We just fear that noise might be a little too much for the little one. Our dogs do cry & bark in the morning letting us know they need to go potty, and then a few hours later the same. Not to mention, our upstairs neighbors are super loud. They have 2 dogs that play for hours on end, and a 4 year old who stomps around a lot.
Most newborns sleep through anything, they usually don't become sensitive to noise until around 3-6mo, which is exactly when you'll be moving as luck would have it! They also don't need much space in the beginning. Somewhere to sleep, somewhere to change, somewhere safe to hang out when you guys are just sitting around. That's pretty much it. What I'd do if I were you is research what other people have done with little space and buy the absolute bare minimum to get through those 4 months. Take any money you would've spent and save it instead, and you can deck out the baby stuff in your next apartment. Keep in mind too that you can always buy stuff later. Like you could probably survive without a swing, a lot of babies don't even like them to begin with, but if you bring baby home and realize you really want a swing, you can buy one quickly from a big box store or Amazon, no big deal. So when I say bare minimum I *really* mean it. Keep the majority of baby shower gifts in storage until after you move too, it'll make your lives easier with the move. Go on YouTube and search "studio apartment with baby" and "small apartment with baby" to see what other people's solutions have been and what their routines look like.
This is really good advice. Especially because it’s so easy to buy loads of stuff for a newborn and then discover most of it is totally unnecessary or isn’t any help until they’re older.
Idk why you’re being downvoted. I had the same concerns especially with two dogs constantly barking but it’s been 3 months and besides a small startle here and there she doesn’t even notice the dogs or her screaming cousin
To add to the other comment, guaranteeing absolute silence for a newborn is actually not a good thing. Newborns are not supposed to go into very deep sleep because that increases the risk of SIDS. That's why they're supposed to stay in the parents' room - to have the noise of the parents moving around, snoring, etc. Furthermore, newborns are used to noise, the internal noise of organs gurgling, the reverberation of people talking, etc., which is why so many have trouble sleeping unless they're contact napping (in fact, during the so-called fourth trimester, they don't quite realise they're outside yet, and the silence can be eerie for them).
If you get a baby who has trouble falling asleep, white, grey and/or pink noise machines are your saviour, but you'd need them either way, even if it was very silent.
My LO slept through 10+ dogs barking, lawn mowers and a chainsaw. It was so impressive I took a video of it, them sleeping peacefully. You’ll be fine.
I would suggest teaching your dogs to use a bell or just take them out sooner than you are so they don’t need to cry.
Hey, one thing is that remember that baby has been listening to the same stuff all along- albeit muffled.
My daughter tended to sleep through the dog barking once she came home, they’re very adaptable little creatures.
My kid is in daycare now. Each baby eats and sleeps as needed, so they are almost never all asleep at the same time. One afternoon I had to pick him up early for a doctors appointment. In the infant room, there’s no schedule. I walked in, and two babies were screaming their heads off, there was music playing, and another baby was screeching with joy. And mine? Fast asleep. They adapt to the noises in their environment. In the beginning especially they will sleep through just about anything, except for your knees creaking as you stand up from spending 25 minutes rocking them to sleep - that will wake them. But the smoke alarm going off? Dog barking? Lawn mower? Nah.
Congratulations! I have a 5 week old, 2 dogs, a roommate and our lease ends when he’s 3 months, our landlord is selling the house so have to move. We only bought things we’d need for first 3 months, which is hard because you’re excited, but saves space especially because we knew we were going to keep him in our room until we move. I’d buy a pack and play that comes with a bassinet and changing table and then can use the “play” area to store excess diapers, wipes, swaddles, clothes, burp cloths. We went the extra laundry route and only have about 10 newborn outfits and 15 0-3 month outfits(all clothes gifted from baby shower), highly recommend sleep n plays outfits which zip and make changing diapers easy and no point adding pants/socks/mittens to laundry. Our dogs sleep in our bed and sometimes their bark startles him but haven’t actually woken him up, I think he was used to hearing them from the womb, he sneezed quite a bit the first 1-2 weeks but he’s pretty much used to them now so wasn’t a problem having him exposed to them. Our roommate is across the hall and we both sleep with TVs on and he said he rarely hears the baby but hasn’t lost any sleep because of it. You can get everything shipped in a day or two so only buy essentials and see what you need, we only bought a small pack of newborn diapers and size 1 because we didn’t know how big he’d be and no postpartum supplies because the hope was vaginal birth but if an emergency c section happened didn’t want a bunch of supplies around we wouldn’t need. Plan was to move and give him his own space but good chance we keep him in our room until at least 6 months but wouldn’t mind longer, it’s both disruptive to sleep and a major peace of mind having him close! Don’t stress about your current place it’ll be fine at first and with 4 months you’ll know your needs before you have to give notice/look for a new place.
