Make Way for Baby

Ideas to Create More Space for Your Newest Addition

By Shel Franco

If you stretch your imagination far enough, you might begin to see rooms in a whole new light. Many kitchens are large enough for a table, Groves says, so you might forget the dining room for a few years and change that space into a playroom.

If you don't have a closet to hold the changing table or a storage room large enough to double as a nursery, it's time to start eliminating. You'll be surprised by how little you and your baby need to be happy.

"After the first child, I never set up the changing table with the other three," says Rachel Webb of Hurricane, Utah. "It is a waste of space, and if I stored anything under the changing table my baby would just crawl over and pull everything off! It is so much safer and more convenient to change the baby on the floor."

"Swings, highchairs and bassinets can all be added to the nice-but-not-necessary list. If your shower already yielded a dump truck load of paraphernalia, enlist the help of a friend or two and have a yard sale. Lighten your load, make some cash and don't worry about whether or not you're cheating your baby. From a baby's perspective, no amount of stuff will ever compare to the comfort of your arms.

Which Baby Equipment Did You Do Without? Moms Sound Off! "Those infant bathtubs or bathtub body sponges you put in the tub. I used one of those gallon ice cream tubs with warm water and soap and sponge-bathed [my son] in his bed until he was probably 6 months old. He then became a professional shower taker in Mama or Papa's arms." – Leah Vesselov, Roxboro, N.C. "A crib. I bought a shiny, beautiful crib and both of my kids didn't sleep in it! They were in with my husband and [me] from day one and eventually moved into their own bed." – Kimberley Schmahl, St. Catharines, Ont., Canada "My baby monitor was recalled when Matthew was only a few months old. Having a cat that was more than curious and maternal about my babies, I did without it since she'd sleep beneath their cribs and would wake me if the baby so much as sneezed or moved in its crib!" – Mae Hochstetler, Youngstown, Ohio "We didn't have a bath table or change table or whatever you call them. Baby hit the tub with whoever was taking one and I used the top of the freezer as a change table." – Heather O'Neil, Chesterville, Ont.

Want to see more?

• Nursery School: Finishing the Baby's Room
• Room to Grow: A Nursery with Lasting Appeal
• The Fifth Wall: Dressing Ceilings to Dazzle
• Clear the Clutter Before Baby Arrives
• Check out our Article Library.
• Talk about it!