apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Honestly, the couch, floor, or bed work just fine.

There's also an Ikea one that folds down from the wall, called Gulliver, and a much prettier Brio one that doesn't yet seem to be sold anywhere in the U.S. The Brio I found by following links here to Brio's crib. Ikea you can find on their site.

I'm planning to put one of these or a diy version on the bathroom wall for our fall arrival. It always seemed odd to me with my daughter to have stinky diapers (even in a good diaper pail) in a bedroom or hallway. So even when her changing table was in the hallway b/c it couldn't fit in the bathroom, the diaper pail was in the bathroom.

A good option is a contoured changing pad that can fold for travel--we got ours from Target. When the baby was small it was on top of her waist-high dresser (and any surface will do). Now that she's a toddler, it stays on the bathroom floor, and we can just fold it up and stick it in a corner to get it out of the way. I keep her diapers and wipes in a low drawer. Also, I lay a towel over it and lay her down to dry her off after her bath. Now when I tell her it's time to change her diaper, she goes into the bathroom, gets a diaper out of the drawer (sometimes), and lays down on the changing pad herself.

I highly recommend having a changing table. I know there are plenty of people out there who say they can do it on the floor or on the bed, but once your child is even remotely mobile and starts being able to roll, it is impossible to keep them in one place. Additionally, I don't know if you have back problems, but I do, and when I have to change a diaper on the floor and lean over so far - 5 or 6 times a day - my back is on fire! I strongly recommend having one! (And I love the Cariboo one shown above, if space is an issue). If you plan to get a dresser for the baby's clothes, it's very easy to find a dresser with the space for a changer on top, too - That's what we have. I figure once the kid is out of diapers, we can put storage baskets on top, and use it to keep toys and other things. Good luck!

totally not necessary- our friends in a tiny east village studio just changed their son on the bed. We just put a changing pad on top of the baby's bureau but since I'm short, I change her in her crib most of the time.

My husband built a low, deep bookshelf. We put a contoured changing pad on top of that. And used the shelves to store the diapers, wipes, and cream. When our son outgrew the changing table, we put his toys and books on the shelves.

If you have a waist high dresser or even the dining table by all means just buy a mat and change the baby on top. But I really do not recommend changing nappies on the bed or on the floor: after a few it really kills your back

As a 1-bedroom dweller I would say all you really REALLY need at first is a crib (if you are going that way), a lounger type chair (when you need to put the baby down), maybe a boppy and your usual supplies (diapers, creams, clothes what not).

Everything else we bought along the way once we actually saw how our everyday baby activities fit into our space. And that day to day stuff is always changing as the baby gets bigger anyways, so the solutions you have your eye on now might not actually pan out.

As far as changing goes, like lb said the bed or floor etc. is honestly all we are using. We needed to find space to consolidate changing supplies in one area, but just a changing pad thrown on the floor has evolved to be what works best for us. Maybe we have strong backs? Or, I'm usually already on the floor playing with the baby anyways.

We are also finding its great inspiration for potty training too. But that's another can of worms. Diaper free though - no furniture or diapers required!

You definitely don't need a changing table. All you need is a blanket or towel on the bed, floor, or other stable flat surface. One thing I would have loved to have to make all this mobile diaper changing easier: http://www.piccolinionline.com/toolboxcaddy.html

Buy a changing pad and keep it somewhere convenient-like a dresser top or under the crib. Keep a basket or box next to it with all your supplies and a place to put the used diaper. That's all you need and it can go anywhere. Having a dedicated place to change your baby's diaper might sound unnecessary, but it takes some of the surprise out of the task, and believe me, there's enough surprises going on when changing a diaper! Anything to make the task simpler is going to save you time and possibly, from having to clean yourself and your surroundings.

We live in a 1-bdrm apartment also. I did get a changing pad for on top of the dresser and have been really glad. Our son often goes pee as soon as his diaper is off and all I have to do is wipe the pad and disinfect as soon as I get a chance. I can't imagine how many towels we would have gone through if that is what we had continued to use!

K-have you heard about peepee teepees? It covers your son and takes care of the sprinkler problem. They come 5 to a pack and are machine washable, as well as being just fun to say.

If your baby is peeing when you take off his/her diaper, why not stick him or her on the potty? (Elimination Communication)
The Baby Bjorn Little Potty is nice and compact, great for little ones.
http://www.diaperfreebaby.org/

What Pelicolina said. You do need a changing station, in the sense of having all your supplies in one place, but you do not need a changing *table* - bed works just fine unless of course you are prone to back problems.

Laugh* I have heard of those teepees. It just seemed like it would spray up and dribble right back down onto him. Or do they absorb immediatly?

lb- I would have to run him, across carpet, to the bathroom (which startling would probably scare him, well- or make him laugh) and then hold him over the potty and he doesn't even sit up alone yet. We'd like to potty train early, but not this early. I'll check out the website though. Thanks.

lb- Okay, now I gotta know...did you do this with your child/ren?

K--yes we do. We started when she was about 4 months old, just to see what would happen. We have been really pleasantly surprised by how easily EC fits into the day. You can approach it in a very laid back way, like just offering the potty at regular diaper changes. There's an NYC diaper free baby listserv--I can post the info if anyone wants it. Trust me, it's not as weird as it sounds at first.

oh, also, we keep our bblp (baby bjorn little potty--not their bigger potty chair) in whatever room we happen to be in. it would be a lot more challenging (and messy!) if we needed to get to the big toilet every time. the shape of the bblp is actually quite nice, because it encourages a sort of squatting position and small babies fit on it well. our daughter can sit on it by herself now, but she wasn't sitting yet when we started EC. fair warning, though, that EC is a sort of long-term process. it's not like "potty training" per se. on the other hand... we hardly ever deal with poopy diapers.