If you’re anything like the “clueless young wife,” eager to start a family, you probably don’t know the first thing about motherhood. Heck, OG’s that have been at it for years still get thrown off their game now and then. You don’t get by with an impressive resume, you learn on the job and from experiences, yours and that of others. One of the toughest challenges young parents face is, deciding where to raise their kids. Whether or not, the subtle scenery of the suburbs is enough compensation for a lifestyle overhaul that involves job changes and waning friendships. If a comfortable living situation is practical, should they lean towards the big city life? We caught up with a young, freelancer mum who has spent the better part of motherhood raising kids in an apartment. Here are her tips for survival.
Whoever said “it takes a village to raise a child” obviously never pushed a 6 pounder from their vagina only to take them home to a swarm of looks that were less congratulatory and more “your bundle of joy better not wake me up at night”. If you’re one of the many parents who, for hustle or other reasons, are forced to start a family in a multi-tenant apartment, you’re bound to find out that your neighbors are, more than likely, not on the village guest list.
A Rude Awakening
Living in an apartment brings out the best and worst in people. Although some of my neighbors were less tolerant of my choice to bring children into the world, others went out of their way to make themselves available for support.
When we first brought our bubba home to our apartment, we decided to treat the neighbors to a bit of a goodie bag.
When we first brought our bubba home to our apartment, we decided to treat the neighbors to a bit of a goodie bag. We knew there would be a lot of crying. We wanted to make sure they knew we were thinking of them.
The Basics
We decorated the baby’s room in preparation. Naturally, I took charge and dictated what we should have in the place. I got my husband to put the crib together while I chose the diaper station and arranged some clothes in order of size. I am organized, and the last thing I wanted was to be scrambling around for clothes in the middle of a messy moment. One thing that I feel that saved me was our choice of a crib. We made sure to get something that was compact and on wheels. This way, I could wheel baby between rooms if I needed to without disturbing the sleep cycle. If you live in an apartment, every inch of space is invaluable.
When we brought our first little bundle of joy home, (we now have two), I was relieved to be right about how few baby accessories we needed. The only things that we found essential were the diaper station, the crib, and that neatly folded, (yeah right), bundle of clothes. This clothing arrangement saved me in more ways than one. It meant that I didn’t have to do more than one or two loads of laundry a week. While it may be strange, to begin with, you’ll soon realize that you can get by just fine on the bare essentials.
A Pro-active Mom
Our little immobile bundle soon joined the ranks of mobile babies. It inevitably meant that there were a lot of places she wanted to explore. To help make the few apartment corners we have more baby-friendly, I started cleaning with eco and baby-friendly cleaning products. That way, our baby could be free to discover without me worrying about what she might be touching.
To help make the few apartment corners we have more baby-friendly, I started cleaning with eco and baby-friendly cleaning products.
While I’m not the most extroverted person, being stuck inside an apartment-sized area all day is enough to make even me get cabin fever. Add an active toddler to the mix, and you’ve got a recipe for an early wine. I found that making the most of the public parks near our apartment quite literally saved me from having to be committed.
We got to a point where baby required more stimulation than what we had within our charge and, so making the most of public spaces meant that she got the energy crib together and I got to keep my sanity. I know first-hand how stressful it can be living in an apartment; bringing up a child in the middle of all the chaos is only going to add to the adventure. I made sure to do everything I could to make peaceful zen that emanated tranquility. I’ve had to become a thinker and planner – and I feel that this has played to my advantage. I can’t help but think about the weeks, months, and sometimes even years ahead. Living by the Boy Scout’s motto of ‘always be prepared’ has saved me from a couple of disaster situations.
Raising kids in an apartment, automatically means that you’re part of a big, crazy village, and adding to that village means embracing the crazy even more. Luckily, learning to live with a baby in your city apartment doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom.
How do you think you’ll arrange baby’s room to suit your apartment living best? Let us know!
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Wow! This was incredibly insightful! I love the unaltered voice you have and keeping it so real.
Thank you, Taryn, I’m glad you liked it.