Baby Gear for a Small Home

Small spaces call for compact multi-purpose baby gear. Not including the playspace in our basement, my family has 1040 sq. feet of living space. Which means we have to get choosy about what takes up our space. Babies may be tiny but the stuff they “require” can pile up and get out of hand. Thusly, while we were pregnant with baby number one I researched compact baby gear and ended up with the following.

1. Graco Elite Gliding Swing

   1. This swing is great for multiple reasons. First, the seat comes off and doubles as a bouncy seat that can be moved anywhere in the house. Second, it glides similar to a rocking chair instead of a traditional swing which means it takes up less space while in motion. Because of the gliding, you are also less likely to knock over older children with the swing.
   2. You can upgrade to the really fancy version and get the bassinet that can be lifted on and off the swing base too.

2. Space Saver Jumperoo

   1. This Jumperoo has a small footprint and doesn’t take up much floor space. It folds relatively flat and can fit underneath a crib, bed, or large sofa. It also travels well and doesn’t take up a ton of space in your basement when storing it for the next baby.

3. Chicco Sit and Stand Stroller

   1. Typical double strollers can take up tons of trunk space or often require you to take one seat off in order to fold up the stroller. This sit and stand folds so compactly it takes up less space than our single Chicco Cortina did in the trunk. I was amazed that the sit and stand was actually shorter than a single stroller.

4. Storage Cube Footstools

   1. This may not seem like a baby item, but it is. We had two of these before our oldest was born and within a few months, they went from storing blankets to baby toys and other baby things. The best part is that you don’t have to look at all the toys in your living room. I would also recommend the faux leather kind because you can wipe them off easily.

5. Portable Bassinet

   1. For the first several months our babies slept in our room. Since our room is so tiny we didn’t want a pack n play in there long term. We ended up getting a bassinet, very similar to the one linked above, off of Craigslist for about $25. Not only was it a great deal, the bassinet folds up flat for easy storage and easy travel.
   2. For more ideas of saving money on baby nurseries check out this post.

Do you have any compact baby gear that you love? Please comment below and let me know.