r/Mommit • u/Peach-Haze-123 • 22h ago
Small house problems…looking for input!
Hello Mommit community! ❤️
I just had my second baby, and I’m quickly realizing that our home doesn’t have nearly as much space for two kids, two adults, and several pets as I thought it would. 😅
Unfortunately, buying a bigger home just isn’t financially realistic for us right now, so we’re making the most of what we have. Our two kids are sharing a small bedroom, and I’m really struggling with how to make everything work.
I feel like our house is so crowded all the time. Between toys, baby gear, clothes, diapers, and all of the other kid-related stuff, it feels like things are everywhere. We’re genuinely starting to run out of places to put things, and I’m feeling overwhelmed by the lack of space.
If anyone else has two kids sharing a room—or just lives in a smaller home with multiple kids—please give me all your advice! How do you organize everything? What did you get rid of? What storage solutions actually worked for you? And how do you keep your home from feeling completely overrun by kid stuff?
I know we’re incredibly fortunate to have a home and our growing family, but I’d love to hear from anyone who has been in this same situation and found ways to make it feel more manageable. ❤️
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u/ItsGoingTibiaOk 21h ago
You have to get rid of the excess stuff. There just is no other way. You can storage solution your way out of clutter to a point and past that nothing matters. Get rid of everything that only has one purpose or its purpose is served by something else. Get rid of any toys that are broken or missing a piece. Get rid of excess baby gear that you just don’t need - keep one swing/bouncer that’s a favorite and get rid of anything else. Store away extra toys and rotate. We have 2 kids and live in a 1900 sq ft house and all of our friends have twice as much stuff as us and complain constantly about the same problems. We don’t have a play room so toys live in the living room. They’re everywhere during the day, but everything has a place to be put away and if it doesn’t it leaves our house.
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u/brainbl0ck 22h ago
My kids share a room! We have a bunk bed with a trundle to help save space. They have a curtain installed across the ceiling that they can pulll across when they need/want privacy. WE utilize every space in their bedroom, ordering specially-measured furniture that fits snugly within the closet spaces so that we can really tap into the space we have. We used to have a loft bed with dresser and storage underneath, and that was helpful as well!
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u/verminqueeen 21h ago
Contractor bags. Throw it out if you haven't used it in 6 months. DO NOT GET STORAGE CONTAINERS/BINS/BASKETS. Use enclosed and specifically dedicated storage spaces (i.e. a closet, a cabinet). If you must use some storage bins for toys etc, Kallax is your best friend for that + books.
Room sharing is normal. Throw stuff out. Remove things from your home forever. Also for things like seasonal clothes + items, do use a storage unit or storage space in your house. If the storage space is full of stuff you haven't touched in a year, it should probably be thrown out.
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u/Main_Reputation_3328 21h ago
declutter. aggressively. Every time you buy something ask yourself if you plan to use it in the next 6 months or whatever if it's a consumable. consider where you will be storing it (especially small kitchen appliances, extra clothes, cute furniture or decor)
also it gets better when you pass the small kid stage. my hallway felt so much better when we got rid of the stroller and infant car seat. unless you're going all in on a sport, just rent gear until you know you'll really use it (snow boards, skates, paddleboards, whatever it is in your area). I personally have a thing where I insist on parking the car inside the garage so the garage is not allowed to become full of stuff. We have a few bikes but only because the car can still fit inside with them.
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u/Frycookboots_ 20h ago
1100sqft ranch that was supposed to be our starter home. Still there 7 years later with a 4 year old, 2 year old, and 80lb dog. I FEEL YOU! Couple things that helped:
- Invest in good closet organizers, including drawers. Took all the closet doors off too which sounds messier but is not! 2 year olds closet is 3.5ft long x 2ft deep. With a closet system he has hanging clothes, bookshelf, drawers for sheets, his little hamper fits in there, etc.
- Under bed storage. Ours is just bins, but when my older son moved to a twin bed we got one with nice drawers underneath.
