#MOMHACKS for Small Spaces
When you live in New York City, you get creative about storage. Like, purses in the oven creative. Space is at a premium.
When we moved into our apartment several years ago, we thought we had found a palace. We were moving from the studio apartment in which George and I had been (happily!) living together for years, but when I got pregnant with Mason, it was time for an upgrade.
When you have kiddos, you discover a whole new array of needs that you hadn’t even conceived of… all of which take up SPACE.
Our 2.5 BR, 2 BTHRM apartment seemed super small all of a sudden! (by the way, by New York City standards, that amount of room is palatial!)
Here’s a few #momhacks I’ve discovered that save space, time, and stress, especially for city living:
1. Use your walls! Storage doesn’t just happen on the ground.
The more you can go vertical, the better off you’ll be. Whether it’s hanging your bicycles on the wall or mounting that television to eliminate the need for an entertainment center (more ground = more playspace), look at your apartment in 3D and adjust accordingly.
2. Don’t be afraid to give up a little countertop real estate if it’s something that truly makes your life a lot easier… but choose wisely.
For example:
We chose NOT to get a bulky countertop bottle sanitizer (we wash our baby bottles by hand)
But... when it comes to making the formula...
We decided the convenience of having a Baby Brezza was worth it, so we sacrificed the space to save the stress of spilled formula powder and crying babies while awaiting bottle warm-ups.
3. One of the critical needs when you have kids is a constant source of filtered water.
As important as that is for grown-ups, it’s doubly so for littles, and when you’re making newborn bottles at 4am, you realize real fast that you don’t want to be dragging a heavy, SPILLABLE pitcher in and out of the fridge 1000 times.
We were lucky enough to partner with Radiant Life to try out their Direct Connect water filtration system, and it’s been a total gamechanger.
These revolutionary, easy-to-install systems hook into your current plumbing and tuck easily into the cabinet below your sink, allowing you to enjoy perfectly filtered water directly from your faucet.
Here’s how it works:
You pick which size works for underneath your sink (Direct Connect or Direct Connect Short - we got the shorty!)
It arrives, and you do a relatively simple DIY installation. Here’s what it looked like for us:
George semi-cleared out under our sink (ok, does one side count?)
Mason decided to photo bomb the moment…
I got to take gratuitous shirtless hubby shots as things started to heat up…
George & Mason got some amazing Daddy son time. These are the simple moments that make lifetime memories.
George had one moment where some water leaked out, and this was Mason “supporting him” by patting him on the back. Good job, Daddy!
Here’s what it looks like installed! EASY BREEZY!!
Buh-bye, clunky pitcher. Hello, happy Mommy!!
GAMECHANGER!!
A bit more about the product:
It has a reusable housing with filters that are easy and economical to replace
- the standard Direct Connect requires filter replacement every 12-18 months
- the Direct Connect Short filters should be replaced every 6-9 months.
The filters are made from AquaMetix®, a proprietary matrix of multiple types of activated carbon, combined with proprietary Zeolite minerals, structurally bound into a highly porous block filter form. They eliminate a variety of organic and inorganic substances including most heavy metals along with fluoride, chlorine, and difficult-to-remove chloramines.
AquaMetix® filters also include built-in, controlled delivery, anti-microbial protection provided through Agion® branded antimicrobial technology based on silver, copper and zinc elements proven in use through the water filtration industry.
Check out the Direct Connect on the Radiant Life site, and use the code NYCFITFAM at checkout for 10% off, site-wide!
Happy momhacking, friends!
