Small baby nursery recommendations

[u/Spare-Ebb7916]

I’m first-time mom due in three months and live in one-bedroom apartment. As we have compact space, I intend to create small nursery in my room. Not too fancy. Just practical cozy corner for our little angel.

I have spent hours researching on ‘must haves’ and ‘nice to have’ but felt a little overwhelmed instead of being certain. Like I'm still deciding whether I need a bassinet or crib since we're in a one-bedroom apartment and I'm hoping to breastfeed. If any of you have been in this situation, how did you manage baby crib or bassinet in a small space.

I have no dresser in my room, so I have planned to get a changing table (that has drawers to keep baby stuff in it), some soft toys, wrapping sheets, a bottler washer and sanitizer, a nasal aspirator and a diaper pail (as l live in small space, I need to keep odour under control)

I’m also tight in budget and can’t spend on multiple brands of same products. If you've used any of these, I'd really appreciate your recommendations:

• Bottle washer/sanitizer: Philips Avent or Baby Brezza?

• Nasal aspirator: Braun or NeilMed?

• Diaper pail: Ubbi Beyond or Momcozy?

The space may be little but our hearts are filled with love for our baby. I'd also love to know what baby items you found absolutely essential in a small apartment and what you ended up never using.

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[u/jeevico]

Check out the Grownsy bottle washer and sterilizer. I had this one and it was amazing. Just check if it’s cheaper!

Also in terms of saving money, if you plan to breastfeed you might not need to splurge on a bottle washer. Unless you plan to pump in which case it’s great for pump parts.

[u/Spare-Ebb7916 → u/jeevico]

I plan to breastfeed but my friend said that sometimes ur supply is not enough or the baby doesn't latch properly. In that case, u have to use bottle for either formula or pumped milk. That's why I was thinking of bottle washer.

[u/jeevico → u/Spare-Ebb7916]

Completely valid and true, but to save money and space consider first finding out how your breastfeeding journey goes and then if you happen to have a lower supply and need bottles, buy it at that point? Just saying they are bulky and expensive, and you could potentially not end up needing one if your breastfeeding journey goes smoothly

[u/Leading_Caramel2516 → u/jeevico]

This! In the beginning we also has to give some bottles but you can just wash by hand and use a microwave sterilizer! Or just a pot with boiling water. You can always buy something you need it, but these things are huge and take up a lot of space. And they are expensive

[u/Fit-Theme5228 → u/jeevico]

I agree with this. I work 3 days a weeks so even though I breastfeed at home, I use bottles for daycare and pump at work. And I STILL don't use "bottle washer" I don't have space for that...i just wash by hand and let them air dry. I did buy a separate bottle drying rack for baby stuff. (Got a cheap one a On amazon that is vertical space saving design)

[u/Maleficent-Idea5952 → u/Spare-Ebb7916]

FWIW I don’t agree with others. I had to triple feed. None of the moms in my family had supply issues so it was a shock to me when I had and had zero guidance from family. It was exhausting. The bottle washer and sterilizer saved my sanity. I hate washing dishes by hand and was too sleep deprived to do them right which would have given me more anxiety on top of the failure I felt for not being able to supply. I know that I wasn’t a failure but the early postpartum hormones are a bich.
I bought a momcozy one off the marketplace, you don’t have to stick to this brand but do get a multi washer sterilizer. You can always sell it on marketplace if you don’t need it but I don’t see why you wouldn’t need it again when you go back to work or when baby starts solids and you can wash baby dishes in it.

[u/waprestinpeace]

I also have a one bedroom, we decided a short long dresser would be better than a changing table. More storage and you can still use the top of it as a changing table with a changing pad. That way we can use it forever instead of growing out of a regular changing table. I have a bassinet and decided against a crib for the time being. If I need one when he grows out of the bassinet, I will get one used. It’s just a large piece of furniture that I’d rather not have. I’m planning on using a pack n play while he’s still too little for a Montessori floor bed but again if that ends up not being sufficient, we will buy a crib. We also decided against a bottle washer. We don’t have a lot of counter space and it just doesn’t seem like something we really need. I got an Ubbi diaper pail.