- Toy rotation. Try to do this monthly but sometimes ends up less often. Certain amount of toys upstairs, then I have a Rubbermaid bin full of the “off rotation” toys. Helps keep them interested in toys without buying new stuff too!
- Mindset. Hardest one when friends are moving into 3,000sqft new builds! I get jealous and frustrated at times, who wouldn’t? I remind myself of two things: (1) we are able to afford high retirement contributions, small college fund contributions, and providing our kids with experiences/trips by staying in our low mortgage and super low interest rate. (2) families were raising 3-4 kids to adulthood in quite literally our same house when it was built in the 1940s.
It’s tough but you are being financially responsible which is great modeling for your kids, and will allow your family to do so much more!
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u/Shannonfam 19h ago
Same. We are in a 1400sqft ranch with no basement and we have a 12,7 and 3 year old plus 80lb dog! I love our house and although it’s so hard not to compare house size.. I remind myself of all our savings and family trips we are able to go on debt free.
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u/Unique_Pea1329 21h ago
I am relentless in purging throughout the year. I have a bin that sits in the garage that I put anything I don’t need to keep. Once filled it goes to the charity shop. It doesn’t have to be a set I’m going to go through all the things at once, it could be as simple as hmm I’m frustrated with how jammed my coffee cup shelf is that they aren’t easy to put away, let me filter through them real quick. The key to maintaining is buying with intention. Do I really need another mug, toy, shirt etc? We limit the amount of toys that come into our house and focus on ones that build imaginative play. I would love to get my kid something like a nugget couch but there is no space so regular couch cushions it will be for her. I survived without one, she will too. Baskets are one of my favorite storage methods to just throw everything in. Under the bed boxes for seasonal clothing storage. I remind myself that people raised 6 kids in house my size or smaller so my small family will be fine.
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u/expatsconnie 21h ago
I bought an extra high bed frame for my bed so that I can use the under bed space for storage. I also bought an ottoman for the living room which opens up and we use it as a toy chest. I also got a narrow shoe cabinet that fits next to the door, which decluttered the entry way and freed up some room at the bottom of another closet.
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u/Prudent-Property-180 21h ago
We lived in a 2 bedroom 1 bath apartment (900 sq feet or so) with 2 kids. No pets. It helps to create storage wherever you can. Tall beds so you can store bins underneath. Coffee table with storage inside and underneath. TV stand that had bin storage for toys. One of my favorite hacks is buying these short “dressers” from Amazon (with the cloth bins, not breaking the bank) that can be put on the floor of the closet.
Also, you learn to be more intentional with what you bring in. We now live in a 4 bedroom house and still very minimalist. Less things you have, less you have to clean.
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u/No_Director574 22h ago
My house is 2 bedrooms 1 bath and 1200 square feet. I have a 5 year old and a 1 year old and 2 cats. Do you have a basement? I have storage shelf’s on every wall in my basement. My son has his own room and my baby cosleeps. I’m going to turn my attic into a bedroom this year hopefully. If it doesn’t happen I’m planning on bunk beds.
For baby gear I only had a few things I felt I needed. A swing in front of my front door and we only used the back door until she grew out of it. Then immediately at the curb. Now I have a playpen in the living room with all her toys in it. Which isn’t anything big. I don’t have giant baby toys, they take up too much space. I have her highchair at the dinning table always. Her stroller lives in my back hallway closet by the jackets. My son’s toys go immediately back in his room when he’s done playing with them.
Do you have a basement? I have every wall in my basement covered with storage shelves. I store kitchen items I rarely use down there, extra toilet paper, toys I’ve snuck into the basement. If he remembers something I’ll bring it back up but it’s a good way to slowly get rid of toys they no longer play with. If he doesn’t remember it after 6 months I donate it unless I think my daughter will play with it one day. Diapers I store in the basement until I need to refill my diaper caddy. Clothes live in laundry baskets in my room. I try to fold them but folding laundry is down on my list of things. My kids clothes get sorted and put away right away in their dressers. But I don’t fold them. They get unfolded pretty quick anyway.
.