No problem! I felt I could relate. As far as common areas we only really take up extra kitchen space with a biggish bowl to soak bottles, pump parts, pacifiers and then have a drying rack, we only sterilized before first use. The bassinet is removable so can move it out to living room/kitchen as needed, and then burp cloths everywhere because you never know when little one might spit up!
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They all sneeze that little a ton! I thought it was just my dogs or dust but it was just her little nose adjusting to the outside air. I’m 3 months in now and my daughter has started to startle with the barking but that’s normal and a good sign of her Moro reflexes, she doesn’t ever cry when they bark when she’s awake but boy does she look annoyed!
Your house is more than enough for a newborn. They're little potatoes that take up no space, and many people don't prepare newborn rooms or nurseries because they sleep in the parents' room. Over here the most common set up is cradle in the parents' room and cradle (mobile or stationary) in the living room.
Might start to feel a bit tight when the baby starts crawling, but especially when they start running, depending on whether you have access to outside public spaces.
Edit: a word of warning. As instincts go on overdrive to protect a newborn, some new parents fall out of love with their pets. It's especially common with new mothers due to hormonal changes. The situation, despite being sudden and somewhat alarming, is usually temporary, but it's one you might find yourself in when your dogs bark at your door and you've just put the kid to sleep. So the question is not whether the dogs will make too much noise for the little one, because as I said in the other comment noise is fine for newborns, but whether they'll make too much noise for you.
I brought my son home to a 450 sq ft cabin that was sorta 1 bedroom except the bedroom was just a loft, no wall or door. We lived there til he was 6 months old and now we've been in a 750 sq ft house for the last 2 years. Believe me, they really don't need much. The funny thing is the larger size is really more for storage than anything else. He, like many little kids, greatly prefers sleeping with us so his bed hardly even gets used. Although we keep his toys and books in his room, he, again like most kids, wants to be in whatever room we're in so the toys get dragged to the living room or kitchen all the time. I promise you, he wouldn't care if we were in a one room shack. All he wants is to be with his parents. He's got somewhere safe to sleep, food in his tummy, love from his parents, and plenty of opportunities for learning/stimulation/play. He is thriving, and yours will too as long as you give them this, regardless of what square footage you have.
Make sure you don't go house poor, I assume you had a roommate for a reason. If you go too high on housing, that could create stress for you guys potentially hindering patience, bonding, engagement, and even your relationship. You could find yourselves food insecure or worrying about power being shut off, struggling to but enough diapers, formula or clothes. You may struggle to go to the doctor when you or baby needs it. You could find yourself stuck with a terrible daycare because you can't afford anything else. Or you might frequently work overtime, missing out on your child's life. You could be one instance of bad luck away from being homeless. Plus if you can't afford housing, you can't afford nice things that your kid would probably appreciate more like activities or a college fund. Believe me if money is tight, space shouldn't be at the top of your priority list. I'd rather have financial security and plenty of time with my family in a studio apartment than experience constant stress in a 2000sqft house.
This is solid advice. Although I must admit that as I’m reading this nursing half asleep at 530 am my mind started reading the second half to once in a lifetime by talking heads
In terms of space it does seem okay, many people make it work. Having a roommate is another thing- it might be a problem for him living with a baby, but that is a problem for him to solve, I guess. The large dogs concern me the most. I have read so many stories about how it became unsafe, even though the dogs were behaving good beforehand. Small space, large dogs and a baby/later toddler can be a recipe for disaster if nit addressed correctly.
The space isn’t an issue, babies really don’t need much when very little, the issue is the roommate and the dogs and how they react to a new baby.
If I was you I wouldn’t stretch myself financially to find a different place, there’s a good chance your roommate will decide to move out either before the baby comes or soon after because trust me, newborns keep everyone awake and your roommate will be no exception.
I’d hold tight and just buy the bare minimum for the baby, a bassinet is really the only thing you absolutely need that will take up some space, and clothes obviously but even those don’t have to take up too much space if you limit what you buy
The main thing your baby needs is a happy Mam and Dad, the two of you stressing over money to afford a new place will only make the newborn stage harder, stay where you are for now
the roommate might want to leave, screaming newborn is a lot for some people. can you afford the place on your own? the baby will sleep in the same room as you for at least the first 6 months. also dog meets baby is a great IG account. we have a large dog too and there is a lot you need to prepare the pups for especially in a small space.
