Changing table question

[ramos]

DH and I are staying in our one bedroom for the foreseeable future and have a baby due in Sept. We have fit a mini-crib into our bedroom and so far have our queen bed, a small rocker, a small dresser and two smallish closets with hampers and things.

I am totally stuck what to do about the changing table. I know its not technically necessary, but the dresser is very small and low (and fits perfectly between the door and closet so upsizing that isn't a real option), so we basically have no surfaces in the bedroom aside from the bed and the floor.

I like the keekaroo changing mat (we have to pay for laundry so it looks great that its a wipe away kind of thing) Think we can get away with using that on the floor/bed?

I am worried about newborn days when theres a lot of poop and it getting all over the bed or something. And just getting up in the middle of the night and gathering items/making a surface rather than it being accessible. Also, there isn't a lot of surfaces in the living room either aside from the table, so having a dedicated changing place in bedroom probably wouldn't be the worst thing. The issue with that is just space and the bedroom feeling really cramped. Anyone had the Ikea sniglar just for newborn days? it's the smallest/cheapest one I can find (but doesn't fit the keekaroo) ARGH

[AZDude]

The bed will be fine, except for those middle of the night changes. I would find a way to squeeze in a changing table for the first three months, and then you can get rid of it.

[asiljoy]

We got a nice changing table, but used it maybe 10 times? We usually ended up changing him on the floor (on a towel) or on a bed. It was just easier as my lazy bum didn't want to truck him upstairs every time to change his diaper.

[DecD]

We never had a dedicated changing table.  We placed a changing pad (the puffy thing with the raised sides) on the dresser.  If you didn't want to leave it out, just slide the changing pad under the bed until you need it, pull it out onto the bed or dresser while you're using it.

As for laundry- you can get waterproof squares.  I recommend a few of these- put this down first to protect the larger cover.  Then when the poo spreads, it's only on a small square piece, and you don't have to wash the entire pad cover.

[tonysemail]

agreed... we put the changing pad on the floor and it worked great.

my daughter took naps on the changing pad sometimes, especially while sun bathing for jaundice.

[TrMama]

Can your dining room table do double duty as a changing table? As far as a wipeable surface goes, I'd just pick up one of those outdoor vinyl tablecloths. You can get the unpopular colors for just a few dollars and then cut it up to fit wherever you like.

I just had a foam changing pad that I put on top of a small dresser. It was fine, but it was hard on my back to bend over. Got me through 2 kids though.

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

I'm pretty sure I always changed the newborn on my bed for the middle of the night. You could cover your bed with an old sheet, or just put an old towel on the key area, if you were really worried out it and then put the changing pad down on top of the sheet/towel. Otherwise I used the dining room table until the kid learned to roll, then switched to the floor.

[mamagoose]

We kept a folded towel on the floor next to our bed and bassinet for middle-of-the-night changes. Baby slept in our room for the first 6 months and we didn't want to go across the house to the nursery where the changing table was at night time. I think about 90% of our diaper changes happened on that towel (next to a night light that fascinated her) in the early days. It was just so easy, with a pile of diapers and a pack of wipes on the floor too. Plus we never worried about her rolling off since she was already on the floor.

[MBot]

Can you change the height of the dresser (put a large wooden box/riser underneath or on top) and then plop a changing bad on top? I can't imagine a dresser so small a changing pad wouldn't fit on top.

[tthree]

With my first I always used the bed, even for the middle of the night changes.  With the second we were in a different house and I used the bathroom counter all the time.  The mirror went all the way down to the counter and she loved making faces at herself.

[gooki]

Bed, or a change mat/towel on the floor.

[MayDay]

I bought whatever cheap-o lightweight changing table they had at target. Because I knew I didn't want to be changing on the bed or floor.

I stuck it right in front of the closet during the newborn days.  I put baby clothes in the changing table shelves, so I didn't need to get in the closet, if that makes sense.  Other than when they changed sizes.  I am sure you can pick up a used one fire even cheaper than Target, but I did like that the target one was light enough that you could easily slide it out of the way to get in the closet, unlike the nicer ones. 

Lest I make it seem excessively cheap and wobbly, it lasted through two kids and never wobbled or broke.

