One of the most consistent warnings people gave us when we were expecting and adamant that we were staying in our one bedroom apartment was: just wait til you see how much stuff babies need.

pssst, hey, come over here, I’ve got something to tell you. Ready? Babies don’t really need much.

And also? Toddlers need even less.

Now that Bean is 2 and a half, I figure I can finally safely say that having a baby and toddler in a one bedroom apartment is perfectly fine. All that stuff people are talking about? You just have to be on top of it and strategize a little.

And actually, I think this is a strategy all parents will appreciate, whether you live in a one bedroom apartment or 4 bedroom house.

When I was pregnant, Dave and I built the ol’ pipe and pine board floor-to-ceiling shelves for our living room. It was our plan before we had her that she’d have designated shelves for her toys, and it has worked out exactly as we’d hoped. Bean gets three shelves on one of the units for her toys, crafts, and instruments.

Our ottoman has wheels on the bottom, which means that during the day, I wheel it to one side of the living room to give her space to play. She has her toys on the shelf, books in a basket, and her table. (The big windows are also a source of amusement for her, especially if there’s a construction truck outside.)

As I’ve mentioned before, this is by far not the extent of her toys. We cycle her toys in/out, usually once or twice per week. She has a variety of toys and craft supplies at her disposal here; the rest of her toys are enclosed in ziploc bags, in three massive wire trays on top of our armoires in the bedroom.

But, that being said, if I’ve put a toy out a few times and she doesn’t really play with it, and it doesn’t appear to be a problem of her being too young for it…it goes to Goodwill.

We’re in a one bedroom apartment, but we are lucky enough that she has a nursery nook off the kitchen. She also has a small selection of toys in there, in addition to simple bookshelves.

Before dinner, Bean and Dave walk around the apartment, singing the clean up song, and they return all the toys to where they started the day.

Once she’s in bed, we wheel the ottoman back into place, and our living room returns to an adult space once again, no toys in sight.