apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Maybe do a little make-shift bar. Put a little fridge, but I am not sure of how much space you would have up there. Definitely a fridge and microwave though.

I bet they are expensive, but I love the new portable induction single pan "stove tops". I see them on tv when chefs make food on morning shows. It is a hot plate that doesn't actually get hot (safe for around baby in tight spaces) and it is portable and plugs into standard wall outlet.

I also love my toaster oven. My husband put it on our registry, much to my chagrin, and now I cannot live with out it. It replaces toaster and works as a mini oven getting things roasted.

Microwave- must

Electric Kettle for quick hot water. I got one from Amazon for under $10.

Little fridge for things immediately necessary (baby's milk) and snacks for mom and dad. Keep the rest downstairs if space is an issue.

Counter/workspace area. Ikea's VARDE and UDDEN are great and can have storage.

"Hot plate", microwave, toaster oven, mini-fridge, and counter space are my temporary kitchen must haves.

If you are planning to live there awhile, I just saw the beaba babycook at Williams-Sonoma. It steams and purees fruits and veggies and might be worth having in your apartment to whip up fresh baby food.

My first thought was the Beaba Babycook as well, but before you purchase it you should know that the cooking container is made of plastic that contains BPA. They say that the BPA leaches into milk and food when you heat up the plastic. You may not want to be heating everything your baby eats in it. Actually, if you want to save space just steaming things in the pots you already have for yourself will eliminate the need for another large appliance. You can get a tiny food processor specifically for baby food or use an imersion blender, which has a small profile and most come with supplies to mount it on your wall (and is great for making soups for yourself).

Error! ZRecommends actually solved the mystery of the Beaba Babycook, and it does not contain BPA. Please check ZRecommends.

Re: living/kitchen room combo, well, how much space do you have? I have an open family room/kitchen area. Definitely make sure you have the grounded outlets for things like the microwave, fridge or minifridge, hot plate, or anything using high wattage.

I like all the comments above (and my friend has the Beaba Babycook and LOVES it). My further suggestion would be to give yourself enough counter/table space to put together large casseroles (lasagne, etc) and have some sort of freezer space. That way you can make several casseroles at once and freeze them and then go downstairs to stick one in the oven and you'll have enough food for a few meals. It just occurred to me though that it might not be safe for you to leave the oven on downstairs if you'll be in your apartment and no one is down there. Some people (like my parents) leave food cooking in the oven even when they aren't home, but that just seems dangerous to me. Maybe you could use a baby monitor to keep an eye on the oven and make sure there aren't any problems?? Just an idea....

Also, CROCK POT! I cannot emphasize the fabulous-ness of the crock pot enough. Just stick all the ingredients in at the beginning of the day and it's ready by dinnertime.

Unless it's the worst oven in the world (or a lovely wood cooker) I really doubt it's going to burst into flames or anything. I don't leave the oven on when I leave the house, but I've never heard of needing to be in the same part of the house to bake anything. And if you did happen to burn a batch of cookies, the smell would probably alert you before anything else...

Depending on the floor of the living room you might want to look into some temporary floor covering if there's carpet to worry about. If it's hardwood, it might help to separate out the "living" space to put out a sturdy rug.

As for dining options - consider a good coffee table. My husband an I actually own a dining table and chairs in case of guests, but for our own dining we just pull up cushions or the couch and eat right off the coffee table. If you have no room up there for a tiny table of your own, it just might do for you as well.

If you've never bought a minifridge before, beware. They are great little things, but all too often the freezer sections are crappy, build up huge coverings of ice, and are a pain in the butt to defrost. So definitely look up any reviews you can find if you go that route.

Single burner induction cooktop, toaster oven, microwave, mini-fridge. This is how we plan on doing it in our basement when we eventually remodel upstairs. Also, keep those crock-pot cords out of reach once baby's moving. Kids have pulled those down on themselves, and that's a bad burn.

One thing no one else has commented on in is breastfeeding! It's a personal choice, but there is no kitchen equipment needed and it's always ready when baby is! Bottle-feeding exculsively requires tons of bottles and brushes and heaters, etc! Of course if you need to pump, you will need a few things, but you can exculsively breastfeed for 6 months and not need a thing, but Mom!

You can actually exclusively breastfeed for longer than 6 months without issue.

When you choose to introduce solids, and if you choose to introduce pureed fruits and veg (healthier than cereal certainly), a microwave and a stick blender is smaller-footprint than a specialized baby making tool.

As for the rest of your family, a small fridge, microwave, and a single burner or a toaster oven should get you through the worst of it.

Maybe look into a Nuwave/Flavorwave countertop infared and convection oven. It is smoke-free, not hot to the touch, and makes delicious food. Yes, As Seen on TV. I use mine every single day.