Welcoming a brand new baby in to your life? Congratulations! Along with the other things on your mind, you might be wondering exactly how you can transform your apartment into a baby-friendly environment. Have no fear, RentSeeker is here to help make the transition easy on you and your bouncing new addition. Whether you live in one bedroom, two, or three bedroom abode, there are a number of ways that you can prepare your space (and mind) for the imminent arrival of a little bundle of joy. 
Picking a Room
First things first – it’s time to decide what room will be transformed into the nursery. If you live in a two or three bedroom apartment, this decision should be relatively easy. If, however, you call a one bedroom apartment home, this will require a little more finesse on your part. Setting up the crib in your bedroom will require you to move around existing furniture (and perhaps even get rid of some things). Consolidate two dressers into one, move your bed away from the center of the room to one of the walls and say adios to that extra nightstand. When you purchase a crib, consider investing in one that has wheels so it will be easier to adjust the set-up of the bedroom as needs change and you discover that baby likes to sleep closer to the door.
Let’s Get Organized
One of the first things you will realize about having a baby is that they require a lot of, well, stuff. Big stuff, little stuff, medium stuff – babies come with a lot of accessories. This means you’ll need to up your organization game if you want to make finding baby-related items a breeze. Before you even begin to purchase all of the baby-related items, go through your own things first to help set the organization tone. If you’re not particularly fond of organization to begin with, this can be a bit of an arduous process. Start with the basics – go through each section of your apartment and set things into piles: the keep pile and the trash pile (don’t even bother with the “maybe” pile – it will only encourage clutter to grow). Downsize your closet and dresser by donating clothes you don’t wear to charity.
Now that you’ve got your personal items organized, you can tackle the way your baby’s things will be set up. Consider unlikely storage sources to help you in this task, such as under your bed or under the crib. For items that you need to have on hand at a moment’s notice, such as diapers, keep several on top of the change table for use throughout the day with the rest tucked away underneath. For toys, forego the traditional toy chest which can be bulky and take up entirely too much room. Instead, purchase stackable bins that can easily slide away and hide under the bed or couch when playtime is over.
Quiet Please
Let’s face it – babies can be noisy. Living in an apartment can make this problem particularly stressful for young parents who want to be good neighbours. Taking a few small steps to help with soundproofing can make a massive difference, including hanging a quilt on a wall that is shared with the person next door (this is particularly important for the room that your baby will be sleeping in) to help with absorbing noise. You may also want to consider folding a towel or blanket and placing it at the front door to prevent too much noise from spilling out into the hallway. Remember that the emptier a room is, the more sound will echo. If the bedroom has hardwood flooring, you’ll want to put down some rugs to combat this.
Some final words of wisdom – look for items that fold and can be easily tucked away. High chairs, changing tables, bath tubs; All of these baby necessities come in foldable options that will allow you to make the most of your apartment space while still giving your little one the room to play and grow. Following these steps should make the transition to a baby-friendly apartment an easy one for you and your growing family.
Happy Apartment Living 🙂
The RentSeeker.ca Team
