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Thank you all for your suggestions!
And elnina thanks so much for the websites, I'm looking at them right now!
Money isn't an issue for items, it's just the room to put it all.
My closet is a double door closet but maybe only 1.5/2 ft deep. I was thinking that would be a good place for his stroller and maybe a toy box or other shelving system because I definitley want to get out and do alot of walking once he's born, even if it is fall/winter because it's usually pretty mild here in WA.
I looked on Target.com and Walmart.com and a few other stores today, and they actually have "organisation" categories which have really helped!
I already have a small bassinet but have been thinking of just getting a crib. I really wanted to have a glider rocker but there is really absolutely no room to put it
The things that were absolute necessities for me were: crib, baby bjorn carrier, booster seat for eating, Inglessina Zippy stroller (small size, one hand fold, reclining seat!), a rocking chair (sorry!), and my Britax convertible car seat which you can use for a long time.
Everything else is a bonus.
I don't see any reason why you couldn't use a pack n' play as a long term crib though. I'm sure you could find a mattress insert since the "mattress" that comes with them isn't great. Then, once you move to a bigger place you can either buy a full sized crib or transition to a full sized bed (which I did @ 18 months with no problem).
I already have a small bassinet but have been thinking of just getting a crib. I really wanted to have a glider rocker but there is really absolutely no room to put it
I would suggest returning the bassinet if you can. It won't even last you the 8 months you're in the apartment. It will last you more like 3-4 months.
As for the glider/rocker....my son is 6 years old now and that's still where the best "mommy time" happens!
We were in a one bedroom apartment when we had our first baby. She slept in her crib in our bedroom until she was 8 months old, then we moved to a two bedroom. She never had trouble sleeping when we were in the room.
When we had our second child, she slept in our bedroom until she was six months old, then we moved her into her sister's bedroom. It's actually nice having the baby near you at first, you want to hear them if they're crying or be near them if they have a cold, and when the crib is in the room, the night time feedings don't feel like as much work.
You don't need the bassinet at all. Sell it and get a crib. My oldest was a preemie and even by the time she was two months old she was too heavy for the bassinet.
If you really want to do the bassinet thing, get a pack and play with the bassinet and changing table attachments, plus the organizer bag on the end. Use the area under the bassinet for storage and keep the changing table attachment on the end. You can buy sheets for the pack and play so it's more like a real bed. Once the baby exceeds the weight limit for the bassinet, take it out and just use the pack and play as a crib. (if you look for a mattress insert for it, be absolutely sure it's made for the pack and play you have and fits exactly...otherwise it would be a suffocation danger).
You don't need a high chair at first...last I heard, they don't even recommend feeding them solids until they're six months old, and you can use the car seat as a high chair for those first feedings. You don't need a high chair until the baby is interested in feeding himself.
You can store the stroller in the trunk of the car. You do need a stroller though, even just for all those well baby checkups.
An infant car seat with a removable base will be more convenient for you than a convertible seat, because you can use it in the house for the baby to sit in.
A swing is a great thing to have, especially for a fussy baby. It can be stored behind clothes in the closet. Not all babies will use a swing, but for those who will, it's a great thing to have.
You don't need a toy box at first...a small basket that sits on the floor will work well for toys. They don't get toys with lots of pieces until they're a little older, so you'll mostly have rattles and teething toys at first.
If you don't eat at your dining room table, pack that up and put it in storage, and use the dining room as baby's room. Even the smallest dining room would have room for a crib and rocker.
Maybe if you ask this on a European forum you will get better responses. That is a normal size living unit for most of Europe. Up to 3 yrs ago our family of 4 has lived in different apts ranging from 750sq ft to 950. You are on the right track with getting rid of stuff. The crib is necessary, the baby would not be sitting right away so you can wait on the high chair. You will need one good stroller that would let the baby sleep. Then there is milk/diapers and well start packing some extra sleep from now.
The next things you will need is back to school stuff and stuff for the college dorm, time flies with kids.
I would suggest returning the bassinet if you can. It won't even last you the 8 months you're in the apartment. It will last you more like 3-4 months.
As for the glider/rocker....my son is 6 years old now and that's still where the best "mommy time" happens!
I agree-this is very close to a must have. Our kids loved to rock long after they were babies-especially when they were sick or had a bad day. We still have our glider rocker 19 years later.
From a parenting perspective, I highly recommend you put the crib in the living room or dining room, not your bedroom. When you move to a bigger place, you will have an extremely difficult time getting your child to sleep in a different room if it starts out sleeping in your bedroom. Oh and don't have your baby sleep in your bed or you can expect to share your bed with your baby for a few years before you can get him/her out of it. Plus, it's truly not safe to sleep with a baby in bed with you.
I NEVER used a stroller. Never. I NEVER used a playpen. NEVER. If you get a stroller, you can keep it in the trunk of your car, like WRX suggests. There's no need to bring it inside the apartment. I found strollers to be a PITA. It's much easier to carry a baby or use a baby sling or some other contraption to attach the baby to yourself.
Babies don't need much. They need a place to sleep. That's it. You don't need special furniture for their clothes or a special place to change diapers. I promise.
Crib. Carseat. Little umbrella stroller. frontpack type cloth carrier. I can't believe the size of the strollers and highchairs that I see nowadays, good grief they're gigantic! What happened to actually carrying your child in your arms and holding them? (not in the car of course) I would have a bad back in 2 days of carrying that big carseat/stroller/highchair top convertible thing out to the side with the handle on the way in or out.
What's in your living \room? Can you remove enough to allow for the rocker? You really need a rocker but you don't have to get one as large as a Barcolounger either. I have a wooden, armless rocker with upholstered seat and back that is now 32 years old and it's still in one piece after 7 kids and numerous foster children. Had to have the bottom of the seat repaired once and that rocker has a million miles on it. It also folds up but doesn't look like it's a folding chair at all, kind of antique-y looking. This is a piece of furniture that you will keep for a lifetime and pass on whereas you may not do that with anything else except maybe the crib. Maybe you can replace a large sofa with a loveseat and the rocker for the time being?
I sure did love my baby swing, tho. That's one thing I would get and keep in the living room. Maybe could double as a high chair while the infant still is spoon fed.
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