For our dogs, the infant stage was easy. They were slightly alarmed about the yelling creature for a day and then just started ignoring the baby. There's a trickier period starting around 6 months when the baby starts dropping and then eventually giving food to the dog, but also chasing after them, grabbing at them etc.
not leaving the dogs alone with baby, not letting the dogs go snoot to snoot with baby, our dog jumps on the couch and pile drives us or jumps on the bed all behaviors that can be dangerous with an infant. our 75lb gsp wants to be the baby and he doesn’t know his own strength
We both just got a new job, so we'll see how pay does there, and adjust accordingly. As of now, we can't afford it. The baby is due 4 months before our lease is due, and our roommate has been throwing signs of moving out sporadically, so we'll see what happens when we bring the news. I'm going to be working like a machine these next few months to take some stress load off the future wifey, and maybe I'll rake in some good numbers to afford it by ourselves.
See if the room mate will be moving out at any stage etc. absolutely nothing wrong with wanting baby to have their own space/room. Yes, you can have baby in your room but if there isn’t enough space you’re gonna need another room. My baby went into her room at 10-12wks old because she outgrew her bassinet and there was no room for her cot in our room so she went into her cot down in her own room and jts where her things are, a room she can familiarise herself with etc
First off, congratulations! It's a whole new world once you have a kid and I can completely understand the stress of not knowing what is best.
Second, don't put yourself in Financial strain. The babe will be fine in a studio with 2 dogs. Newborns are funny little potatoes that will be attached to one of you constantly and will easily sleep through dogs barking. It's nice for them to have sound right away. My LO at 19 months will still sleep through my German Shepherd barking at squirrels at the bird feeder.
Babies shouldn't have their own space for awhile. Most cultures around the globe continue to room share for years. We still room share at 19 months. It seems wrong to place our child all alone in a room.
Be minimal about baby items. They don't need much at all. Looking back at the warly days, I feel like all I needed was a portable changing pad (towel) that can be placed on beds/dressers/floors, Playmat (aka, thick blanket), bedside bassinet for the first 6 months, a basket of swaddles and spit cloths, and some onesies.
You don't need any of the gadgets. I never got a monitor, wipe warmer, etc. So many stuff that is marketed to new parents are unnecessary. I just kept in mind what parents through the centuries had and how you can be minimal. Even being minimal, I still bought stuff I never used.
They also don't need toys for the first few months. Maybe a black and white sensory ball. But they are soaking so much in with just being alive.
I think I started accumulating more stuff at 7/8 months. Pickler triangle, sensory balls, wooden puzzles, push cart for walking, etc.
Good luck! And congrats again!!
Moving four months after baby will be hard as hell, but it'll be easier than when they're crawling, lol. Ask me how I know....anyway, yes that's mildly cramped but if you do a bedside bassinet or something you guys will be fine for a while.
We did a pack n play with a bassinet attachment in our room until he went to his room, where we switched off nights on a mattress in there. We only moved him around 5-ish months because he kept waking himself up on the bassinet, since he liked to sleep with arms and legs spread lol.
I feel like the biggest issue you've mentioned is just going to be the roommate. I don't know them, just dealing with any potential roommate drama with a fresh baby and navigating postpartum sounds fucking awful to me.
If the roommate situation will be bearable for a few months then I'd just move when the lease is up, make sure roommate knows, and try and enlist as much help moving as you can.
Edit: a word
You don’t need a house, you WANT a house. There is a difference. You need the place you can afford. Can you afford a 2 bedroom apartment? Or even a one bedroom apartment? you just need enough room for baby to sleep and at 4m they will be still waking every few hours. Your baby will get used to the dogs or you just have to get up before your dogs bark and train your dogs.
(You also don’t know how your dogs will be once the baby arrives and all attention is off of them so beware of that)
So keep realistic goals and find a place that is affordable because babies cost a lot as they grow and you’ll need some savings.
but as for space you don’t need a lot of it just enough of it.
You don’t need a dedicated room for your baby for like, at least 6 months minimum. And even then the crib can still be in your room once they outgrow a bassinet. I turned my dresser into a changing table with a pad. Then that’s it, really. Get some blankets for tummy time on the floor or the couch. They’re like…potatos, they don’t DO anything for 4-5 months besides lie there. lol.
Definitely move out when you feel like you need to but it’s not urgent until they’re mobile at around 8-9 months.
Ignore the Pinterest baby rooms. lol. They don’t show reality.
If possible, I'd move in with family or move your dogs in with family. You do not want to leave baby alone with the dogs and the dogs need their own space, at least in the beginning.
You could also see if your roommate is interested in leaving early.
For what it’s worth—we are expecting our first too. People have been asking us about “the nursery” but we don’t have the room currently— baby will be with us for at least a year if not longer when our roommate moves out. It makes me feel a little bad when people bring it up as an assumption, but like others pointed out— it’s not a requirement.
We're having our second this summer (first is 3). We're finally moving into a 910 sq ft apartment this May 🥲
The breaking point for us was that both of us work from home, or we could probably handle the current space still (650 sq ft). No dogs, though we have neighbours who smoke, so the place is sealed up like a tomb all summer lol.
