How to Arrange Baby Furniture in Your Bedroom

Everyone tells you that having a baby changes your life. What no one tells you is that baby furniture can take over your apartment. Here are some ideas to help arrange your baby furniture in your room, so that your knee doesn’t go bump in the night!

The Bassinet

Until your baby is about 3 months old, he or she can sleep in a bassinet. Bassinet’s are much smaller than cribs, but provide perfectly adequate sleeping quarters for a newborn. Simply push the bassinet into a corner, against the wall or up to your side of the bed. No tripping hazard here.

Bassinet’s also come with some cool features that a standard crib does not. For example, most newer bassinets have a vibration mechanism, which helps babies fall asleep and stay asleep. This is critical for all new parents! Some bassinets also rock or play lullabies. These are other great features to help your baby fall asleep, and stay asleep.

For additional space saving, choose a bassinet that has a storage space underneath. You can store an extra blanket, or diapers and wipes here. Many bassinets also allow you to remove the top part that the baby actually sleeps in for toting around the house. So, if the baby is asleep in the bassinet in your room, and you need to go into the kitchen, unhinge the top part and tote the baby with you. If your bassinet doesn’t have this feature, invest in a baby monitor.

The Pack-n-Play

Another alternative to a bassinet, which takes up a little more space, but definitely has many useful features, is a Pack-n-Play. These are what used to be known as play pens, but now have so many more additional features. Pack-n-Plays come with a crib area on the bottom, for an older infant to sleep in or play in, a bassinet area that hooks on top of the crib and a changing area that is usually next to the bassinet. There are also usually storage pockets on the side for diapers, wipes or any other smaller items.

With a Pack-n-Play, you avoid the need for a changing table and a crib, so much less space is being utilized by your baby in your room, and your apartment as a whole. Again, no tripping hazard created by a Pack-n-Play.

The Changing Pad

Babies do not need changing tables. Changing tables are made for adult convenience, but they take up space. This is space you don’t have to spare if you are bunking in with baby. The more additional furniture in your bedroom, the more things for you to knock into when you wake up for that 2 AM feeding. Instead of purchasing a changing table, just purchase the changing pad. Buy one for your living room too while you’re at it! Changing pads are easily hidden away under your bed or behind the coach. When you need to change the baby, just pull it out.

The addition of a baby means the addition of furniture and lots of other baby stuff. The more minimalistic your approach to arranging the baby furniture, the less likely you are to bump into something when you are half asleep changing a diaper.

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Emily Gojko: I am a writer, marketer, and manager with a strong background in real estate development and management. I am also a native New Yorker with an obsession for home design shows, so I have personal and professional experience making the most of small spaces, and dealing with good and bad living situations.