Tips for having lots of kids in a small apartment

Tamiri

Wed, May 27 2009, 12:34 pm

As far as the clothes go: how much do they *really* wear? If I were to be honest, which I am not, my kids don't need more than 3 changes of clothing. That's because I do laundry all the time. A smart mother I knew, with 8 kids and a big house, put a load of laundry in every night, with the clothing worn that day. The next day, the kids wore the same, but clean, clothes again. She said it saved her work and storage. I bet she was right. Another example: around ten years into my married life, I saw someone take the linens of her beds, wash them, and then put them back on. In my home, growing up, we CHANGED the linens after stripping the beds. My parent's linen closet was always bursting at the seams... and for what? It's easier to have one change of linens per bed.
Regarding the toys: you want to know what traditional Israeli kids played with? No you don't. Suffice it to say that they had nothing resembling the amounts of play things American kids of all ages enjoy.
Super-sizing your dwelling is inherantly American. If your house isn't big enough for all the *stuff* you accumulate, then it's time for a new house to accomodate your posessions. Does that sound right to you?
So, maybe downsize a bit and you can live in a less cluttered, more orderly environment. Good luck!

ABC

Wed, May 27 2009, 12:39 pm

I don't know if anyone else has suggested this yet, but you can store anything soft (blankets, quilts, linens, clothes, toys...) in vacuum bags. You pack them up like regular bags, and then you use a vacuum cleaner to suck out all the air. They are amazing space-savers.

As for the swing and exersaucer, if you don't like the exersaucer, sell it (try advertizing on Janglo if you're in j-lem) and loan out the swing.

Good luck!

ora_43

Wed, May 27 2009, 12:53 pm

If you don't have it already (and your landlord allows) you can build space in the hallway. I forget how those things are called... (and we have one, so I should know)... it's like a closet over your head in the hallway, it's like having a slightly lower ceiling. And lots of space. We use ours for the sukkah, the fans/heaters, Pesach stuff, and a few other things. Very nice to have.

I think overhead shelves are OK (over beds, etc), you can put lightweight stuff up there so it won't matter so much if it falls.

Definitely get rid of any bulky baby stuff that you barely use. Especially if you don't even like it.

Loaning stuff out is a nice idea too.

I agree with you on saving clothing but I also agree with previous posters on being realistic about how much your kids really wear. I loved having hand-me-downs this time around and I'm sure it saved money, but I also decided to give a bunch of stuff away because really, babies barely need anything (although after 4 kids you probably have that worked out better than I do Wink

). And when it comes to your own clothing, make sure you only have what you need (I went through our stuff because we had no room, it turns out dh had about a zillion sweaters in various store places (under beds, on the top shelf, etc)).

And always have in mind size vs. cost to replace (eg, I can get a cheap coat for 40 or 50 shekels, so for that price it's not worth storing more than 1 coat from year to year. But quilts are expensive so those we save, ditto the bassinet + crib). And when you'll next need it.

Mrs.K

Wed, May 27 2009, 1:02 pm

Like you GR, my kid's toys were always in order. They each have a Keter 4-drawer wheeling thing in their rooms along with plastic bins.

However, there were still many problems with that such as
1. The baby could reach it and break things.
2. I couldn't control the "Clean up 1 toy before you take out a new one".
3. The Keter stuff still took up a lot of room.
4. And many other problems with it as well.

Recently I bought this (in Israel). One for the girls room, and one for the boys room. The boys room has blue doors, and instead of teddy bear knobs, there are a boy kicking a soccer ball knobs. Everything is custom so you can ask for whatever color you want, in addition to how many shelves, how many boxes, how many doors, what shapes, etc. The bottom line is that this is off my floor and near the ceiling so I have room now for whatever I need, be it another bed, another crib, a desk, storage etc. That was the most important thing for me. Also, like I said, I have control of what gets taken out when and that prevents lots of clutter. I also have saved money since the baby isn't shredding books and destroying toys.
It's actually empty now because everything is on her floor, but that's not the point!

gryp

Wed, May 27 2009, 3:32 pm

Yes, chocolate moose. I'm not a clutterer by nature though.

