And Then There Were Four: Preparing The Hygge Ranch
My life is almost nothing like it was when I had our first child, with one significant difference being our living arrangements! What may seem like a perfect upgrade for growing our family, has proven to be a bit more nuanced, so let’s get into it —
how will I be preparing #thehyggeranch for the arrival of our newest family member?
In NYC we lived in a studio apartment that was approximately 500 sq. ft. This is where we brought our daughter home & raised her for the next year and a half before moving to the west coast. While on the west coast, we’ve lived in a 1-bedroom apartment, followed by a 2-bedroom apartment, and now we’re in a house that’s, legit, nearly 3x the size of our studio where our little family first began. The years have been difficult yet the Lord has been generous! This upward climb, as it relates to our housing, has led to the assumption that with more space we’d do things a lot differently this go round. Spoiler Alert: we really aren’t.
I’ve been of the mindset, especially once it settled it that we were growing our family, that everything we did while living in a studio apartment set us up to be more intentional about how we use our spaces. This is a mindset I’ve actually tried to hold onto ever since we bought our home just to keep from getting overwhelmed by the size change, however, especially going into this season. The way some people have to downsize to really begin to value every square inch of home, I’ve always tried to do preemptively, keeping that small space living mindset at the forefront when it comes to a lot of our design decisions. Planning for mini no. 2 wouldn’t be any different.
Nursery Planning
Probably the most frequently asked question I’ve received as it relates to our home is whether or not we’ll have a nursery. Answer: no. Full stop. Currently — we have our bedroom, mini no. 1’s bedroom, and the bonus bedroom, which functions as a guest bedroom when we have em. That 3rd bedroom has come to serve us more than we anticipated over the years so we knew that we’d be doing ourself a greater disservice converting it to a room solely dedicated to a baby. Furthermore, raising a newborn in a studio apartment really cemented for us that we just aren’t nursery people.
With our first, because space was a premium, we made a lot of small space friendly decisions that also turned out to be perfect for us overall in terms of how we planned on living as new parents. We were very selective about the furniture we purchased and evaluated with care what new baby “must haves” were actually a must have. Most importantly, we were very strategic about our storage solutions — y’all know I get in my bag when it comes to storage! — by designing vertically & electing for pieces that could serve multiple purposes whenever possible. All of these ideas & techniques have carried over to #thehyggeranch in the present day planning.
As I said, we shan’t be doing a nursery or having any of the expected nursery “must haves” as part of our shopping. Thinking back to when mini no. 1 moved from newborn to infancy to toddlerhood, we have a pretty clear idea of what we had & didn’t need, what we didn’t have & wished we did, what we didn’t & still don’t need, and what we absolutely must get again. I began thinking about these items very early on as I simultaneously drafted our baby registry, however, I’ll get to that later.
Nursery Must Haves (according to the internet)
Baby Bouncer *
Baby Monitor
Baby Swing
Bassinet
Blackout Window Treatments
Changing Pad *
Changing Table
Crib & Bedding *
Diaper Pail *
Hamper *
Humidifier *
Nightlight *
Nursery Rug
Nursing Station
Play Mat *
Rocker or Glider *
Toys & Toy Storage
White Noise Machine
All the starred (*) items are the items we actually had our first time around — exactly ½ of the list — and there’s very little we’d do differently as it relates to these essentials.
“Tip: must haves & essentials will vary according to your child raising preferences, space allowances, and overall lifestyle. Step away from the blogs & think about what you want life with your baby to look like then shop the items that will support that vision. Resist the urge to get all the things all at once. Don’t be afraid to shop slowly & as needed. ”
Top of our shopping list, then and now, was a crib… more specifically a mini crib. I talked at length many years ago about our decision to get a mini crib; however, in summary, our reasons are —
perfect for a small space, be it for a studio apartment or simply in a shared room
smaller price tag to go with the smaller footprint, and saving money is always going in the + column
longevity is comparable to that of a standard size crib, especially as it relates to safety measures
We still feel the same way, and applied the same criteria, with one change — get a convertible mini crib. With our first, it was a rocking mini crib — loved it! — and then moved our daughter to a toddler bed and lastly a regular bed. The mini crib we had came with wheels for mobility or could be stationary (remove the wheels) and rock for soothing. This time we’d go with a convertible option because (1) a rocking feature is no longer available and (2) this will allow us to skip purchasing a toddler bed… and just getting the convertible guard rail.