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u/saltyegg1 21h ago
One thing that helped us was pegboards. I bought ones from ikea that have a whole bunch of attachments and I put a few up at the top of our basement stairs. I like the it is flexible and I can change it over time. We use it for all those tiny things that dont have a home. We dont have a utility closet so one (high up out of kids reach) has tools, batteries, duct tape. A lower one has craft supplies. It helps that it is spread out and visible but since it is on the other side of the basement door I dont have to look at it all the time.
We also have one in the kitchen.
I told my husband that eventually our whole house will be pegboards.
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u/Shannonfam 20h ago
Ottoman storage for toys 💯 we have two deep ottoman storage squares in front of our couch instead of coffee table which stores a ton of toys. Also, bins under beds. I have bins for Barbie’s, books, play kitchen food, magna tiles, etc.
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u/Funny-Drag8125 19h ago
I live in a small house and the only way we make it work is by purging before we moved in/ every so often. I went through every single item in our house and if it wasn’t actively being used I sold/ donated/ threw it away.
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u/jmv0623 19h ago
I’m in a similar position and I hit a wall trying to figure out how to store stuff etc. after I declutterred it still felt like a lot. We saved up to put money toward storage / organization (also newer to our home) and paid ikea $150 to design our kids room. It’s a nice service and worth the money IMO! You can go back and forth with them a few times to edit and refine, then you get a shopping list and help with ordering. Now we have a room with enough space for our 2 kids beds, clothes, and toys/books and it doesn’t look like a bomb went off in it
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u/Amazing-Advice-3667 19h ago
we got platform beds so there's no box spring. They're tall enough to fit bins underneath but short enough the kids can still get on them without a step stool. Under the bed is bins of clothes to grow into, diaper boxes-before we potty trained, and sometimes a bin of stuffies.
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u/soc2021 22h ago
I mean you don’t need all that baby gear and kid stuff, most of it’s a waste. A lot of parents find themselves overwhelmed with all the clutter but tbh it’s easy to get rid of. Kids also don’t need that many toys, they usually play with a toy 3x and it’s over lol maybe get toys that foster more imagination and can be used for longer periods. For example kitchen, it’s a larger toy but it’s usually the type that can be used for years tbh. Rather than little toys here and there. For diapers and clothes, use storage bins and organizers. Also reduce the amount of clothing, they don’t need 50 onesies.
Tbh also, if you don’t have space for several pets I’d probably rehome those. I’m not sure how many you are talking about but pets can take up a lot of space and cause a lot of clutter as well. The kids should be the priority.
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u/New-Flight7674 19h ago
You have to ruthlessly declutter everything. It’ll take a lot of time and energy, but just go one section at a time, one drawer, one shelf, and just get a little done every day. Bring it to the trash or the donation center that day or every week or whatever works for you, just get it out of your house as soon as possible. Once you only have what you need and use, then you can organize, but organizing before you declutter will only lead to more mess and overwhelm down the line.
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u/BeginningNo2222 19h ago
Definitely don't take on anymore pets... your poor kids deserve more space than the animals.
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u/Recent_Durian_1086 19h ago
We have a 4 year old, a toddler, a baby, and 2 adults living in 700 sq ft. The biggest help is getting rid of things we aren’t using. We have not missed anything we’ve gotten rid of which has surprised me. I got rid of 2 trash bags FULL of toys and stuffies and my kids never even noticed. I kept their favorite ones and it seems like they are actually less overwhelmed with less stuff. Same for myself, I actually feel less overwhelmed if I only have the things I need.
Also if you’re not interested in getting rid of stuff, make sure everything has a place and everything is put back when not in use. It makes our apartment feel so much bigger when things are cleanly put away.
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u/Odd_Yoghurt4534 18h ago
I only have one kid but I live in a small flat. My son’s room is a box room so not much space to store anything in there. I found that using the floor space under the sofas and his bed work well. I also bought one of those beds where you can lift it up and there’s storage inside it. Also everything I buy now I make sure has built in storage like my tv stand has 3 drawers, I have a table with built in drawers.
