DNAinfo has identified a parenting trend for anyone considering raising a child in New York to contemplate: Rather than allow whatever is hiding in that damp shower mat to be the only thing living in their bathrooms, some people are moving their babies in there as well. Meanwhile, others have decided to have their progeny sleep in the closet, next to the vacuum cleaner or whatever. Why? There’s no room for them elsewhere in the apartment, obviously.
The space-saving tip first came to the website’s attention via “downtown” mommy blogger Joanna Goddard, who wrote about how much her 10-month-old seems to “[like] his teeny space,” which happens to be a travel crib set up in her “little-used” second bathroom. “Babies love cozy spaces,” she reasoned, while explaining that her own baby spends his waking hours in the parts of her home traditionally used for activities unrelated to hygiene. “More than a hundred readers shared supportive comments” on the post, reporter Emily Frost notes.
The setup can require some sacrifices from adults, as someone whose baby also sleeps in her spare bathroom pointed out on a message board: “The bathroom has a vent system, so the air is fresh, and it’s actually warmer than our own bedroom due to our weird heating system. Also, we have stopped using the bathroom since the baby began to sleep there — no using the toilet, no showering. We don’t even brush our teeth there any longer.”
Those with a baby and only one bathroom can go the closet route, like Upper West Side blogger Natalie Holbrook. The logistics are different, but the logic is the same: “When they’re little, they don’t need a ton of space. Babies, all creatures really, love the comfort of a nest, a space just their size,” Holbrook wrote. As it turns out, the closet “perfectly fit” her son’s crib.
It’s difficult to fault these people for being resourceful, especially because the babies probably can’t tell the difference. And, even if they can, it’s probably best for them to learn to manage their New York real-estate expectations as early as possible.
