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Making Room For a Baby In a One-Bedroom Apartment

A blue baby crib sits against a white wall in a residential space.

Soon, or perhaps already, your one-bedroom apartment will be alive with the sounds of a newborn child, and you want to set things up for success. You only have so much space to work with, after all, so how can you use that space most effectively?

In this guide, Advantage Storage wants to walk you through tips for how to make room for a baby in a one-bedroom apartment. We want to guide you in space-effective strategies for making the most of every inch, so you can make your apartment work, no matter what.

Expecting a Baby While Living in a Small Space

Feeling nervous, yet? Don’t worry, that’s completely normal, especially if this is your first go at the whole parenthood thing. Expecting a new baby is an exciting but also anxious time, especially if you’re a bit short on space. Here are some tips to help you mentally prepare yourself for the change.

Make sure to have a support system in place. Whether it’s your partner, family, or friends, having people you can rely on will be crucial during those early weeks and months.

In addition, try to go into it with a positive attitude. Yes, there will be tough times but there will also be a lot of joy and laughter. Embrace the chaos and know that you’re not alone—other parents are going through the same thing.

How to Make Room for a Nursery

Making room for a baby nursery in a one-bedroom apartment may seem like a daunting task, but with a little creativity and planning, it can be done! Here’s our suggestion on how to make room for a baby in your small space:

  • Get rid of any unnecessary furniture. If you have any pieces of furniture that are taking up valuable space in your apartment, now is the time to get rid of them. This will give you more space to work with when setting up the nursery. Also, as a safety aside, if you have any furniture with cornered edges, replace them or cover the edges with something soft. If you have any loose bookshelves, anchor them to the wall.
  • Next up in ideas to make room for a baby: utilize vertical space. When you’re limited on square footage, it’s important to make use of the vertical space in your apartment. Wall shelves are a great way to store baby items without taking up too much of the floor.
  • Put the crib in the bedroom. Ultimately it depends on the size of the bedroom in question, and if it will have room to fit your needs as well, but if you can get away with it, capitalize on the sleeping space by making it the nursery, too. This will help you preserve your living room space for other things.

For furniture you don’t currently have space for as well as items you’d like to hang on to and place back in your space once your child is older, a storage unit is a great place to keep them organized and out of the way. Self storage units come in a variety of sizes from small 5×5 units that can hold just a few boxes to large 10×30 units that can fit the contents of a multi-bedroom home. Not sure what size unit you’ll need to fit the items you’re clearing out? A storage unit size guide can help you pick the perfect space!

Baby Room Storage Ideas

If you’re short on space in your nursery, don’t worry, there are plenty of baby room storage ideas that can help you make the most of what you have.

In addition to the vertical space suggestions we made before, another great storage idea for a small nursery is to use baskets. Baskets can store just about anything, and they’re a great way to keep things off the floor and out of the way.

Some cribs come with built-in storage options for toys, clothes, and baby supplies, but if yours doesn’t, you can easily add a plastic bin with those things and slide it underneath.

You could also go with the classic toy chest idea and place it at the foot of the crib. Just make sure it’s child-friendly and not something they could accidentally lock themselves inside.

Planning for the Future as Your Family Grows

As your family grows, it’s important to start planning for the future.

Think about your long-term goals. What do you want your home to look like in 5 or 10 years? Will you still be living in your apartment, or are you hoping to move out once the lease turns over? Where will you go and why? This will help you determine how much space you’ll need and what kind of layout will work best for your family.

Consider your budget. Don’t forget to factor in the cost of things like renovations, furniture, and additional storage when you’re planning for future baby room storage ideas, especially if you intend to continue adding to your family.

Get organized. Once you have an idea of what you need, start decluttering and organizing your home so that you can make room for new items. This will also make it easier to find things when you need them!

Make it Work in a Small Space

Hey, you’ve got this. It might all seem like a lot, but we believe in you, and we hope we’ve managed to spark some ideas for how you could equip your apartment for your kid.

If you find that while you were making space for your nursery, you had to make the hard decision to remove some furniture, we have a solution for that, too. After all, you shouldn’t need to sell or trash your favorite coffee table just because you don’t have enough space for it right this minute. Instead, reach out to us at one of our state-of-the-art facilities, each equipped with all the security and amenities you need to breathe easily while your belongings are with us. Still have questions about the self storage process? Contact your nearest storage facility or explore answers to frequently asked questions

You’ll have plenty of baby room storage ideas on your mind already, don’t let unnecessary stress about where to put an extra desk make it any harder than it needs to be. Advantage Storage will take things from here so you can focus on welcoming your newest family member home!

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