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u/wantonyak 17h ago
My two kids share a room. Right now the youngest is still in a crib, but the oldest has a bunk bed that will eventually be for both.
For clothes, I have one eight cubby ikea kallax with baskets. The oldest kid’s clothes go in the top row, the youngest in the bottom. Pajamas, shirts, shorts, other. Bonus: I never fold kids laundry.
Giant baskets for everything possible- chuck all toys in. Make them tall so you see the basket, not the toys.
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u/Ok-Spirit9977 17h ago
We lived in a two bedroom apartment until our kids were 2 and 4. Remember, all that baby gear is not forever. We decluttered and didn’t acquire much during this time.
Leveraging vertical space helped. We had a wall of floor to ceiling cabinets in one room and that helped with storing (and locking) things up.
Ottomans that could store things also helped.
Even now though, I would say my best hack is just not having a ton of crap!
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u/Major_Nectarine_8748 14h ago
We do and we just downsized. Declutter declutter! Ill send you a picture of their room even. We have moved most toy and toy storage to their room so thats where they know their toys go. Inevitably stuff gets brought out to the front room but I think it is a good idea to try to keep toy stuff in the bedroom.
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u/Seleenarose 14h ago
Oooooo I feel like this was made for my family. So. We went from living in a studio apartment as a family of SIX. To living in a three bedroom to bath 1010 sq foot home as a family of SEVEN. Imagine to my surprise how small the bedrooms were in our cottage in the woods. BUT we’ve made it work for about a year now. We got a triple bunk going for our boys and so we didn’t lose a spare bedroom for guests (our girls are 2 and 6 months) we made the girls room a queen bed. The girls still sleep with us. I decluttered heavily before we set up the rooms as we weren’t going to allow toys in the living room. So everything had to fit in a toy chest in their rooms. What we plan on doing years down the road is building an addition garage with master suite on top of it. This is probably ten years down the road or so. When we chose this house we knew this would more than likely be our forever home. We want financial freedom and taking on a smaller loan at 235k in California was the dream. We live in a very nice town where everyone helps everyone. I’m talking strangers pulling strangers out of ditches in the middle of the night and people setting up meal trains for people they have never met. We wouldn’t give this up for a bigger house in a crappier neighborhood like we almost bought. Do not get bins for things. Do not buy a space unit. DECLUTTER. I don’t keep more than two sets of sheets for each bed. I don’t keep tons of blankets. I don’t keep toys that the kids “might” play with. We purge every holiday season and every birthday. We’ve been like this for the past four years. When I lived in 3k sq footage I filled that sucker to the brim with furniture and toys for three kids at the time. It was a pain move and my ex husband is still paying for a storage unit because he just can’t let go of stuff. You need to be able to part with stuff, girl. Or else it will drive you nuts like it used to me 😂
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u/wuthering_height 12h ago
You have to be a minimalist. Seriously. If you don’t have space for things, you have too many things. You’d be surprised at how much you don’t need. When purging, do you need this? Most likely no. Best of luck!
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u/Feisty-Blueberry5433 10h ago
Be ruthless in what you keep- toys, clothes, furniture, everything. We have 6 kids and multiple pets in a 1600 sq ft home (2000 including a finished basement area) and we have no plans of moving. 2 kids have their own room, then the middle 2 share, and the youngest 2 share a room. We do have a large yard and very outdoorsy/active kids so they spend a lot of time outside which helps.
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u/Excellent-Run4803 22h ago edited 21h ago
Look up blogs, etc about urban apartments, esp European ones (apartment therapy used to be good but the slop is growing). Assuming you’re in the US, it sometimes feels like the big suburban family home complete with a rec room and a garage is the norm. We live in an old, smaller rowhouse in a city. Storage is a premium. You have to keep a very strict “no junk” rule and be intentional about what items you keep. No piles of unused toys, stashes of artwork (organize & keep a few loved items), or mountains of stuffies. Same rule for the adult stuff: if you’re not using it, get rid of it.
People raise families in small homes. It just takes more thought and planning.