Since the day that we announced there was a bun in my oven, we’ve been getting comments and emails to request details about how our house is changing thanks to our growing family. And now that Clara is two months old (time flies!) we decided that it was high time we took some candid photos to show exactly how our home has changed thanks to all of the baby gear that we’ve accumulated thus far (and yes, we know it’ll only grow from here, so stay tuned to see how we deal with everything else as we go).
The following photos weren’t edited or cleaned up in any way- they’re actual snapshots. And you know what? We really like our house this way. It’s lived-in and casual and convenient and functional- all the things that we strive for when it comes to home decor. And the best thing about every single item is that we have a place for it when it’s not in use. And we’re thinking this is the key. So although all of these photos show you how things look when they’re out and about, they could all be tucked away if we felt the need to de-babify the house for company (although all of our visitors these days are here to see Clara, so they love observing her in her natural habitat).
So without further ado… the baby-tastic-keeping-it-real-a-day-in-the-life reveal.
This is what the bedroom looks like on the regular. We don’t make the bed anymore, ever. Well, except maybe if we’re having company (even then we sometimes skip it since we somehow have this “get out of jail free” card thanks to the whole you-have-a-newborn concept). And yes, Burger sleeps in until about noon so he can usually be found in bed next to some books that we’ve read to Clara earlier that morning. The cutest thing is that when Burger does finally drag his lazy butt out of bed he immediately seeks out his little sister…
… as demonstrated by this photo of Burger hunting down Clara, only to find her in her swing in the den (it actually gets moved back and forth between the den and the office, depending where we are).
See, Clara loves her Boppy Travel swing. It’s definitely her favorite “baby item” and it’s worth its weight in gold to us. We opted for a smaller and less expensive “travel swing” (which we use all the time, not just when we’re traveling). Thankfully, it has a smaller footprint. And amazingly, it comes in a very neutral color scheme that actually goes with a ton of the items in our house. That’s definitely not a necessity, but it’s always a welcome bonus. We actually hoped this swing could multitask as a bouncy seat of sorts, since you know we’d rather buy one item that can serve a few purposes. So while it doesn’t have a vibrating setting like most bouncers, it’s low to the ground and when the swing isn’t on it serves as a convenient non-vibrating bouncy seat-ish device (which is handy to set Clara in when we eat for example). Of course every baby is different – Clara’s cousin hates his swing and loves his bouncie seat – but we’re so happy that we didn’t bring in two items when we found one that does the job of two.
Oh and see that pink blanket folded over the back of the chair in the photo above? That’s for playtime/tummy time in the den. We’ve learned that it’s easier to keep two plush floor blankets around (one in the den and one in the office) so they’re always on hand wherever we are for some floor playing, neck exercising, rolling over, and ceiling staring. It’s amazing what babies like to do in their spare time.
Next we have the laundry…
The arrival of Clara has definitely meant that there’s more to wash and dry, but thankfully her clothes are all so small that we can cram about a million onesies into one energy efficient load. Of course we can’t wait to break out our cloth diapers (Clara is still a smidge too small for them) which will add even more to our laundry pile, but will make buying the Seventh Generation disposable dipes that we’ve been using a thing of the past. Wahoo!
The bathroom doesn’t always look like this, but every other day it does thanks to bath time. Clara LOVES bath time, and thanks to a tip from John’s sister (an expert mother of three) we don’t have to struggle to store a big hulking plastic baby tub since she recommended this yellow foam version from Target (which is so easy to squeeze out and store in one of the baskets in our open linen closet). It’s super cushy and comfy, amazingly inexpensive, and it’ll work for at least a year or so (when babies get bigger they can sit on them, which is how John’s sister washes her nine month old). Gotta love a $10 solution like that.
Here’s the other blanket that we always have on hand. This one lives in the office, but instead of being folded over the back of a chair when it’s not in use (like the one in the den) this one is pretty much always on the floor with some toys on it. It’s a great little station for Clara to play, put in some tummy time, and even sleep on occasion (sometimes with Burger curled up next to her).