[mm1970]

DH and I are staying in our one bedroom for the foreseeable future and have a baby due in Sept. We have fit a mini-crib into our bedroom and so far have our queen bed, a small rocker, a small dresser and two smallish closets with hampers and things.

I am totally stuck what to do about the changing table. I know its not technically necessary, but the dresser is very small and low (and fits perfectly between the door and closet so upsizing that isn't a real option), so we basically have no surfaces in the bedroom aside from the bed and the floor.

I like the keekaroo changing mat (we have to pay for laundry so it looks great that its a wipe away kind of thing) Think we can get away with using that on the floor/bed?

I am worried about newborn days when theres a lot of poop and it getting all over the bed or something. And just getting up in the middle of the night and gathering items/making a surface rather than it being accessible. Also, there isn't a lot of surfaces in the living room either aside from the table, so having a dedicated changing place in bedroom probably wouldn't be the worst thing. The issue with that is just space and the bedroom feeling really cramped. Anyone had the Ikea sniglar just for newborn days? it's the smallest/cheapest one I can find (but doesn't fit the keekaroo) ARGH

How big is the dresser?

We just have a changing "box" and pad, that we put on our dresser.

It's basically a wooden box, with this in it. 

http://www.target.com/p/l-a-baby-contoured-changing-pad/-/A-10338265?ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001&AFID=google_pla_df&LNM=10338265&CPNG=Baby&kpid=10338265&LID=9pgs&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=10338265&kpid=10338265&gclid=CjwKEAjw5disBRCA5r7OjsK_-UgSJAC27JPglojEfV335X9MvqsqoEtLurKQ9zes0-mEcnTv6j5tKhoCWvTw_wcB

[ramos]

Thanks for everyones input. The dresser is actually like an small, three-drawer, antique "wash basin" thing so its 28Wx, 15D x 30H. So close! I probably could rig something up to give it an extra little lip to hold the pad, but I think the ikea sniglar may be worth it. It gives us some more height, if we only need it for a few months, its only $30 so ooh well. Not very mustachian but not the worst thing in the world.

Thanks again!! so many decisions....

[Neustache]

If the baby is on the floor for changes, there is no way for baby to fall off of anything and hit the floor.  It happens.  I used a changing pad on the floor for most daytime changes.  Bed during the night but I was sitting up with my legs around babe (no falling off possible). 

The only warning I have is that this is really, really hard post C-section.  I still did it, but it smarts!

[startingsmall]

We used a folding IKEA changing table, which has sadly been discontinued.  The table lived in our bedroom for the first six months or so, then moved into the nursery when we moved kiddo in there.  We continued to use the table until she was about 1.5 years old, when she finally became too wiggly for me to feel comfortable with her up high. 

When we were hanging out downstairs, we just had washable changing pads that put on the couch.  That worked fine for pee diapers, but I still found myself taking her up to the changing table for poop diapers to reduce the change of mess! 

Could we have made do without the change table?  Sure.... but it was a big convenience and I definitely don't regret what we spent on it!

[K-ice]

I was certain I did NOT want a change table.

Used an ikea baby change mat on a dresser.

SKÖTSAM
Babycare mat, white, 21x32x1 "
$7.99

But we really just used the floor the most of the time. 

Had a great diaper caddy kind of like this. It was a gift and one of our best gifts.

http://jjcolecollections.com/diaper-caddy

It had a small fold out mat that I put on the floor of the living room in the day or bedroom at night.
It was just large enough to carry 1day worth of diapers.

Getting up and down off the floor may be an issue in the first few weeks. But that's one of DH's jobs at the start :).

[I'm a red panda]

We are putting a changing pad on top of an end table.
It is a little lower than a typical changing table, but it will work.  Most changes won't actually take place there, I'm sure.

[Kitsune]

Word of caution: if you're gonna change a baby on a bed (or other not-easily-washable-surface), make sure that your changing pad is waterproof. My daughter, starting at 3 months old, would pee all over EVERYTHING the second we took her diaper off, and then give us big grins. Waterproof covers save you from a 3am sheet change.