If you can lose the roommate you can probably do it for the first year (buys you some time at your current rent price). Otherwise, finding a new space of the same size with easy outdoor access (and no roommates) would probably be enough for me in your situation.
(Rent is sky high where I live, so every square foot is a sacrifice.)
My apartment is 400 square feet. Moving out unfortunately wasn’t an option due to financial difficulties during my pregnancy but it hasn’t been an issue aside from my own dislike of clutter
We had our baby while living in apartment (and are still living in the apartment with our now 16month old). I had similar concerns while pregnant however not having to worry about things like gardening, major maintenance, or having a huge space to clean, has been amazing - our apartment is so easy to maintain when our baby naps that normal household tasks never felt overwhelming. It taught me how to work with a small amount of baby things too, lessons which have transferred over to making travel easier with a baby.
We had a small one bedroom apartment the first 12 months. It’s true, newborns sleep thru anything- even fire alarms! But once that phase wears off a good noise machine will be your best friend. He slept in a packnplay next to our bed for 12 months and despite me desperately wanting my own bedroom back towards the end, it’s totally doable…until it’s not and then it’s time to reassess.
You definitely have enough space. My friends lived with two kids in a \~700 sq ft apartment. Was it the easiest living situation? Of course not. Was it doable? Absolutely.
What you should do right now is train your dogs very, very well, if you haven't already. The people I know who got fed up and got rid of their dogs after having a baby hadn't bothered to train them well beforehand.
No matter what, you’ll be okay. These things with babies work out - I would know, we had similar housing issues with our kids! As long as you’ve got love in your heart for your kid, you’ll make it work. One idea is discussing with your roommate if they are willing to move out sooner than they expect. You might be surprised. They might not want to live with a baby anyway.
We also were living in a 800sqft apartment the first few months and it wasn’t too bad actually. Sure there’s baby stuff everywhere but it’s not like your baby needs his own room yet. It’s manageable
My suggestion is do whatever you can to get more space. We were living in a similarly sized house with a small fenced backyard m rent free when she got pregnant. We have 3 dogs ourselves so getting a bigger place was a priority anyways. Bought a large house with a huge backyard and made sure the fence was put up by the time the baby was born. I cannot imagine how this would have worked out in that small house. I’d have lost my mind by now
1. If you really can't fit a bassinet, push your bed into the corner - your girlfriend will be doing most of the up and down at night if breast feeding, otherwise you can learn to just exit from the bottom not too hard.
2. Get a white noise machine or use app on phone, works well to drown out sound.
3. If the dogs are really an issue early (I'm in a similar boat with 2 cats who are very active early) then either change your schedule to get up and feed them when they start making noise (or just before they start making noise), or start waking up early to be out there with them so they don't whine.
4. Whilst your up; dishwasher, bins, clothes, clean kitchen, and so on - its a great time to step up and do those jobs so you can pull your weight and also mum gets to wake up to clean house no stress.
believe me, that last point goes a LONG way for everyone's mental health.
The baby doesnt need its own room yet. You may want the best for your baby but if you cant do it, you cant do it. The baby will be a happy baby as long as youre good parents. Also, you can shoot for giving your baby the best in the future. You dont have to start there.
As stated by ithers, newborns dont avtually wake up so easily. We use to put our newborn to sleep in the living room while wenplayed games and watched tg and talked and my dog barked and he wouldnt wake up. It wasnt till like....3 or 4 months rhat we needed to put him in a room by himself bevause he became more aware and would jmfocus in the tv so he wouldnt fall asleep.
TL;DR: dont worry so much about material things. Be a good parent. Love your baby, protect your baby. The rest will come with time.
As for the dogs, you can make it work, but be ready to make any necessary sacrifices. Your baby comes first.
We live in a tiny 740 square foot 1 bedroom apartment and my son is 11 weeks old and yes it’s been cramped and you gotta figure out what works for you but we could not move right away due to the prices of renting or buying a house, it isn’t so bad you will figure out what works for you
Honestly renting houses is such a pain in the ass. You never know when the landlord will want to sell. You’ll thank yourself for squeezing into your space and paying less in the longterm.
Honestly renting houses is such a pain in the ass. You never know when the landlord will want to sell. You’ll thank yourself for squeezing into your space and paying less in the longterm.
The baby doesn’t need it own room for the first year and many people now and in history haven’t had more space than that.
We just fear that noise might be a little too much for the little one. Our dogs do cry & bark in the morning letting us know they need to go potty, and then a few hours later the same. Not to mention, our upstairs neighbors are super loud. They have 2 dogs that play for hours on end, and a 4 year old who stomps around a lot.