As we did when we lived in our studio apartment, the mini crib will live next to our bed — not quite co-sleeping though. This is just what we found to be easiest for us because throughout the night I would either be nursing, or pumping while my husband would feed her. This also, as a new mom, assuaged my anxiety & allowed us to easily check in on her. Having mini no. 2 in a completely different room across the hall would be such an inconvenience for us, even if just for the feedings. We also discovered with mini no. 1, because this was a studio apartment — aka she wasn’t isolated from anything we were ever doing — she can sleep through pretty much anything lol. While she was a baby, we’d still watch tv, cook, talk on the phone, vacuum, etc. while she slept in her crib. We still lived. Fast forward a few years, I’ve actually witnessed her sleep through an earthquake! Lol. Now I have no actual idea if there’s a direct correlation between having her exposed to everyday sounds in her infancy to her sleep quality now, however, from this experience we decided we would never go out of our way to make sure the house is 1000% silent during naps.
Why a mini crib & not a bassinet?
Thanks for asking! As I’ve mentioned before, by the time my child outgrows a mini crib — based on height — she’s also outgrown a standard crib. Did you know… The average mini crib is 24 x 38 inches, and the average standard crib is 28 x 52 inches. Crib restrictions set the maximum height for standard cribs at 35 inches. The mini crib we’ve selected measures 39 x 25.5 x 37.5 inches, with a maximum height restriction of 33 inches. Bassinets are smaller than mini cribs! This means any bebe will outgrow a bassinet in a matter of months versus years, still requiring a transition to a crib. So while they’re also great for saving space, money (some bassinets), co sleeping, etc. for us it wouldn’t have been a good investment.
A mini crib is that sweet spot between a bassinet and a standard crib.
The most difficult part about selecting a mini crib is actually selecting the mini crib… especially as a designer. I looked at dozens of models & styles, reviewing safety features, color options, and a gaggle of other factors, in addition to reading reviews for each contender. This was actually the case for A LOT of the items we were selecting that would be integrated into our home’s design — assessing safety, longevity, cost, functionality, and aesthetic. This applied to the crib, bedding, bouncer, diaper pail, nursing station, and different storage solutions. While aesthetics were low on the list of priorities, I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge that they weren’t a priority all the same. After all, these are items we’d have in are home & looking at for YEARS, so of course I’m giving the diaper pail the same consideration as my nightstand, as an example, because I’m gonna be looking at both of em in my room day in & day out.
That in mind, there are items from the previous list that I've reprioritized & deprioritized based on our learnings + our change in lifestyle —
How We're Shopping Differently: Baby No. 2 Must Haves
Baby Bouncer * — on our registry once again & still a must have, especially now that we have more space
Baby Monitor — we've gone back & forth on if we'll need one now that we're in a bigger home, and as of now, we're not planning to have one, while still reserving the right to change our minds later
Baby Swing — we prefer a bouncer over a swing
Bassinet — we've already discussed why this isn't for us
Blackout Window Treatments — this is not a priority for us as it relates to the baby, just a priority in general for quality of sleep & something we’d already done throughout the house
Changing Pad * — we used changing pad liners all the time with mini no. 1 and plan to do the same with mini no. 2, however we don't use contoured changing pads... only the reusable liners that we can use on any surface
Changing Table — for similar reasons we're not fans of bassinets, we never had & still won't have a changing table... hence the changing pad liners
Crib & Bedding * — already discussed, however, I'll add that bedding is a priority because mini crib bedding typically also fits play yard mattresses, and a play yard is something we had then & will have now
Diaper Pail * — yes, yes, and yes... except this time, we hope to have more than one because of the size of the house
Hamper * — another must have, separating baby's laundry from everyone else's
Humidifier * — this go round we haven't really prioritized this for the baby, however, that's likely because we each already have one anyway
Nightlight * — my feelings on this have wavered over the years, and it's no longer a priority, however, our existing plug in night lights will come in real handy for night time feedings
Nursery Rug — nope
Nursing Station — yes and no, because while we didn't have a dedicated nursing area last time, we think now, just being in a bigger home, it'll definitely be of value to me so I'm not running up & down stairs when it's time to nurse and/or pump
Play Mat * — something else that's on our registry for the second time around & a must have in this larger space
Rocker or Glider * — I cannot recommend this enough & this is for both my husband & I... and this time we're hoping to get a glider + rocker + recliner combo
Toys & Toy Storage — not a pressing need till later & we already have a dedicated activity area for mini no. 1 that they'll be able to share
White Noise Machine — this goes hand in hand with how we treat sounds, as I previously mentioned, so definitely not a priority
These considerations ultimately played a major part in how we set up our registry — there's a post for that! — and our registry now is practically identical to our first registry... except now there are things that we will have 2 or more of for our convenience simply because we have more space to cover. Items we've decided to have multiples of include diaper pail, nursing pillow, anything related to travel (since we have 2 cars now instead of 1), baby carrier, changing/nursing station cart, and bottle warmer... all to make our lives easier since we are a long ways away from a ~500 sq ft apt with everything at arm's reach.
Bedroom Re-Designs
While we've spent quite a bit of time discussing our non-nursery, I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge how having a baby impacted so many other rooms at #thehyggeranch.