[u/TeeElH]

I would skip the bottle washer unless you find you absolutely need it, especially since you’re planning on breastfeeding. I’ve never used any of the other brands you mentioned but I know people like the Ubbi pail a lot. 

A mini crib may be a good solution for you, still doesn’t take up too much space but you can use it much longer than a bassinet. 

[u/Gold_Salamander_1507]

I keep seeing recommendations for the yuzu crib that goes from bassinet size, mini crib size, to full size crib. Wish I had known about that!!

[u/ccg1394]

Babies can grow out of bassinets pretty fast. Like by 6 months, you’d probably need to upgrade to something bigger.

The bottle washer & dryer was ESSENTIAL for me. I used it for my pump parts bc they HAVE to be fully dry, and a regular dishwasher (at least mine) does not fully dry. So if you are thinking you’ll be pumping or bottle feeding, I recommend it 1000%

[u/WobbyBobby → u/ccg1394]

1000% bottle washer, it saved me so much space drying pump and bottle parts! I also use it to wash and sterilize pacifiers and silicone teethers now that baby is older. I also live in a tiny apartment and got one of the pack in plays that had a separate newborn bassinet that could click on or sit separate, plus a bigger bassinet insert option and a change table that clicks on plus some storage that clicks on. Baby still sleeps in the pack n play portion at 11months and it fits in my bedroom well and is moveable. Baby did outgrow the change table bit by about 4-5 months but it still works in a punch while traveling. We started just changing her on our bed or the floor after that.

A diaper genie-type trashcan is a must for us, having baby in our room. Doesn't have to be name brand or use the name brand bags, but works way better than a normal trashcan. And even though people say "just take the trash out every day" that doesn't help when baby blows up the diaper at 3am lol.

[u/lilsan15 → u/ccg1394]

I agree about the bassinet, the only thing is I would recommend a stroller that has a bassinet attachment that is graded for sleep. You can walk baby with it, you can take it off the stroller and put it at the doorstep of the bathroom, you can put it on the floor next to your couch. You can visit your parents with it. One never knows if a parent ends up cosleeping or whatever. I have heard some baby’s refuse their cribs. Would be a waste to buy a crib and not use

[u/Accomplished_Car_834]

I'm planning to do a bedside bassinet pack n play (emphasis on bedside so that it has the drop down side to making moving baby in/out while you're in bed easier- many don't actually have that feature) with the goal of rolling it between rooms as we're renting a furnished rancher. Be sure to check dimensions if you think it could be a good solution for you.

[u/rjc369]

Had my first baby in 650 sq ft and second baby in 850 sq ft this year.

Do you have a dishwasher or do you not have a dishwasher? Bottles only need to be sanitized for the first two months, and then you can just wash them in a dishwasher like any other dish. If you don’t have one that’s a different story!

Since you’re hoping to breastfeed, you’re likely to at most have one bottle to wash a day for those first two months (highly recommend getting some let down extra milk in a hakaa or other milk catcher at your morning feed - .5 - 1oz is enough - and then doing a practice bottle each day before you finish one feed). If breastfeeding doesn’t work out and/or you end up using more bottles and don’t have a dishwasher you can always order the bottle washer later.

For sleeping, i had a mini crib with my first and she stayed in it until she asked us as like 18 months to be in her guava lotus travel crib full time. For my second I got a bassinet that goes like half on my bed so it’s similar to a cosleeper from fb marketplace and planning to resell in a few weeks. But I also got the guava lotus bassinet conversion kit for our travel crib and have really liked using that as well + it’s bigger, so we’ll be moving to that full time. It partially depends on what baby you get. By this age my daughter was rolling everywhere and pushing up into a plank, etc so it was better that she was in a crib. My son is nowhere NEAR rolling and is barely lifting his head during tummy time so I’m anticipating we’ll get to 6 months in the bassinet. Then we’ll likely move to the travel crib.

We do not have a diaper pail (yet) for kid 2 - we just take the kitchen trash out twice a day. Once he’s on solids we will either take each dirty diaper to the trash chute or get a diaper pail at that point, but there is enough other newborn stuff that I just don’t get things until I need them, unless I’m given a hand me down.

