“My space is small, my life is big”
– g r a h a m h i l l –
And so, just like that, I’m back here. Seven months later, full gear into being a mama, and ready to give a small update on baby life in a tiny home. It’s been a heck of a ride already, with it’s sweet cozy moments but not without it’s hair-raising frustrations.
First off, what I tell everyone who asks, “Tiny living with a baby is totally doable, just not always comfy.” Little people really are happy with less, and while they do come with a laundry list of things they need, I’m finding you can always narrow that list down to be even more basic. The biggest hump I had to get over was learning to tune out the chattering voices of our consumer culture of “Every baby needs this!” and instead being willing to start with less and adapt as I went. This may sound like common sense, but it was an essential way to think about bringing our baby into our tiny lifestyle. Because truthfully, all those registry lists out there of things I thought were necessities, well I just knew they wouldn’t logically fit into one small closet and a corner of our bedroom. So by necessity really, I had to think minimally and get away with having just the very basics. And turns out, it’s been so freeing!
+THINGS WE FOUND WE COULD DO WITHOUT
(Now they definitely make life more comfortable, but in a tiny house wiggle room is sometimes wayyy more valuable. )
+ CHANGING TABLE
When bb outgrew her bassinet, something had to go in her nursery corner to make more room for her crib. The changing table was the only thing I could think of that “could” go. Since we had a changing basket and Hatch changing pad, our bed would be fine for a makeshift changing table since it wasn’t be used during the day and night diaper changes were becoming minimal. I got a few IKEA baskets to store wipes, diapers and extras in, and three months into this switch it’s working just fine. When not in use the changing baskets slides under our rocking chair.
+BABY DRESSER
Bb didn’t get her own dresser from the beginning simply because there just wasn’t room for one. I definitely miss having an organized system to keep her clothes in, but some IKEA baskets for the leggings, shirts and onesies and wooden hangers for rompers and dresses is working just fine for now.
+BABY CONTAINERS (Swings, bouncer seats, jungle gyms)
Once again, these are wonderful to have, but in our tiny space there just wasn’t enough floor space without me tripping over them all day. In the first few months we started with a bouncer seat that we borrowed which was hugely helpful to have a place to sit Gwen when I needed to do some things around the house, but once she outgrew it I just new we needed to keep things simple without buying anything else. Turns out, a blanket on the floor with lots of teether toys, books and simple household items does the trick most of the time. PLUS, I’m learning a lot that letting babies have as much tummy time on the floor as possible can be one of the best moves for their development. The one baby container that we do have and love is a door jumper which can easily can be taken down and stored in a small space when not in use.
+THINGS WE LOVE AND HAVE FOUND HELPFUL
+ IKEA Baskets
Wool ones for clothes, plastic ones for blankets and diapers, straw ones for toys in the living room. It’s seriously the best way to hide all the baby clutter while making things look minimal, cute, and man they’re functional.
+Foldable Baby Bathtub
Since our tiny bathroom only has a standup shower, we started out with a Puj sink bath which only lasted a few months before baby outgrew it. So I scoured Amazon before scoring on a foldable baby bathtub that has been so helpful. Fits in the shower to save the splashes, and folds up easily to save space. Game changer!
+Sound Machine
This really has been a lifesaver! Because normal noisy life has to happen during naptime and bedtime, and when there is only one wall separating all that from a sleeping baby, even just a small amount of white noise helps block it out.
+Giant Ziploc Flexible Totes
Perfect for storing away those waves of clothes they grow out of. Easily stored under the crib or in our case, a spare corner behind the crib.
+IKEA Laundry Bag
Looks cute, super functional. Enough said.
+Blackout Shades
They were something I thought I could do without, but after bb was about a month old and was only napping 15min in our bright bedroom, it was a desperate Amazon purchase that saved naptime. I honestly sleep better too which is a win! 🙂
So, in a nutshell, this is what we’ve been learning so far. Far from having it together and trust me there I times I just long for more space that a 3 bedroom house would give us. But at the same time I know I’ll look back on these days with sweet reminisce. Our lives truly are so full, even if our space is small.
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