And since one of us is always on Clara-duty while the other one is on blog-duty it’s also nice to have so much rug space for one of us to get down there with her and hold up a few toys while she smiles adoringly and tracks them with her big blue eyes.
The other thing to note in here is the Boppy on the sofa (we think it’s cute that it kind of looks like a C shaped pillow for Clara). Since I nurse anywhere and everywhere (the bedroom, the office, the den, the living room, the nursery, the sunroom, even the car…) I like to have it on hand, so it usually travels from room to room. But thanks to the soft blue color it pretty much fits into most of our spaces without looking too crazy. It’s certainly not a designer pillow but it doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb (like some of that primary-colored kid gear would in our more subdued casa).
Next we have our much-loved Joovy Kooper stroller (we opted for one stroller that does it all from newborn to big kid age instead of having to purchase and store a number of different varieties). Thanks to daily walks around the neighborhood with Burger and Clara this thing gets a ton of action. And as we mentioned, all the items that you see in this post usually look just like this, but they do have a designated “stash spot” just in case we want to clean things up. And the stroller’s stash spot is actually the trunk of the car (we love that it’s pretty much always with us that way, but when we’re feeling lazy we don’t bother folding it up and just pop it in the sunroom instead). It definitely doesn’t blend in with the beachy white daybed, but it’s convenient and we have a two month old- so again, we’re happy to give ourselves a pass. Update: We later invested in a jogging stroller since our do-it-all-stroller couldn’t fill that function, but never bought/needed a snap n’ go stroller or an umbrella stroller, so it’s helpful to really consider what you’ll use before buying them all.
In the nursery it’s usually not too messy thanks to the big bin o’ toys under the bench (it’s so easy to pull things out and pop them right back in) but Clara has been LOVING her Bumbo so that has been making regular appearances in there. It was actually a hand-me-down from a friend, so we’re shocked/thrilled that it works so well with the colors in the room. And although it might look staged, that book in front of it was right there when we walked by to snap a pic. No funny business. If my memory serves me correctly, we were just in the middle of reading it when there was a spit-up incident that had to be tended to. Hence the half-read book…
We actually feared that the kitchen would explode once Clara joined the pack, but so far (since she’s not yet on solid food) we’ve just added three fun glass bottles by Weego and a small bottle drying rack from Target (she’s on an 100% momma’s milk diet, but on rare occasions I do pump just to be sure she’ll take a bottle). Many friends and family members warned us not to go crazy buying tons of bottles so we heeded their advice, and these three bottles have been all we’ve needed (actually we’ve probably only needed one so far). Oh and the reason we picked orange, blue, and yellow for the bottle colors were because we plan to use as much of our baby gear as possible for future bambinos, so gender neutral color choices seem to be more practical for the long haul.
So that’s how Casa Petersik has evolved thus far. And in case anyone’s wondering about our “stash spot” method, it was probably an extension of our “if everything has a place it’s easier to clean up and maintain the house on autopilot” theory. Therefore we devoted the small skinny cabinet right above the drying rack to bottles (and future spoons, sippy cups, and snack holders) while the Bumbo has a spot on the top shelf of Clara’s closet in the nursery. And just as the stroller can be folded up and tossed in the trunk of the car, the Boppy and the blanket on the floor of the office can easily be tossed into the closet in there on a moment’s notice. The foam bath mat gets wrung out and slipped into one of the baskets in the open linen closet while laundry can get folded and put away if we’re trying to tidy up. And since the swing is actually a travel swing it can be folded up and stashed in a closet (we’ve also been known to tuck it up on the shelves above the laundry behind the bamboo blinds so no one’s the wiser).
