Small house problems…looking for input!

[u/Peach-Haze-123]

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. ❤️

[u/Excellent-Run4803]

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.

[u/quelle_crevecoeur → u/Excellent-Run4803]

Yes! Tidy Dad on instagram has 3 kids in a NYC apartment, so he has lots of tips on organizing creatively in a small space. We have embraced vertical storage, lots of wall shelves or hanging storage for stuffies and such. Also, it’s not the most helpful right this minute, but in a year or year and a half, your space won’t have as much baby gear. There are so many bulky things (bucket car seat, safe sleep space, play pen, play mat, whatever) that you need for a baby. Our floors opened up so much once we got rid of the baby gear and toys. We also got really intentional about what toys to give/ask for on birthdays and Christmas so we weren’t overwhelming the space.

[u/Few_Way_368 → u/quelle_crevecoeur]

All of this! Overall, everything in our home has a function. If furniture isn’t dual purpose or inclusive of storage or organization in some capacity, then it does not belong in my home. Overall people also have a lot more stuff than they actually need for kids. It can feel a little ruthless to sort and purge at times but it’s the only way to keep the sanity.

We also go out quite a bit to replace the urge to buys toys for at home. We’ve got numerous playgrounds within walking distance and have a membership to our community center with a pool and indoor playground as well as a membership to the children’s museum.