I probably have too much kids' clothing. Especially because my sis and sil pass on to me their boys things. That's really an easy thing to solve though, because when I put away the clothing for each season, I decide what I'm keeping and what I'm not. I'm not going to limit it to three changes of clothing, but I think five is reasonable.

I don't have tons of toys, but I have enough. Maybe more than necessary, but again, I barely bought any of them, they were all gifts. I'm at the point when someone buys something new for my kids to play with, I wince, wondering where it's going to go.

I like that cabinet, Mrs. K., but are you sure it won't fall? I'm paranoid about these things.

Ora, I wish I could build something under my hallway. I don't have much hallway to build in.

I wish someone could come over and tell me what to dump and what to keep and where.

gryp

Wed, May 27 2009, 4:43 pm

I just got rid of some stuff. I'm looking around wondering what else I can get rid of. I foresee a huge box of toys sitting in the garbage outside tomorrow. I feel bad though. These things were gifts and while I don't even like them, well-meaning aunts and uncles took their time to find a gift for my kids and spend money on them. I feel pretty guilty but I know most of the relatives don't even remember what they bought, even if they see my kids playing with it, they don't remember that it was them who gave it to them.

Also, thanks for the sympathies everyone. I'm so not a city girl so just living here is hard enough. I try not to pass on those feelings to the kids though.

Twizzlers

Wed, May 27 2009, 6:04 pm

dont throw toys away! there are so many less fortunate children who dont have any. cant u donate them? same for your swing/excersaucer; u dont know ANYONE that could use it (and would probably even be willing to give it back when you need it again?)

I do this all the time. as soon as my baby is done with something, I pass it on to my friend whose baby is a few months younger than mine. it saves me the storage, she's happy cuz she doesnt have to buy anything new (or worry about storing it herself) and everyone is happy

manhattanmom

Wed, May 27 2009, 6:11 pm

Twizzlers wrote:

There are also baby equipment gamachs--like for swings and exersaucers, pack and plays, and even cribs.
--I know of one gemach in particular that will take things (in NY).

manhattanmom

Wed, May 27 2009, 6:13 pm

Twizzlers wrote:

There are also baby equipment gamachs--like for swings and exersaucers, pack and plays, and even cribs.
--I know of one gemach in particular that will take things (in NY).
Also, with toys--instead of buying new toys maybe you could set up a system where you rotate toys with other people--this way your kids get a "break" from their own toys and are always interested.

Twizzlers

Wed, May 27 2009, 6:19 pm

manhattanmom wrote:

Also, with toys--instead of buying new toys maybe you could set up a system where you rotate toys with other people--this way your kids get a "break" from their own toys and are always interested.

Yes, we do this as well. Every few weeks, we do a "toy swap" so there is always something new and fun to play with without denting the bank account or storage space.

Mommy F.

Wed, May 27 2009, 6:28 pm

For clothes, towels, linens . . . You can buy vacuum storage bags. You put the items in the bag and vacuum out the air so that it condenses to about a quarter of the space.
http://www.ehow.com/how_468578......html

For more bedroom space you can try getting air mattresses. Just deflate them during the day so the kids could play on the floor and then inflate it for bed time. They roll up into a very small size.

Good luck!

Mommy F.

Wed, May 27 2009, 6:45 pm

for the high chair, you can get a tarvel high chair, they take up so little room.
http://www.totseat.com/

instead of a swing and an exercauser try to use a bumbo chair - they can even go on the table or counter and don't take up much room.
http://www.bumbobabyseat.com/

gryp

Wed, May 27 2009, 7:00 pm

Pickle Lady wrote:

I feel your pain GR!!!! I always thought you were great at organizing your Apt.

Thanks, Pickle! I know you can well relate. Smile

I wouldn't throw it all away exactly, just put it where lots of people could see it. Kind of an up-for-grabs.

Anyway, I cooked tonight instead of clearing up more, but there's always tomorrow! And it's coming fast.

I know it's a good idea to rotate toys but my toys just go in the spot they belong, and that's it. I can't imagine finding another spot for them.

Mommy F.

Wed, May 27 2009, 7:11 pm

The new 'in' thing where is I live is the collapsible kitchen items. For example mixing bowls, strainers . . .

http://www.diggingouttogether......r.jpg

http://www.simplysmartliving.c......html

http://www.telecommunications-.....r.jpg

All these things can help with kitchen storage space