And of course we could make the bed if we felt the pressure. But lately we must admit that we’ve been loving the distinct lack of pressure around here. We’ve always been cool with imperfection (which is why we paint paneling instead of removing it and make our own DIY art instead of springing for the good stuff by the pros) but having a baby has been pretty great for hammering home the fact that a happy home is a lived-in and loved home… especially when it’s so functional that it buys you more time to hang out as a family.
Note: None of the makers of the baby gear that we’ve mentioned above have paid or perk’d us in any way- they’re just items that Clara has grown to love, so we’re happy to share the goods.
Dan says
Your blog is refreshing to read especially after a stress-filled day at work. I bet a picture of Clara and Burger napping side-by-side will be up on your walls in no time. Sounds like the perfect picture of contentment.
Libby says
The first picture: that is what it is all about!
Trish says
Looking great! Clara is adorable and your house looks BETTER with her, I say. :)
Thanks for the real-life update!
Trish from http://www.brilliant-nest.com or @brilliantnest
Carmen says
Love the post. I think it shows how easy going and real, you really are. Keep up the amazing work you are doing. I have a couple of questions for you that I hope you might help me with.
When you guys travel (sleep overnight), where does Clara sleep? Playpen? Will you be opting for one?
Any other organic teething toy ideas, beside sophie the giraffe? Do you have a car seat in mind for when she is older? Any opinion on an exersaucer? Is it really necessary? Since you have the bumbo, did you think about using that instead of the booster seat? Thank you so much for all your advice along the way. You guys are the best.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Carmen,
We actually registered for a pack & play (a simple one from Graco) for this very purpose and it works perfectly (we already used it for our trip to the beach). We’ve also found amazing organic teething toys from a local shop here in Richmond called Monkey Grass (here’s their shop, hopefully you can find a few things that you love and order them online). As for the car seat and exersaucer, we’re taking things one day at a time and learning as we go (so as not to buy anything too prematurely or rashly). In time we’ll figure out what type of convertible car seat we think is best and if Clara loves the exersaucer (in which case we’ll borrow it from a family member who has already offered one up). As for the Bumbo, we wouldn’t recommend using it instead of a booster seat (they’re only supposed to be used on the floor as babies have been injured from falling off of other surfaces, since it can’t be secured to the top of a counter or to a chair). We have a Fisher Price booster seat that we’re excited to use in lieu of a full sized highchair (it’s such a space saver and easy to secure to an existing dining chair). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Steph says
I don’t have a child, I don’t plan to ever have a child but… I still loved this post!
It’s got a nice mix of baby tips and organising ideas (my favourite) to keep the non-parents happy while the parents rush out to implement a few of your great ideas!
jen says
How bizarre – my daughter Hadassah, who is now 2.5 yrs, had the exact same travel swing, pink plush blanket AND “Baby Boo” book. That book was her absolutely favorite for months!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Jen,
That’s so funny! Baby Boo is definitely Clara’s favorite book as well! It must be the giant baby faces, high contrast colors, and of course that mirror at the end. She LOVES looking at herself!
xo,
s
Carolyn says
Thanks for sharing this, I found it really encouraging! We also keep our pram in the boot of the car (not much space in our home). Great idea to have a designated place for all the stuff that comes with having children. Also a very good idea to start simple. As with planning a wedding, having a baby means people are always trying to sell you the ‘essentials’ (usually with a high price tag!).
We were lucky that friends passed along their lovely, old (and still working fine) white cot, plus in our circle of friends, we have a ‘baby girl bag’ full of clothes that we can pass around to each other (only one boy and the rest are girls). Lastly, I can definitely recommend hiring baby equipment. It’s usually very reasonably priced, plus you don’t have to find somewhere to store the equipment after baby has grown out of it. We hired a playpen, and will probably hire more gear for our next baby.
Keep up the good work! Clara is blessed to have you as her parents :)
hi-d says
Thanks for your post – that was great…and I’m saving a couple of those items to look at when I’m closer to my due date with our first baby!