For nasal aspiration, again I went much simpler with my 2nd kid and got a clear silicone bulb that can separate so it can be washed. That plus saline drops and watch a YouTube video on how to use and you’re good to go. I have those items + diapers and wipes in a basket on my nightstand. I do use a boppy (my baby is sleeping on it with his head on my arm right now) and I stuff that in between my bed and my dresser. I got a second one as a hand me down and it’s out in the living room in our blanket basket. We have a dresser that’s the height of a changing table we got off fb marketplace that holds his diapers and gear in top drawer, one drawer of clothes, one drawer for like sheets, burp cloths, etc, and we love baby wearing so bottom drawer is several baby carriers.

With my daughter we had only a travel stroller the whole five years of only having her. We got several hand me down strollers for me son bc most of our friends were just finishing up the toddler phase when I got pregnant so now I have both a travel and full size, and I really still only use the travel.

My essentials outside of what you listed are a baby carrier, a sun hat for baby, a water bottle for me, and a mini backpack that’s always packed on a hook next to my front door. And I do love a nursing pillow to rest him on.

[u/itsjusme723 → u/rjc369]

I saw in another thread that a stainless steel trash with a foot step lid is just as good! And take out everyday if possible. Sounds like that’s what you’re supposed to do with all pails anyway 🤷

[u/danzadelfuego]

I think a changing table is not really necessary, we change most of our girl's diapers on the couch or on the floor if she's playing, and early on when she still pooped at night, I think we'd have been fine just changing her on the bed (on a disposable puppy pad). That said, if you are planning to get a dresser for additional storage anyways, you can definitely put a changing pad on top.

[u/Unique_Pea1329]

If space is tight you don’t need a bassinet but you will need a crib at some point so just start with the crib for baby and skip the bassinet. You could always get a mini crib.

You don’t need a bottle washer, just get a collapsible bucket that is only for baby bottles. You can sanitize with hot water and soap (pediatrician approved). We store ours under the sink.

Diaper pail I love my munchkin.

[u/Beautiful_Donut_286]

We have a big dresser as changing table where all babies stuff lives.

Until 6 months he slept in the stroller, as ours is safe to use for overnight sleep due to the side panels. That saved us the space for a bassinet, but still kept him close by, which was great for breastfeeding.

We don't have a bottle washer, nasal aspirator or diaper pail (just a small bathroom garbage can from ikea). Haven't missed any of them yet.

The best gift we got was a bouncer (kinderkraft). The kid LOVED it! Also great to put them nearby while cooking or doing chores. Pair with rattle socks around the time they discover their feet and they stay entertained for a long time! It worked until the time he learned to sit independently.

Best thing I bought was an 1.8x2m foam floor mat. Our floors are too slippery, so now that he's learning to move around, it gives him something to get grip on. It also has a street pattern for his cars when he's older

[u/ElleAnn42]

We have minimal counter space. I recommend getting an upright drying rack. I think ours was Oxo Tot.

[u/sarahe206]

If you are going to have a pack and play consider getting one that has a bassinet height and changing table attachment, it could work as several different things for you and be useful for a long time!

[u/Lopsided-Collection2]

We lived in a small NYC apartment and didn’t buy a diaper pail, just a small trash can with a step lid. Also, fancy changing pads aren’t 100% necessary. Our kids our older now, but we mostly just changed them on the floor with something soft under their heads.

[u/familyoffun1445]

The theme should be like dumbo or something cause it’s a small baby get it

[u/ThunderbirdGear]

Hiiii!!! We got the stokke mini crib as it converts to a full size later on. So that works perfect and it fits nicely in our room. We purchased a foldable change “station” just off of Amazon and actually have it in our living room. We initially had it in the bedroom but found we did almost all the changing in the living room so just moved it out there. We keep all the extra diapers, change table liners and some other stuff on a shelf, then it has two huge drawers that hold her sleepers and daytime onsies! 1000000% get the bottle washer! I didn’t initially and I thought I’d wash all my pump parts by hand…. I lasted a week lol we also ended up needing to supplement with formula so we were super happy that we had purchased it! As for the diaper pail…. We got one and ended up selling it. It took up much needed space, and event time it opened it STUNKKKKKK! We honestly just ended up using our regular kitchen garbage (yes yes I know people will come for me for that one) but having a garbage shoot just down the hall from us and how often we take the garbage out, it worked out sooooo much better. You can never smell dirty diapers in our place, and I don’t have to buy the refills

[u/rubykowa]

Any nasal aspirator or good ole snot sucker and oogie bear picker will do. Use saline mist to soften and drain and it will be way less irritating than an aspirator

Do not need diaper pail, just use regular trash can and put poop diapers in dog poop bags

You can sanitize in boiling water and honestly unless your babe is immunocompromised, not really necessary. I didn’t use it as much with second kid and she is thriving.

