when the baby starts to roll around and stick his/her legs through the bars.

We use a computer desk as a changing table. All of our cloth diapers and accessories fit perfectly in the shelves of the hutch above, and look cute and colorful. No stinky diaper genies here - our dirty diapers go right in the wash. No crib either: Travis sleeps on a full-sized mattress on the floor because he would not sleep in a crib. Our big items like rocking chair/ottoman, high chair, stroller, swing, and infant carseat were all gifts. In retrospect I would have bought a smaller swing because the one we have is very large and while it was a lifesaver at certain times (sick baby), it is just in the way now. My best splurges on baby items were my Britax carseat and my cloth diaper stash. These things have more than paid for themselves, but everything else I just want out of the house!

this is like, the 10th site where i've come seen this topic discussed and maybe it goes without saying, but the only thing that's consistant in peoples' responses is that every family has different needs. my best advice would be: if you think that you might need it - get it. just make sure you keep tags and reciepts and check with stores about their return policies. lots of people will swear by something that others find simply unnecessary (i.e. diaper genie). as long as your baby is safe and warm and fed, the rest is secondary.

Totally agree with you Molly H even though I did respond earlier. Let's have this conversation say once a year on this site. The Annual Great "What Do you really need" Debate. And you really do have to consider living situations, not just big space vs. limited space but urban vs. suburban; multi story home vs. one floor, walk-up vs. elevator. All the different types of living situations require different gear in different volumes. And then consider that many in the world make do with a whole lot less than even the most minimal of lists above.

Molly H., I agree with you but it's still fun to read what other people are doing.

Love. Support. Boobs. Fleece pouch (sling). Seventh generation diapers ordered off of 1800diapers.com. Baby Wipes. Burp cloths. arm's reach co-sleeper.. which my daughter actually doesn't sleep in but it works wonderfully as protection from her falling off of our bed (we co-sleep), and a place to store clean diapers and a changing mat. I usually just change her wherever I am.

My mom bought us a bouncy chair with toys that dangle, which keeps her occupied when I need a little break. The boppy pillow is useful for a lot of women, especially when starting off brestfeeding, but now I don't use it.

We bought a baby tub which she hates, so we just take her in the shower with us, and she loves that. With all the money saved from not buying useless (in our case) things, we splurged on a Quinny Buzz stroller... which shes been in three times; baby-wearing has been so much easier! But it will (hopefully) come in handy when she gets too heavy.

Need or not, I say, haunt Craig's list, resale stores, thrift stores, children's consignment stores, parent associations, and garage sales for gear— look for any items where a safety issue is not a concern, say for clothes, bath tubs, diaper pails, etc. ALSO partner up with a couple of families— one who will pass clothes down to you and one you can pass your hand-me-downs to. Babies don't wear their clothes out and they don't care if their clothes have been previously worn. Reduce, reuse, recycle AND save money for that college fund!

If my in-laws hadn't bought us a high chair, I wouldn't have gotten one. The baby was fine eating while on his rocker (also agree with a previous comment - it's good for "parking" the baby while you're doing something else nearby). Instead of a high chair, I personally prefer one of those portable seat thingies you can attach to a regular dining chair. Easier to clean, takes up much less room.

We use a Brabantia pedal bin for nappies. As long as you keep the lid shut, there's no smell.

While I agree that a change table isn't essential, I do think that having one can save your back. Just don't go overboard on size and cost. Make your own, if you can, at the most comfortable height for yourself.

Bassinets are also not essential but don't take it back if you get one as a gift. A portable one (where the stand folds up) is great--you can bring it along to parties, set it up in the corner and plonk your sleeping baby down.

Cot bumpers aren't essential but when your baby starts poking his arms and feet through the crib bars (usually at 2am), you'll probably get them anyway.

For sterilisation, we used a chemical system (Milton). It was great. You could use a 1L plastic container/tupperware, prepare the solution and have it handy for 24 hours. Dummies, bottles and whatnots all went in the water and came out an hour later ready for use. I had doubts about using chemicals at first but it's what they used at the hospital so I figure it can't hurt.

When you get down to it, even a junior bed isn't essential. A mattress on the floor does the job just as well.

Anyway, those are my thoughts after one child. Ask me again when these next two come out. :-)

We live in a small apartment and I personally LOVE both our glider and changing table. The glider was a gift, and I not only slept in it for several months with the kiddo, but now that the kiddo is nearly 2.5 it's even MORE useful as he loves it too. It's just one remarkably comfortable chair!

The changing table we got for free and redecorated, but I plan on repurposing it as a potting bench when all is said and done. Plus it does a good job of holding lots of cloth diapers :)

Finally, we never bothered with the monitor, although I do hanker after one of those video monitors now that the kid is mobile. Oh well. Maybe next time :)

Thank you, everyone, for your comments. I'm expecting my first child in June, and this discussion has been very helpful since I haven't purchased too much yet. My philosophy is if people could raise healthy children a hundred years ago without all the gadgets, than so can I!