Oh…another good reason for not making the bed is so the mites can dehydrate and die. haha…
jja says
Your home looks hunderd times nicer and cozier them from most of the people without newborn. It is amazing place to grow up for your girl and it shows that you really love to live there.
Laurie says
A laundry tip that has saved my sanity: Use those wonderful lingerie wash bags for all of Clara’s bibs and one for socks! No rooting around for socks in the washer or dryer, and for the bibs – the velcro won’t stick to anything else.
Maybe others already knew this, but it’s my “pass along tip” regardless :)
YoungHouseLove says
Love it! Thanks Laurie!
xo,
s
Stephanie says
I am impressed. I didn’t learn to “scale back” until after the second child. With our first the baby stuff just seemed to take over the house, including the baby gates. It was like a p rison. With the second child we knew what we really needed and what we really needed to do.
I love your minimalistic approach. I can’t wait to see what you do when she gets older and leaves toys in her wake (which my 3-year-old does now…).
Katie says
Love it! I have a two month old also (born May 15th!). We also have a two year old so I am wishing I had this info the first time around! We are having a yard sale soon and I am looking forward to getting rid of many of the toys my firstborn has accumulated in his short two years. Kids don’t need much, and you guy are lucky to have such great advice from friends and family. Enjoy that little Clara, they grow up waaayyyy too fast!
Melissa @ HOUSEography says
Looks great guys! Cutting the gear to a bare minimum is a real challenge. I tried to do that even after we expanded our house after having #2 (or while having #2 actually!). The travel swing is a god-send. We also had a bouncy which we generally kept upstairs to use while we took a shower, etc. Now we are in the “big toy” stage which is not so fun. Some things just don’t fit in baskets or closets any more! It’s amazing how these toys seem to duplicate!
Angela says
your house is beautiful, and so organized.
Clara’s baby room is so peaceful…
My son is almost 2 and he loved his Bumbo as well. I got it when he was 6 months, and he still likes to sit in it. They are intended for children who can hold up their heads on their own, usually at 4 months of age (and for kids older than that)
I think that they are wonderful, and I hope that Clara gets lots of use out of yours, I was just wanting to give a warning. Also (you probably already know this) but never place it on a table, or a counter as there have been injuries cause by babies tipping over the chairs and falling.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Angela,
Thanks for the concern! Our doctor gave us the ok to use the Bumbo seat since Clara can hold her head up so well (she’s one strong baby- she’s been doing that since she was two weeks old and has even been rolling over since three weeks!). We also are always sure not to leave her unattended in the seat and to always place it on the floor, so we just do about ten or fifteen minutes of reading with it every few days since she loves it so much! Hope it helps.
xo,
s
Emma Woo says
I love this honest post. I actually found that with baby number one it is relatively easy to stay on top of the mess. But by the time baby number one morphed into a toddler and baby number 2 came along things started to look a little different! We’re returning to tidyness gradually though. Good luck.
Leeann says
Great post! As a mother to a very active 17-month-old, I am looking forward to your “mobile Clara” posts. I struggle with being able to accessorize in my decorating because my son swipes everything off of a table, moves things around, hides things, etc. When I look at some of the accessories in your pictures, I think, “Oooh, I love that! But DS would have a great time exploring it and probably breaking it.” Teaching him what he can touch and what is off limits has been one of our biggest challenges so far. Can’t wait to see how you tackle it!
Sarah McGuire says
I’m wondering what you guys do for INDOOR pest control? We have a 3 month old, and our apartment has a spider problem thanks to some not-so-clean neighbors. I’m scared to use chemicals, but don’t want our kiddo to get bitten.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Sarah,
We just google around for natural remedies. Admittedly we’ve never had a huge pest problem, so the small ant issues that we’ve encountered have been cured by natural remedies like cinnamon and bay leaves. Oh and here’s an old post full of comments with advice about pest control (both natural and chemical). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Lesley G. says
I do what Laurie does too, but go one step further- I clip the lingerie bags on the side of the laundry basket so the socks, etc. go in there right away. When the laundry goes to the washer, they’re already sorted and pop right in.