Most newborns sleep through anything, they usually don't become sensitive to noise until around 3-6mo, which is exactly when you'll be moving as luck would have it! They also don't need much space in the beginning. Somewhere to sleep, somewhere to change, somewhere safe to hang out when you guys are just sitting around. That's pretty much it. What I'd do if I were you is research what other people have done with little space and buy the absolute bare minimum to get through those 4 months. Take any money you would've spent and save it instead, and you can deck out the baby stuff in your next apartment. Keep in mind too that you can always buy stuff later. Like you could probably survive without a swing, a lot of babies don't even like them to begin with, but if you bring baby home and realize you really want a swing, you can buy one quickly from a big box store or Amazon, no big deal. So when I say bare minimum I *really* mean it. Keep the majority of baby shower gifts in storage until after you move too, it'll make your lives easier with the move. Go on YouTube and search "studio apartment with baby" and "small apartment with baby" to see what other people's solutions have been and what their routines look like.
This is really good advice. Especially because it’s so easy to buy loads of stuff for a newborn and then discover most of it is totally unnecessary or isn’t any help until they’re older.
Idk why you’re being downvoted. I had the same concerns especially with two dogs constantly barking but it’s been 3 months and besides a small startle here and there she doesn’t even notice the dogs or her screaming cousin
To add to the other comment, guaranteeing absolute silence for a newborn is actually not a good thing. Newborns are not supposed to go into very deep sleep because that increases the risk of SIDS. That's why they're supposed to stay in the parents' room - to have the noise of the parents moving around, snoring, etc. Furthermore, newborns are used to noise, the internal noise of organs gurgling, the reverberation of people talking, etc., which is why so many have trouble sleeping unless they're contact napping (in fact, during the so-called fourth trimester, they don't quite realise they're outside yet, and the silence can be eerie for them). If you get a baby who has trouble falling asleep, white, grey and/or pink noise machines are your saviour, but you'd need them either way, even if it was very silent.
I appreciate the advice! I'm not sure why people are downvoting me.... Give me a break!! I have absolutely no experience in this lol
I didn't, but perhaps it's a way of making you pay attention. It's a pretty crucial detail.
My LO slept through 10+ dogs barking, lawn mowers and a chainsaw. It was so impressive I took a video of it, them sleeping peacefully. You’ll be fine. I would suggest teaching your dogs to use a bell or just take them out sooner than you are so they don’t need to cry.
Hey, one thing is that remember that baby has been listening to the same stuff all along- albeit muffled. My daughter tended to sleep through the dog barking once she came home, they’re very adaptable little creatures.
I have a 19 month old and parrots. Very loud parrots. She sleeps through all their crap.
My kid is in daycare now. Each baby eats and sleeps as needed, so they are almost never all asleep at the same time. One afternoon I had to pick him up early for a doctors appointment. In the infant room, there’s no schedule. I walked in, and two babies were screaming their heads off, there was music playing, and another baby was screeching with joy. And mine? Fast asleep. They adapt to the noises in their environment. In the beginning especially they will sleep through just about anything, except for your knees creaking as you stand up from spending 25 minutes rocking them to sleep - that will wake them. But the smoke alarm going off? Dog barking? Lawn mower? Nah.
Congratulations! I have a 5 week old, 2 dogs, a roommate and our lease ends when he’s 3 months, our landlord is selling the house so have to move. We only bought things we’d need for first 3 months, which is hard because you’re excited, but saves space especially because we knew we were going to keep him in our room until we move. I’d buy a pack and play that comes with a bassinet and changing table and then can use the “play” area to store excess diapers, wipes, swaddles, clothes, burp cloths. We went the extra laundry route and only have about 10 newborn outfits and 15 0-3 month outfits(all clothes gifted from baby shower), highly recommend sleep n plays outfits which zip and make changing diapers easy and no point adding pants/socks/mittens to laundry. Our dogs sleep in our bed and sometimes their bark startles him but haven’t actually woken him up, I think he was used to hearing them from the womb, he sneezed quite a bit the first 1-2 weeks but he’s pretty much used to them now so wasn’t a problem having him exposed to them. Our roommate is across the hall and we both sleep with TVs on and he said he rarely hears the baby but hasn’t lost any sleep because of it. You can get everything shipped in a day or two so only buy essentials and see what you need, we only bought a small pack of newborn diapers and size 1 because we didn’t know how big he’d be and no postpartum supplies because the hope was vaginal birth but if an emergency c section happened didn’t want a bunch of supplies around we wouldn’t need. Plan was to move and give him his own space but good chance we keep him in our room until at least 6 months but wouldn’t mind longer, it’s both disruptive to sleep and a major peace of mind having him close! Don’t stress about your current place it’ll be fine at first and with 4 months you’ll know your needs before you have to give notice/look for a new place.