Big Sis' Bedroom
Preparing for the baby, we also wanted to be intentional about how this would impact the mini. This would be a major adjustment for her, going from an only child to now the eldest, so we thought this the perfect opportunity to finally design her room. It had been quite some time since we'd first given her her own room. When we bought this house, we spent very little time "designing" the bedrooms. The first bedroom we tackled was the bonus bedroom. This was the only bedroom designed with intention & care. Now it was time for hers. Up to this point, all we'd done was rip up the old carpet & install LVP flooring, replace the old ceiling fan with new flush mount lighting, add custom window treatments, upgrade the HVAC system with a mini split, and upgrade the closet systems. Beyond this, we simply furnished the room for functionality, not for beauty. For months she'd been watching us prepare for the arrival of her sister, so we wanted to make sure we also did something that was just for her.
The design for this space went through many iterations before landing on a design, with most of the changes being around the wall color. We landed on this beautiful, rich teal that we knew she could continue to mature with — Antigua from Behr. This design (and all the subsequent space changes) quickly became an exercise in shopping my home... ultimately leading to a whole new design...
Some of these pieces may look very familiar to you if you've been here for all of my reveals from the past 3 (?) years — the desk is from the flex lounge and the bed is from the bonus bedroom. Because this is an older home, the existing j-box couldn't accommodate the new ceiling light we wanted & we already had the Minnie Trellis Rose Gold Rug from Ruggable. That means going into this, the only things we purchased were materials for finally removing her popcorn ceiling, the closet for additional vertical storage (as oppose to her previous 3 drawer dresser), and a pair of matte blush pink plug in sconces. We decided to upgrade her bed to the queen bed from the bonus bedroom since we decided to go in another direction with that space — more on that soon — which meant no longer having to buy a whole new bed frame. No matter the project, I'm a huge proponent of shopping the home first... so much so that I dedicated an entire chapter of my book to exactly this —
“If you’ve already been shopping, there’s a strong chance that you already have all the makings of your dreamscape right in front of you. The design process doesn’t begin or end with purchasing. It’s in editing existing or new items, that you’ll start to see your dreamscape take form.”
Bonus BedRoom
I've always maintained that this bedroom was a bonus bedroom, not a guest bedroom, and for a reason. We have never entertained many house guests so having it exclusively serve that purpose meant it wasn't getting very much usage year round. Last year was the most we'd hosted, with 6 guests across 3 visits, and even with the new baby, we knew it likely wouldn't be much different. Without guests, yes, this bedroom had served us in a few different ways (i.e. quarantining when COVID-19 took over the house); however, all in all, we knew we could maximize its usage by using it as an office lounge instead. In case you're wondering what would happen to the office area in the flex lounge... well just know that there's a plan for that as well for a later conversation.
We decided to bring our queen size sleeper sofa up from the living room into this space so we'd have the sofa for lounging, yet the bed (as needed) for guests. And don't worry about the living room suddenly being sofa-less because we already had one ready to take its place aka the perks of being a seasoned home content creator with a room of requirement full of product. To complete this transformation, we'll be getting a tabletop & drawers from IKEA to create a longer desk setup that we both could comfortably use. This space will also serve us as we're taking newborn shifts & figuring out what that'll look like. The decision to pivot was so quick & easy I didn't even go through any rounds of mood boarding... just all from the dome, lol.
Parent's Bedroom
Rounding out the trifecta of boudoir makeovers would be our room, which, just like the mini's bedroom, never actually got designed... just furnished. Since this is the space we'd be sharing with the miniest (see what I did there) there was no time like the present to also lay hands on this space... starting with the popcorn ceiling! Here is where we'd be making the biggest upgrade by getting a new custom upholstered bed from Lulu & Georgia. After first tackling the bonus room, we quickly realized we desperately wanted, for ourselves, an upholstered high headboard wingback bed. Entering this new chapter of parenthood, this was something we decided to finally do for our comfort. And the design followed from there. After many iterations (and still evolving at the time of writing) the design plan was in motion...
Also new in the space would be the rocker, lighting, and crib... naturally! One of the reasons (at the time of writing) that this design is still evolving is because we are officially on a clock! In the interest of time there are things we may scale back, such as painting the entire room and upgrading our closet system, so that we can have the crib & everything else built & ready in time. We're cautiously optimistic at this point.
Preparing the house for our growing family doesn't stop at making sure the baby has everything — it's making sure we'll all be good!
This is a huge life transition for every member of our family, and as we evolve & our lifestyle changes, our house has to keep up & evolve with us. And that's where we're at right now — #thehyggeranch is transitioning with us.
Once everything is said & done, I'll hopefully be able to do a behind the design with cost breakdowns for these design refreshes. At the heart of all these changes, however, is that there is no "one size fits all" solution for these kinds of life changes. While for some a nursery, guest bedroom, etc. makes perfect sense, that's just not our story… not really. The only priority is making sure we're all living our best lives in our home… always & in all ways.
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