Also, we have the Joovy too! We have *loved* that thing… definitely straddles lots of different stroller needs into one and was a great price.
My only bit to add along is that your travel swing may not move Clara much longer. We had one for F and had to get a full size model as he gained weight. Unwieldy, but still worth it. It kept him sleeping so peacefully!
YoungHouseLove says
No way- we LOVE that you have the same Joovy! So glad to hear that it’s working out so well. Now you just have to figure out how to roll two babies around with that new guy on the way!
xo,
s
Carmen says
Quick question, which graco pack n play do you guys recommend, there are so many. One more question, how did you guys take the print from your west elm pillow and transform it in art? Thanks.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Carmen,
We can’t find the exact pack n play that we have online, but it was around $60 because we opted for the no frills one. We didn’t need any sort of vibrating bassinete and it just has three little hippos on a mobile that hangs above it. We just wanted to use it for travel sleeping and it totally fits the bill. As for the West Elm pillow question, we’re not sure what you mean. Can you clarify which piece of art you’re talking about?
xo,
s
Lacy says
Hi there! I have recently registered for the Joovy Kooper stroller. Does it really work for newborns? Every review I have read says it’s for 6 months old up to 50 pounds. If so, that’s exciting. Did you have to do anything to it to make sure little Clara could fit?
Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Yup, with an infant insert it works for newborns, so we picked up a Snuzzler and Clara has been enjoying it since about 12 days old. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Carmen says
When John was tackling the art office wall project, he took your west elm green and white pillow and put it on your wall. I am not sure how I could do that? photoshop?
YoungHouseLove says
I did all of it in photoshop Carmen. I just created the arch shape using a the circle tool (with a square underneath of it) and then just copied it a bunch of time, free transformed it to different sizes and moved it into a random pattern – changing the colors as I went as well. Hope that helps!
-John
heatherk says
Sherry– I hate to ask you to post yet another link, but I searched your post and could not find one to the Fisher Price Booster Seat– which one do you have? I searched online and found a space saver high chair model and an actual booster seat. Could you please share? We are expecting in November and looking to keep gear to a minimum as well! Thanks, and great blog, it is so inspirational.
Carmen says
Thanks so much. I will give it a shot!
Ashley says
I was wondering how you made the “table” on top of your washer and dryer? Did you add a protective layer, so the unit wouldn’t get scratched?
Love your blog!
-Ashley
YoungHouseLove says
Ashley- We actually have a more detailed post about the laundry nook on our to do list so stay tuned, but to answer your question we just laid a piece of painted and poly’d plywood across the top of the washer and dryer with one of those rubbery rug pads under it (so it wouldn’t move around or scratch the top of the washer or dryer). Worked like a charm!
HeatherK- We actually didn’t post a link or mention our Fisher Price Booster Seat in this post since we haven’t used it yet. We won’t break that out until Clara hits solid food, but we love that it’s a lot smaller and easier to store than a full sized highchair. As for the specific type that we chose, we can’t find the exact one but if you google around for a Fisher Price Booster Seat we hope you’ll find something similar (it’s just a basic plastic seat with a removable tray that can be safely anchored to any seat in your kitchen or dining room).
xo,
s
Jennifer says
Are the sheers in your den new? They weren’t in the paint color blog before it. They look great.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Jennifer,
Yup, we added those sheers after snapping that pic of the den. Here’s that post: https://www.younghouselove.com/2009/04/easy-breezy-beautiful/
xo,
s
Kate says
A while back you talked about some great swaddling blankets. It had great graphic patterns and I can’t track down on the blog where I initially saw it and if there was a shout out as to where to find. I spotted it again yesterday in this post in the den shot. Any help where I can find one (or more!)?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Kate,
Here’s that post for ya: https://www.younghouselove.com/2010/06/something-free-five-lifesavers/
LOVE THOSE BLANKETS!
xo,
s
ErinEvelyn says
Yay for travel swings! Well, travel-sized ANYTHING! We had twin boys (nearly 5 years ago) and did not intend to have more children so we needed 2 of most everything (and to places to store it all) and then liquidated the gear (thank you Craigslist) as it was no longer needed. My main space-saving thoughts: 1) travel-sized options often suffice nicely and 2) there’s A LOT of extraneous & unneccessary baby gear out there; our parents, for example, never had it and managed just fine without.