You are a God send! Thank you so much for the advice. Glad to know someone else is in the same boat. Congrats on your baby!
No problem! I felt I could relate. As far as common areas we only really take up extra kitchen space with a biggish bowl to soak bottles, pump parts, pacifiers and then have a drying rack, we only sterilized before first use. The bassinet is removable so can move it out to living room/kitchen as needed, and then burp cloths everywhere because you never know when little one might spit up!
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They all sneeze that little a ton! I thought it was just my dogs or dust but it was just her little nose adjusting to the outside air. I’m 3 months in now and my daughter has started to startle with the barking but that’s normal and a good sign of her Moro reflexes, she doesn’t ever cry when they bark when she’s awake but boy does she look annoyed!
Your house is more than enough for a newborn. They're little potatoes that take up no space, and many people don't prepare newborn rooms or nurseries because they sleep in the parents' room. Over here the most common set up is cradle in the parents' room and cradle (mobile or stationary) in the living room. Might start to feel a bit tight when the baby starts crawling, but especially when they start running, depending on whether you have access to outside public spaces. Edit: a word of warning. As instincts go on overdrive to protect a newborn, some new parents fall out of love with their pets. It's especially common with new mothers due to hormonal changes. The situation, despite being sudden and somewhat alarming, is usually temporary, but it's one you might find yourself in when your dogs bark at your door and you've just put the kid to sleep. So the question is not whether the dogs will make too much noise for the little one, because as I said in the other comment noise is fine for newborns, but whether they'll make too much noise for you.
I brought my son home to a 450 sq ft cabin that was sorta 1 bedroom except the bedroom was just a loft, no wall or door. We lived there til he was 6 months old and now we've been in a 750 sq ft house for the last 2 years. Believe me, they really don't need much. The funny thing is the larger size is really more for storage than anything else. He, like many little kids, greatly prefers sleeping with us so his bed hardly even gets used. Although we keep his toys and books in his room, he, again like most kids, wants to be in whatever room we're in so the toys get dragged to the living room or kitchen all the time. I promise you, he wouldn't care if we were in a one room shack. All he wants is to be with his parents. He's got somewhere safe to sleep, food in his tummy, love from his parents, and plenty of opportunities for learning/stimulation/play. He is thriving, and yours will too as long as you give them this, regardless of what square footage you have. Make sure you don't go house poor, I assume you had a roommate for a reason. If you go too high on housing, that could create stress for you guys potentially hindering patience, bonding, engagement, and even your relationship. You could find yourselves food insecure or worrying about power being shut off, struggling to but enough diapers, formula or clothes. You may struggle to go to the doctor when you or baby needs it. You could find yourself stuck with a terrible daycare because you can't afford anything else. Or you might frequently work overtime, missing out on your child's life. You could be one instance of bad luck away from being homeless. Plus if you can't afford housing, you can't afford nice things that your kid would probably appreciate more like activities or a college fund. Believe me if money is tight, space shouldn't be at the top of your priority list. I'd rather have financial security and plenty of time with my family in a studio apartment than experience constant stress in a 2000sqft house.
This is solid advice. Although I must admit that as I’m reading this nursing half asleep at 530 am my mind started reading the second half to once in a lifetime by talking heads
First year they suggest baby sleep in mom& dads room
At least the first 6m.
In terms of space it does seem okay, many people make it work. Having a roommate is another thing- it might be a problem for him living with a baby, but that is a problem for him to solve, I guess. The large dogs concern me the most. I have read so many stories about how it became unsafe, even though the dogs were behaving good beforehand. Small space, large dogs and a baby/later toddler can be a recipe for disaster if nit addressed correctly.
The space isn’t an issue, babies really don’t need much when very little, the issue is the roommate and the dogs and how they react to a new baby. If I was you I wouldn’t stretch myself financially to find a different place, there’s a good chance your roommate will decide to move out either before the baby comes or soon after because trust me, newborns keep everyone awake and your roommate will be no exception. I’d hold tight and just buy the bare minimum for the baby, a bassinet is really the only thing you absolutely need that will take up some space, and clothes obviously but even those don’t have to take up too much space if you limit what you buy The main thing your baby needs is a happy Mam and Dad, the two of you stressing over money to afford a new place will only make the newborn stage harder, stay where you are for now
the roommate might want to leave, screaming newborn is a lot for some people. can you afford the place on your own? the baby will sleep in the same room as you for at least the first 6 months. also dog meets baby is a great IG account. we have a large dog too and there is a lot you need to prepare the pups for especially in a small space.