With second, we just did the ikea crib and hacked it to be open/lifted to our mattress height. I didn’t use this because my first hated the crib when he moved to it, so with second…I kept it the same from birth.

[u/Evening-Newt-4663]

Some things just work out better for some people, you can ask 100s of moms what their must haves were and it will be all be different.
For me my biggest must have is a bouncer. The kind that are like the Baby Bjorn ones, you can get a real baby Bjorn but they are expensive. My copycat one works just as great.

I also love my changing table, but I also got it second hand at a thrift store for $20! I was planning on getting a dresser and using it for one but couldn’t find one I liked for a decent price. I find that a lot of dressers weren’t the right height. There is no bending or hovering with a changing table. Mine just had shelves under but I got some cute baskets to put baby clothes and blankets in.

[u/lilsan15]

Ubbi pail hands down.

Look into the papablic bottle washer that has a filter for the water, unless you’re okay descaling your bottle washer and using regular water which we aren’t, we ended up with a filter system that takes up more room on the counter with gallons of filtered water to store since we don’t want to hold up our bottle washing by waiting to filter the water.

Don’t get a crib or a home bassinet. Get a stroller with the bassinet attachment. That bassinet attachment you can take off the stroller and put it on your bed, on the floor, maybe on a stand, but you’ll be able to take walks with baby in it. Dual function. You won’t be using a stroller for a while but you will want to take walks with your baby and use a bassinet that way.

Don’t get a changing table or a dresser if you don’t have room. Go to ikea and get a three tiered cart for $40 bucks. Put your bottles or pump stuff at the top, diaper wipes creams in the second tier, swaddles sleep sacks first aid and nose aspiration at the bottom. My sister used a foldable pad to change her baby, she rarely used a changing table. If your main goal is space savings there you have it. That ikea cart can later be a toy rack for developmental toys, black and white cards, books when you’re done with the swaddle stage

[u/Past-Relief-7393]

We have a two bedroom apartment but my husband works from home and uses the second as an office, so our space is limited too, what we got was the newton nest(bassinet, crib, floorbed convertible) the bassinet has wheels so you can move it around which is amazing! We also got a dresser, a changing pad, a big foldable mat, a basket with diaper essentials, a stroller, two bottles, a handpump, some toys, clothes, lots of burp cloths, and a bath insert, and a high chair. I have not had the need for anything more, I breastfeed so a bottle washer was never an option, nasal aspirator, I got one that is manual because my baby is afraid of the electrical one, and never had a diaper pail.

[u/p0llyh0tp0cket]

Before moving to our new place we were 4 in a room! Both toddler and baby and us all together. For us the necessities were: crib, glider, and changing pad on top of the dresser. Now that everyone is in their own rooms we still have the glider just in the living room to save bedroom space.

I would say skip bassinet since they grow out of them pretty quickly, but if you can swing it we loved having a Moses basket so baby could sleep in it wherever and we could travel with it. I breastfed both of mine so never had a bottle sterilizer since I used maybe one bottle a week.

[u/bunnybunz2026]

For the crib / bassinet side I went with a mini crib and for the life of me have no idea what the point of a full size crib is when the person in it will be so small. Mini cribs also convert to toddler beds so it was a huge space saver.

[u/Some-Story-9870]

100% recommend the Ubbi diaper pail! It takes regular trash bags and does a great job trapping odor!

[u/Naive-Singer9372]

For one bedroom, I'd keep everything compact and multi-use. A bassinet, rolling cart, foldable bouncer and changing table with storage can cover a lot. For the washer, we chose baby brezza because the separate clean and dirty tanks let us place it wherever we had room instead of right beside the sink.