Dusty says
Question – why did you go with glass bottles for Clara? Any particular reason?
YoungHouseLove says
We actually avoid plastic for the most part (just for the BPA, pthalate, PVC, and leeching issues) so we figure that since we have glass dishes instead of tupperware for ourselves, glass bottles would fit right in with our lifestyle. And we’ve heard they actually heat up milk a lot more evenly than plastic bottles do anyway. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
julie says
Thank you so much for this!
Sarah says
Hi there! I have been following you guys for years now and you’ve helped me make so many helpful updates in my home. Thank you! :) My husband and I recently had our first baby, Wyatt, so I am especially loving your Clara posts!
My “burning question” for you is:
Besides the adorable baby book and weekly pictures, are you doing anything else creative to track Clara’s growth or mark milestones? Your post, “Love, the Perfect Accessory” outlined so many great ideas for momentos for your marriage. I was wondering if you had some now that you have little Clara? (like stamping her footprint every month, creative idea for a growth cart, etc.)
Thanks for all the time you put into inspiring us!
Sarah
YoungHouseLove says
Well, we’re taking a ton of everyday pics (check out the sidebar button with her face on it for more details) and we just started adding yellow pins to our map to commemorate all of our travel adventures with Clara in tow. Oh and we actually have a DIY growth chart project on the agenda. Stay tuned…
xo,
s
p.s. Clara sends some virtual smiles and coos to Wyatt!
meta says
I restarted making the bed when our daughter was a couple month old. I’m glad I did. I don’t always have time to do so (I work 3.5 days/week) and many times I had to leave the apartment without making it. But I try to do it as soon as I have the time, even at 7PM, and it does make the difference. Not only that it looks nice, it helps me feel like I do have many things under control. I hope you’ll also re-start it soon.
kristin says
OMG. Now I really hate my house. With our 3 week old, this place is A MESS!
Glad you’ve got it under control :)
Sarah says
Great to see how your house has changed with the addition of Clara!
I have a widgey cushion… UK to equivalent of a boppy… and they’re absolutely fantastic for nursing when they’re small. Now Lydia’s 4.5 months over 14lb I no longer need it to feed :(, but she seems to enjoy tummy time leaning over it (www.flickr.com/photos/purplebunny/4794437648/), so she can easily grab things from the floor. Gotta love multi-use things!
Those bottles look very cool. I don’t express/pump at all, but if I did, I’d definitely have gone for funky bottles like that. We’ve also done the ‘planning for the future’ (fingers crossed) things and have quite a lot of gender-neutral stuff… although I secretly hope we do have at least one more girl at some point as it’s so sad packing away her clothes, so I hope we can use them again one day on a little sister!
Robin says
Great post! I work as a nanny and so many parents let the ugly plastic stuff take over, it’s refreshing to see a different take on it. I just gifted a mama-to-be those glass bottles at a baby shower and she loved them! Some of the moms who used plastic thought they were weird, but the older grandmas got a kick out of glass bottle coming back. :-)
Have you read “Hungry Monkey” by Matthew Amster-Burton? Your parenting style reminds me of his. He is a foodie who writes about raising his toddler to eat the “real food” he eats instead of “kiddie” food. http://hungrymonkeybook.com
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Robin,
We haven’t heard of Hungry Monkey but it sounds interesting! We’ll have to check it out!