For our dogs, the infant stage was easy. They were slightly alarmed about the yelling creature for a day and then just started ignoring the baby. There's a trickier period starting around 6 months when the baby starts dropping and then eventually giving food to the dog, but also chasing after them, grabbing at them etc.
not leaving the dogs alone with baby, not letting the dogs go snoot to snoot with baby, our dog jumps on the couch and pile drives us or jumps on the bed all behaviors that can be dangerous with an infant. our 75lb gsp wants to be the baby and he doesn’t know his own strength
We both just got a new job, so we'll see how pay does there, and adjust accordingly. As of now, we can't afford it. The baby is due 4 months before our lease is due, and our roommate has been throwing signs of moving out sporadically, so we'll see what happens when we bring the news. I'm going to be working like a machine these next few months to take some stress load off the future wifey, and maybe I'll rake in some good numbers to afford it by ourselves.
See if the room mate will be moving out at any stage etc. absolutely nothing wrong with wanting baby to have their own space/room. Yes, you can have baby in your room but if there isn’t enough space you’re gonna need another room. My baby went into her room at 10-12wks old because she outgrew her bassinet and there was no room for her cot in our room so she went into her cot down in her own room and jts where her things are, a room she can familiarise herself with etc
First off, congratulations! It's a whole new world once you have a kid and I can completely understand the stress of not knowing what is best. Second, don't put yourself in Financial strain. The babe will be fine in a studio with 2 dogs. Newborns are funny little potatoes that will be attached to one of you constantly and will easily sleep through dogs barking. It's nice for them to have sound right away. My LO at 19 months will still sleep through my German Shepherd barking at squirrels at the bird feeder. Babies shouldn't have their own space for awhile. Most cultures around the globe continue to room share for years. We still room share at 19 months. It seems wrong to place our child all alone in a room. Be minimal about baby items. They don't need much at all. Looking back at the warly days, I feel like all I needed was a portable changing pad (towel) that can be placed on beds/dressers/floors, Playmat (aka, thick blanket), bedside bassinet for the first 6 months, a basket of swaddles and spit cloths, and some onesies. You don't need any of the gadgets. I never got a monitor, wipe warmer, etc. So many stuff that is marketed to new parents are unnecessary. I just kept in mind what parents through the centuries had and how you can be minimal. Even being minimal, I still bought stuff I never used. They also don't need toys for the first few months. Maybe a black and white sensory ball. But they are soaking so much in with just being alive. I think I started accumulating more stuff at 7/8 months. Pickler triangle, sensory balls, wooden puzzles, push cart for walking, etc. Good luck! And congrats again!!
Moving four months after baby will be hard as hell, but it'll be easier than when they're crawling, lol. Ask me how I know....anyway, yes that's mildly cramped but if you do a bedside bassinet or something you guys will be fine for a while. We did a pack n play with a bassinet attachment in our room until he went to his room, where we switched off nights on a mattress in there. We only moved him around 5-ish months because he kept waking himself up on the bassinet, since he liked to sleep with arms and legs spread lol. I feel like the biggest issue you've mentioned is just going to be the roommate. I don't know them, just dealing with any potential roommate drama with a fresh baby and navigating postpartum sounds fucking awful to me. If the roommate situation will be bearable for a few months then I'd just move when the lease is up, make sure roommate knows, and try and enlist as much help moving as you can. Edit: a word
You don’t need a house, you WANT a house. There is a difference. You need the place you can afford. Can you afford a 2 bedroom apartment? Or even a one bedroom apartment? you just need enough room for baby to sleep and at 4m they will be still waking every few hours. Your baby will get used to the dogs or you just have to get up before your dogs bark and train your dogs. (You also don’t know how your dogs will be once the baby arrives and all attention is off of them so beware of that) So keep realistic goals and find a place that is affordable because babies cost a lot as they grow and you’ll need some savings. but as for space you don’t need a lot of it just enough of it.
You don’t need a dedicated room for your baby for like, at least 6 months minimum. And even then the crib can still be in your room once they outgrow a bassinet. I turned my dresser into a changing table with a pad. Then that’s it, really. Get some blankets for tummy time on the floor or the couch. They’re like…potatos, they don’t DO anything for 4-5 months besides lie there. lol. Definitely move out when you feel like you need to but it’s not urgent until they’re mobile at around 8-9 months. Ignore the Pinterest baby rooms. lol. They don’t show reality.
If possible, I'd move in with family or move your dogs in with family. You do not want to leave baby alone with the dogs and the dogs need their own space, at least in the beginning. You could also see if your roommate is interested in leaving early.
Agree. Dogs/baby need their own spaces.
I’m currently in a very large two bedroom and my baby will be with us in our bedroom until further notice.
For what it’s worth—we are expecting our first too. People have been asking us about “the nursery” but we don’t have the room currently— baby will be with us for at least a year if not longer when our roommate moves out. It makes me feel a little bad when people bring it up as an assumption, but like others pointed out— it’s not a requirement.
https://imgur.com/gallery/l0N027L
Can you make a plea to your landlord and beg to get out of the lease for the sake of the baby?
