Short on space? What your newborn’s nursery REALLY needs

Don’t worry if you don’t have room – preparing your baby’s bedroom is a lot simpler than you think.

When we had our first baby, my husband and I were living in a tiny one-bedroom apartment in the city. Any grand visions I’d had of our child’s nursery were quickly reduced to a bassinet in the corner of our bedroom and one shelf in our built-in wardrobe. Not what I imagined, but it certainly did the job.

There’s no end of baby items available on the market. Everywhere you look is another product that you feel have to have. Not to mention the constant pressure of having everything you need to give your baby ‘the very best start in life’. But do we really need it all? Or rather, does our baby need it all?

A little overwhelming

When you find out that you’re pregnant, naturally you start preparing for your baby’s arrival, planning what you need to do and buy. But when you hop online or visit a baby shop, it can all be a little overwhelming.

The reality is this that in the early stage of your child’s life, there is very little they need in the way of material possessions. So, save your pennies, and source only what is absolutely necessary.

I wouldn’t recommend having a baby in a one-bedroom flat. It was a bit of a squeeze but it’s amazing what you can do with very little space. And from my experience, your baby will still manage to thrive and be happy.

Somewhere to sleep

A bassinet or cot is an essential item. We started with a bassinet for our newborn, which took up very little space. When she was big enough for the cot, we managed to fit it into our bedroom. Unfortunately, we didn’t have another option, so when we were desperate to have our room back, we transferred her, every night, into a travel cot in the lounge room.

Time to change

You will need somewhere to change your baby. A change table is handy because it usually offers some storage underneath for nappies, wipes, creams and clothes. However, if you don’t have much room, then a simple change mat is cheap to buy and can be put down on the floor, bed or anywhere at all.

Chest of drawers

Having organised storage is ideal for storing your baby’s clothes and toys. Initially, you don’t need much space, so a small chest of drawers or dresser is more than adequate. As I said, we only had one shelf in those early days and got by. The other benefit to having a chest of drawers in your nursery is that the top can double up as a changing table or provide somewhere to store baby’s creams and other bits and pieces.

Cosy up in an armchair

One large item of furniture that will come in handy is a comfortable armchair or rocking chair, perfect for feeding and cuddling your baby at any time of day or night. Initially, we couldn’t fit this in our bedroom, so we used our bed or went out into the lounge room. However, much later when we finally moved into a house and had a little more space, the armchair was an absolute godsend when it came to night feeding and settling.

Hang a mobile

It doesn’t take up much room, but mobiles are helpful for offering visual stimulation and brain development. Depending on the mobile, they can also be soothing at sleep times.

Let there be a little light

Another small and relatively inexpensive item is a night light. This will offer a soft light to comfort your baby or allow you to check on your baby without turning on harsh overhead lights or, in my case, bump noisily into the furniture.