xo,
s
jja says
Abouth this baby chair – I was suprised to see so small babies can use this, I thought
Abouth baby sitting chair, I am suprised your doctors recommend to use it before baby is older then 6 month. It is really not good for such a small baby, baby will sit when her body can do this alone, don’r rush the nature…;-))
YoungHouseLove says
Hey JJA,
Thanks for the concern! Our doctor gave us the ok to use the Bumbo seat since Clara can hold her head up so well (she’s one strong baby- she’s been doing that since she was two weeks old and has even been rolling over since three weeks!). We also are always sure not to leave her unattended in the seat, so we just do about ten or fifteen minutes of reading with it every few days since she loves it! Hope it helps.
xo,
s
Allison says
As a former babysitter/nanny/summer resort children’s program employee, I can say that the Bumbo seat is one of the best things ever invented.
Audrey says
I am very interested to see how your home changes after little C starts solids. My daughter is now almost 9 months old, so we devoted an entire cabinet to jars of baby food, boxes of baby cereal, baby snacks, juice, and teething biscuits. Another drawer in the kitchen houses snack cups, bowls with lids, and the various styles of spoons we have been forced to try by our picky eater. Then, in the fridge, a ziploc bag filled with water teethers in multiple shapes and textures.
In addition, the living room is home to an activity table in loud, primary colors, a giant beach ball (she loves to roll it) and at least 3 baskets of toys. Ugh! Maybe your little one will not be so…finicky. Until that’s proven, however, I’m (dare I say it?) happy to live in baby-related clutter.
YoungHouseLove says
We definitely plan to keep everyone posted about how our house continues to change as Clara grows. Stay tuned!
xo,
s
MB says
Thanks so much for your great advice on what to buy and what not to buy for baby. I live in the UK in a small Victorian terrace house and we are expecting our first baby in December. We’re looking for minimalist and efficient ways to prepare for our little one and your post was perfect! All the best, MB
Jiye says
I’m also very curious to see how your place continues to change as Clara grows up! Our daughter is 17 months and for the first 6 months, our house still looked pretty decent. But once she was mobile, we really had to start taking things down and moving things around.
http://pearlsandgreentea.blogspot.com
MT says
Looks great! We have a 5.5mo old and we typically keep a minimalist household, as well as having a small house. I noticed a lot of picture similarities in simplicity, but now that he is getting more mobile, there are a few more ‘interest holding’ additions though we are trying to steer clear of primary colored goodies. Then of course there is child-proofing.
Ditto the poster who suggested using those netting lingerie bags for sockies and small goodies that get stuck in front loading washer tubes!
Amanda Stoker says
We’re expecting our first baby soon (December). This post really helped me and I actually deleted a big plastic baby tub from my baby registry and switched to the mat you suggested. Sounds much more practical. I’m kind of neurotic right now because I haven’t given enough thought to “baby proofing” our house. I was wondering what measures you two took in order to make your house safer?
YoungHouseLove says
We’ve anchored a few bookcases to the wall but otherwise we just plan to tackle the rest of the babyproofing process as we go (and as Clara gets more mobile). Stay tuned…
xo,
s
Rachel Elizabeth says
My baby is due in 2 weeks and our house is already an explosion of baby things. Slowly we are finding stash spots for things.
Chelsea says
Hey guys! Where do you keep your car seat/carrier? Those are so awkward to store. Where did you get the basket next to the white chair in the den and under the bench in Claras room?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Chelsea,
When Clara’s car seat isn’t in the car, it usually sits in a corner in the dining room for convenience. But if we’re ever having company over or just feel the urge to clean up we just put it in the car. And those leather bins are Victoria Hagan creations from Target (purchased 3 years ago, we actually got them as wedding gifts).