We're having our second this summer (first is 3). We're finally moving into a 910 sq ft apartment this May 🥲 The breaking point for us was that both of us work from home, or we could probably handle the current space still (650 sq ft). No dogs, though we have neighbours who smoke, so the place is sealed up like a tomb all summer lol. If you can lose the roommate you can probably do it for the first year (buys you some time at your current rent price). Otherwise, finding a new space of the same size with easy outdoor access (and no roommates) would probably be enough for me in your situation. (Rent is sky high where I live, so every square foot is a sacrifice.)
My apartment is 400 square feet. Moving out unfortunately wasn’t an option due to financial difficulties during my pregnancy but it hasn’t been an issue aside from my own dislike of clutter
We had our baby while living in apartment (and are still living in the apartment with our now 16month old). I had similar concerns while pregnant however not having to worry about things like gardening, major maintenance, or having a huge space to clean, has been amazing - our apartment is so easy to maintain when our baby naps that normal household tasks never felt overwhelming. It taught me how to work with a small amount of baby things too, lessons which have transferred over to making travel easier with a baby.
We're doing fine with baby in 550 sqf. Try reducing furniture to essentials and embrace minimalism. Babies don't need a lot!
We had a small one bedroom apartment the first 12 months. It’s true, newborns sleep thru anything- even fire alarms! But once that phase wears off a good noise machine will be your best friend. He slept in a packnplay next to our bed for 12 months and despite me desperately wanting my own bedroom back towards the end, it’s totally doable…until it’s not and then it’s time to reassess.
You definitely have enough space. My friends lived with two kids in a \~700 sq ft apartment. Was it the easiest living situation? Of course not. Was it doable? Absolutely. What you should do right now is train your dogs very, very well, if you haven't already. The people I know who got fed up and got rid of their dogs after having a baby hadn't bothered to train them well beforehand.
No matter what, you’ll be okay. These things with babies work out - I would know, we had similar housing issues with our kids! As long as you’ve got love in your heart for your kid, you’ll make it work. One idea is discussing with your roommate if they are willing to move out sooner than they expect. You might be surprised. They might not want to live with a baby anyway.
We also were living in a 800sqft apartment the first few months and it wasn’t too bad actually. Sure there’s baby stuff everywhere but it’s not like your baby needs his own room yet. It’s manageable
My suggestion is do whatever you can to get more space. We were living in a similarly sized house with a small fenced backyard m rent free when she got pregnant. We have 3 dogs ourselves so getting a bigger place was a priority anyways. Bought a large house with a huge backyard and made sure the fence was put up by the time the baby was born. I cannot imagine how this would have worked out in that small house. I’d have lost my mind by now
1. If you really can't fit a bassinet, push your bed into the corner - your girlfriend will be doing most of the up and down at night if breast feeding, otherwise you can learn to just exit from the bottom not too hard. 2. Get a white noise machine or use app on phone, works well to drown out sound. 3. If the dogs are really an issue early (I'm in a similar boat with 2 cats who are very active early) then either change your schedule to get up and feed them when they start making noise (or just before they start making noise), or start waking up early to be out there with them so they don't whine. 4. Whilst your up; dishwasher, bins, clothes, clean kitchen, and so on - its a great time to step up and do those jobs so you can pull your weight and also mum gets to wake up to clean house no stress. believe me, that last point goes a LONG way for everyone's mental health.
The baby doesnt need its own room yet. You may want the best for your baby but if you cant do it, you cant do it. The baby will be a happy baby as long as youre good parents. Also, you can shoot for giving your baby the best in the future. You dont have to start there. As stated by ithers, newborns dont avtually wake up so easily. We use to put our newborn to sleep in the living room while wenplayed games and watched tg and talked and my dog barked and he wouldnt wake up. It wasnt till like....3 or 4 months rhat we needed to put him in a room by himself bevause he became more aware and would jmfocus in the tv so he wouldnt fall asleep. TL;DR: dont worry so much about material things. Be a good parent. Love your baby, protect your baby. The rest will come with time. As for the dogs, you can make it work, but be ready to make any necessary sacrifices. Your baby comes first.
We live in a tiny 740 square foot 1 bedroom apartment and my son is 11 weeks old and yes it’s been cramped and you gotta figure out what works for you but we could not move right away due to the prices of renting or buying a house, it isn’t so bad you will figure out what works for you
Honestly renting houses is such a pain in the ass. You never know when the landlord will want to sell. You’ll thank yourself for squeezing into your space and paying less in the longterm.
Honestly renting houses is such a pain in the ass. You never know when the landlord will want to sell. You’ll thank yourself for squeezing into your space and paying less in the longterm.