Tips for living in an apartment with kids

Apartment living with your children can be just as fulfilling as living together in a stand-alone house and tends to promote stronger community engagement for your children. 

Although many of the qualities synonymous with house living can be replicated in your apartment, there are some additional tips to consider when living in an apartment with kids.

Focus on the essentials

Children don’t possess the same spatial awareness that we do, so keeping floorspace as clear as possible for them to spread out and play on is preferable.

To maintain ample walk and play space throughout your apartment, try and make maximum use of your available vertical space. Wall hooks are an excellent option. 

Try to make conscious, intentional choices with the furniture and items you introduce to your apartment. Opting for open shelving might encourage you and your family to really think about the pieces you hold onto.

Although you’ll want to maintain certain aesthetic qualities in your family’s apartment, you’ll probably be inclined to prioritise functionality. Be imaginative and forward-thinking when sourcing pieces to ensure they are practical for a home with kids.

Try to pare back intricate, delicate, and easily breakable pieces throughout your space. Instead, let hard-wearing pieces take centre stage.

Consider designated whole tubs, drawers, and baskets to establish clear storage zones. Divider walls with inbuilt storage boxes or baskets are a popular way to go about this.

Make the space fun for children

Apartments can provide a lot of fun for little ones. You can customise your apartment to promote their enjoyment and well-being when inside your home.

Consider fitting the walls in their bedroom or sleeping zone with felt pinboards. This opens up endless creative wall displays options for them, perfect for the artsy child. Wrapping walls in this material also has noise reduction benefits, which is great for you if you need to focus or unwind. Blackboard chalk walls are another fantastic, creative choice. 

Lastly, installing a projector for movie nights is an awesome, space-efficient way to further the fun in your apartment.

Dual-purpose items work a treat

Transforming furniture is wise in your apartment with kids. Wall mounted desks and dining tables that seamlessly fold up and away are fantastic instances of transformative furniture. These items allow you to capitalise on floor-space when necessary as well.

Flexible pieces like modular and sectional sofas are great ways to ensure your informal seating arrangements can adjust and evolve with your family and accommodate guests.

When it comes to laundry, opt for a two-in-one washer and dryer for maximum spacial efficiency. Alternatively, see if your washer and dryer can be wall mounted or stacked on top of one another to prevent these items from overwhelming your available floorspace.

Utilise nearby amenities and activities 

Apartments often boast enviable locations surrounded by a cornucopia of opportunities to interact and be immersed in the local community. Research what’s on in your local area, and consider getting your children involved. Be it art classes, dance, or perhaps swimming lessons, gallery and museum tours, or library visits, enrich your children’s lifestyles by getting them involved with the community around your apartment.

Keep safety top of mind 

When living in an apartment with young children, be sure to cover exposed outlets to prevent your kids from getting hurt. Situating robust pieces of furniture such as dressers in front of outlets is a great option.

Speaking of robust furniture, make sure to secure any free-standing pieces of furniture. Fix these to walls if possible. If it’s not, you can secure pieces by strategically weighing them down and ensuring they’re not precariously positioned or moveable for your children.

Also try and ensure that furniture in high traffic areas doesn’t have any sharp edges that jut out. Instead, go for round tables, or pieces with softer edges.

Have your own zone for what you need

Finally, create a zone or separate space in your apartment that’s for you and your items, away from the other shared spaces. This will provide a space for you to reset away from the rest of the family. 

Modern apartments often offer all the convenience of living in a house, making them a perfect home to raise kids. 

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