Hellobee Boards

We love where we live but are in the same situation - no laundry. Our townhouse doesn't allow us to install washer/dryer units so we send our laundry out or use a laundromat. The other challenge is baby proofing and storing large baby gear (the jogging stroller is ridiculous). But all that said, I love living in the city, we have a Target two doors down, there's a park with a playground, water park and jogging track directly across the street, I can come home and have lunch with DS during the work week. These things outweigh the space & laundry issues at least for now!

We live in a 2BR now, but we were in a 1BR in the newborn phase. We had less baby stuff than many of our friends--no swing, bouncer, exersaucer. We also had the large-sized cosleeper from Arm's Length instead of a crib. I had a sling and LO sometimes napped in it while I did other things. My rule of thumb was that if something had a lifespan of less than 1 year, it didn't come into our home.

We definitely had to think about what we brought into the house. We were in a 900 sq. foot condo (3rd floor!) when we brought LO home. Things that folded up and folded flat were important. We found a great high chair and bath tub. Another issue was where to keep the stroller, since we were sharing common space with other neighbors.

Don't be afraid to buy something big if it will be a lifesaver. We decided not to get a swing, but when LO was a few weeks old and wouldn't sleep without being rocked, we caved and bought one. It took up a TON of precious space and she only used it for 5 months but I would buy it again in a heartbeat. So worth it!

we are in an apartment now. In a one bedroom actually. It works great for the newborn stage to have her crib in our room. Our apartment is very spacious and we dont have a dining table in the dining room so we had a lot of space for gear. We will be moving soon to a bigger apartment though since she needs her own room now that she is almost 8 months

We're in a two bedroom with our two week old until we move Saturday. My best advice would be to triple think every purchase and stress your lack of space to any gift givers. I definitely wish I'd waited to buy some cute toddler gifts until he was way older!

best tip i got was that the apartment will be cluttered and messy for a long time and to just learn to accept it. that was hard for me because i like things to be neat, but once i had that expectation set, i was fine! also we did a massive spring cleaning type thing before LO came to get rid of crap that we have been holding onto for no reason other than laziness. we also installed shelving/drawers in our closets and it freed up a lot of storage space!

@maybebaby: We used to do a "date night" and all of us would go. We'd do laundry and get dinner next door.
Now DH goes alone during the day with DS. We go every two weeks.
You could also drop it off at a Wash/Dry/Fold laundromat.

We're in a 1-bedroom with a 2.5 month old, and I'd echo others in saying not to overdo it with stuff. A lot of the things we bought are in travel versions that are smaller and/or fold up to be put away. We also have a rock n play, but no swing or bouncer as others have said. Our stroller folds small enough/our bed is tall enough that it stores under the bed. If you can, make your things multitask and make use of otherwise wasted space. DS's changing pad fits on my dresser, for example, and he doesn't have a dresser of his own because he doesn't need a ton of clothes at this age. He basically lives in pajamas- which is fine with him because they're comfy and because he's a baby and they have no shame about lounging in jammies all day (or anything else). A white noise machine is also a good idea.