[tofuchampion]

We put a changing pad on top of our dresser for the first few months, and moved it to the changing table attached to her crib when she got more mobile (harder to roll off the changing table).

[Frs1661]

We have the IKEA Gulliver changing table in the nursery; it is very sturdy,  and the extra shelving is very handy. Every diaper change  at home happens on this table. If I were buying again I would get the sniglar and add a shelf with scrap I have laying around the house to sturdy it up and provide more storage.

If you are having a boy, pee fountains will happen (ours regularly makes puddles on the floor and himself) and I would not want to have to regularly change my bed sheets in the middle of the night! Definitely recommend using another surface  if you can.

[crazy jane]

They can't roll off of the floor. Put a beach towel on the floor. That's what I did 27 years ago and the kids don't the difference. I also managed this after c-sections for both kids. Don't waste any of your stash on this or any other really unnecessary baby stuff.

[Neustache]

Yeah, I should say taking your pain meds regularly post surgery would have helped on the pain front (and made changing diapers on the floor easier), but then you get to experience a whole 'nother set of pain if you don't increase your fiber/water/stool softeners:  opiate induced constipation.    I needed my own special version of induction to birth that baby. 

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

Yeah, I should say taking your pain meds regularly post surgery would have helped on the pain front (and made changing diapers on the floor easier), but then you get to experience a whole 'nother set of pain if you don't increase your fiber/water/stool softeners:  opiate induced constipation.    I needed my own special version of induction to birth that baby. 

I was all about the Percoset. I got a nurse in trouble at the hospital for forgetting to bring my Percoset when I wanted.

I'm coming back to the topic of midnight diaper changes, believe it or not: Post-delivery, I was really hungry in the middle of the night. (Plus you shouldn't really pop narcotics on an empty stomach.) I used to keep Fiber One bars by the bed to snack on while nursing.

[RunHappy]

With my first one I just changed her diaper right in the crib.  I would put down a blanket to protect the sheet or a puppy training pad if I had one.

With this next child I am planning to get a changing table for the living room (downstairs) but use the crib when we are upstairs. 

[livrocentral]

When we had our first, we didn't have a changing table but my wife didn't even use a changing pad on the floor! I thought this was gross. Three kids later, I still do changes on the floor and rarely bother to use a mat unless I can tell it was a blowout. Even then I'm more likely to just use the bathroom floor and wipe it afterwards, rather than having to clean another surface--because let's be honest, it doesn't always stay on the mat. Absent blowout conditions, as long as the baby isn't too wiggly the diaper just acts as its own barrier. Now if I were really going for self-preservation I'd have not only a mat, but a hazmat suit and goggles, but life is all about compromises.

[labrat]

I already had an IKEA Expedit 4 x 2 unit lying around so just secured a waterproof changing pad to the top.  I've had some back issues so changing on the floor is the last option. 

I recently saw a flip-down changing table that attaches to the wall - similar to this fancy-pants one: http://www.inhabitots.com/bo-ekstroms-fold-down-nathi-changing-table-saves-space-backs.  If you are handy, or know someone who is -building a simple flip-down table (very securely anchored into studs!) might be a good option.

[MBot]

Thanks for everyones input. The dresser is actually like an small, three-drawer, antique "wash basin" thing so its 28Wx, 15D x 30H. So close! I probably could rig something up to give it an extra little lip to hold the pad, but I think the ikea sniglar may be worth it. It gives us some more height, if we only need it for a few months, its only $30 so ooh well. Not very mustachian but not the worst thing in the world.

Thanks again!! so many decisions....

Scroll down to the third-last picture of this post. It shows how some changing pads have snaps that you can screw into the back of the dresser, then just snap the changing pad to it. That means the pad won't go anywhere and you don't need to build anything.

The last few pictures of this post show more specifically how it installs:
http://www.younghouselove.com/2010/03/nursery-progress-makin-a-mobile/

[JLR]

Our three kids are now 12, 10 and 7. We just used a changing pad on the floor. It was just a thin, waterproof one that came with our nappy bag. At one point when our youngest was around 4 months old I set up an old table with a mat on it, but found we just preferred  to change them on the floor wherever we happened to be, rather than going to a specific room to change them.