-John
Marie says
In hindsight, there are a lot of baby items/gear that we probably could have lived without. I had planned to go the minimalist route, but with twins I ended up buying anything/everything that might give me an extra 30 minutes of sleep or 10 minutes to sit down and relax. One thing that I don’t end up using very much is a diaper bag. My girls don’t go to daycare so our trips are to the park, store, or Grandma’s. If it’s a short outing I just throw diapers, wipes and the changing pad into my purse or a small carrying case. If we going to Grandma’s for the day I usually grab one of my tote bags. They have larger openings that are easier to access and find things.
Michelle says
I’m wondering where you purchased the baby bottle drying rack shown on your kitchen counter. Amazon isn’t able to locate the correct hyperlink when I click on it. I’m currently using a cheay plastic drying rack for our seven-week-old, but would like to get something a bit more permanent since it’s used frequently. Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
We grabbed ours at Target, Michelle!
-John
Chelsea says
I noticed in another picture or post that you are using a Baby Bjorn, I’m shopping for a baby carrier and have read that the Bjorn puts a lot of strain on your upper back and neck. Are you happy with yours?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Chelsea,
That’s actually not a Baby Bjorn (which we also have heard less than fabulous things about)- it’s an Ergo. Ergos are wonderful and don’t put any of that hip strain on the baby (or back strain on you). We definitely highly recommend them!
xo,
s
Keri says
What type of stroller is that?? We’re expecting our first in January and probably won’t really need one at that point (too cold for walks), but I love the style! I’ve been checking out the Uppababy Vista, I’Coo Targo, and Britax B-ready … but I like how compact yours is. Thanks in advance!!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Keri,
Just go to amazon.com and search “Joovy Kooper stroller” for more info. We got the black one and we LOVE it. It folds up nice and flat but feels substantial and will work for the duration of our stroller days!
xo,
s
Diane says
Hi, just wanted to let you know your cute kitchen bottle picture got borrowed by Odeedoh, the Apartment Therapy kids’ shootoff. http://www.ohdeedoh.com/ohdeedoh/meal-time/michael-graves-drying-rack-for-munchkin-122579
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the heads up Diane! Off to check it out…
xo,
s
Erin says
Hey John and Sherry!
I remembered you guys saying you were using cloth diapers, and I was just wondering how you were liking the BG 3.0’s (or if you had even started using them yet). If you haven’t started yet, I’d love to hear an update once you do, because I am really interested in them, but recently hears they came out with 4.0, so am curious about those too!
I just registered for my baby girl due in December, and your posts about keeping things simple have really helped me think through things. Thanks so much! Love love love your blog!
YoungHouseLove says
We did the Bum Genius All In Ones (in organic with snaps instead of velcro)- not the 3.0s. They’re so easy to use and should last us through multiple kiddos. We figured if we were washing part of the diaper we might as well get all in ones and wash them all (instead of dealing with inserts). And we love that they’re one-size-fits-all. So simple!
We’re planning a baby budget related post that mentions them soon, but in short: we love them, they’re no harder than disposables (the time we spend tossing them in the wash seems equal to the time we used to spend trudging out to the store to buy disposables before she could fit into her cloth dipes), we’re saving gobs of money, Clara seems to love them more than disposables, she has zero blowouts or diaper rash when she wears them (which was not true with disposables), and the only time we don’t use them is when we travel (since it’s more of a challenge to wash them on the go).
We have a pail for diapers in the nursery (post on that subject to come) and we rinse the dirty dipes with the diaper sprayer we mentioned a while back and place them in the pail while non-dirty wet ones go right into the pail. As long as we wash them every other day they’re perfect! Oh and we learned that if they come out of the wash with slight orange stains (they’re 100% clean and sanitized, sometimes they’re just a bit discolored from breastfeeding poop) if you moisten them and lay them out in the sun it bleaches them white again- it’s like magic!
xo,
s
Ali says
Love the comforter on your unmade, yet comfy looking bed ;) Where’s it from?
YoungHouseLove says
Ali,
The duvet cover is from West Elm a few years back, so your best bet may be looking for one on eBay. Hope that helps!
-John