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The Honest Apartment Baby Checklist
Every generic baby checklist was written for a family with a spare bedroom, a garage, and a ground floor laundry. This one was written for us — apartment parents in Brisbane with a small second bedroom, one hallway cupboard, and the knowledge that every piece of baby gear needs to earn its square metres.
We've rated every major baby product as Essential, Skip It, or Maybe based on apartment-specific criteria. Alongside each rating is our space-smart recommendation for what to buy instead, or why.
Essential — buy this
Skip It — waste of space
Maybe — depends on your situation
🛏️ Sleep
Bedside bassinetEssential for the first 6 months. Much smaller than a cot, positions baby within arm's reach for night feeds. See our Best Bassinets guide.
Cot (standard size)Essential from 4–6 months onwards. Buy one that converts to a toddler bed to extend the investment.
Rocking bassinet (motorised)Unless you buy a SNOO, most motorised bassinets are expensive, large, and only used for a few months. Save the money and floor space.
Dedicated nursing chairTakes up enormous space and is only used for 6–12 months. Feed on your bed or a supportive regular chair instead. Use a good feeding pillow.
Baby monitorUnnecessary in a small apartment where you can hear everything anyway. Useful if you have a second bedroom where baby eventually sleeps independently.
🚗 Getting Around
Compact pram (one-hand fold)Essential. Non-negotiable for apartment life. See our Best Compact Prams guide.
Baby carrier/wrapEssential and space-free — it stores in a drawer. Invaluable for navigating lifts, stairs, cafes, and any situation where a pram is impractical.
Car seat (if you have a car)Essential and legally required. Look for a convertible seat that grows from infant to toddler to avoid buying two.
Full travel system (pram + capsule combo)These are large, heavy, and designed for suburban use. The capsule becomes useless after 6 months and the pram is rarely compact enough for apartment hallways.
Pram accessories (rain cover, footmuff, parasol, snack tray...)Buy only what you actually need for your Brisbane climate. A rain cover is worth having. Most accessories sit unused in a drawer.
🍼 Feeding
Clip-on or foldable high chairEssential from 6 months. Skip the floor-standing high chair — a clip-on model attaches to your dining table and stores in a cupboard. See our High Chairs guide.
Feeding pillow (e.g. My Brest Friend or Bobby)Essential for breastfeeding comfort. Stores flat under a bed or behind a sofa cushion.
Bottle steriliserIf formula feeding or expressing, yes. If exclusively breastfeeding, no. Microwave steriliser bags are a space-saving alternative to a countertop unit.
Bottle warming machineA jug of hot water works just as well and takes zero counter space. Skip this entirely.
Baby food maker/blenderYour existing blender or stick blender does the job. Don't buy a dedicated baby food processor.
🎯 Play & Development
Foldable play mat/gymEssential. Look for one that folds flat against a wall when not in use — reclaim your living room every evening.
Playpen/travel cotBecomes essential around 6–9 months when baby is mobile. Buy one that doubles as a travel cot to justify the space. See our Best Playpens guide.
Baby bouncer (full size)These are large, used for a short period, and take over rooms. A compact bouncer (like the BabyBjörn Bouncer Bliss) is worth it if you need one — the large motorised versions are not.
Baby swing (full size motorised)Takes enormous space and is used for only a few months. Borrow one from a friend if you want to try it, don't buy new.
Baby walkerNot recommended by Australian paediatric health bodies, and they're large and dangerous around apartment hard floors. Skip entirely.
🛁 Bath & Changing
Fold-flat or sink-fit baby bathEssential. Skip the big plastic tub — a fold-flat or sink insert stores behind a door or in a cupboard. See our Baby Baths guide.
Portable change matEssential. Rolls up, stores in a drawer, works on any surface. No need for a dedicated change table in an apartment.
Dedicated change tableTakes up significant permanent floor space for a function you can achieve with a mat on a dresser or bed. Use your existing furniture.
Nappy bin (Sangenic etc)In a small apartment the smell accumulates anyway. Use a normal bin with a lid and take it out regularly. Saves floor space and ongoing cartridge costs.
📦 Storage & Organisation
Hanging over-door organisersEssential. The back of every door becomes usable storage — nappies, wipes, small clothes, bath products.
Under-bed storage (flat bins)Essential. Under the cot and under your own bed is some of the most underutilised storage in an apartment. Flat lidded bins work perfectly.
Foldable fabric storage basketsEssential. Fold flat when not in use, expand when needed. Corral toys at the end of every day and reclaim the living room.
Dedicated toy storage furnitureUnless it doubles as something else (ottomans, benches). Standalone toy boxes take permanent floor space for a single purpose.
The Golden Rule for Apartment Baby Gear
Before buying anything, ask three questions: Does it fold or collapse? Can it serve more than one purpose? Where will it live when not in use? If you can't answer the third question satisfactorily, don't buy it.
The families who end up overwhelmed by baby gear are almost never the ones who bought too little — they're the ones who said yes to every well-meaning gift and every "you'll definitely need this" recommendation. In an apartment, every square metre is worth defending.
Shop Space-Smart Baby Gear on Amazon AU →About ApartmentBaby.com.au — We're apartment parents in Brisbane reviewing baby gear for small-space living.