New Parents Find Ingenious Way To Fit Nursery Into Tiny NYC Loft Apartment

A savvy couple has transformed part of their living room into a nursery ahead of their firstborn.

Yulia, 35, and her husband, Nick, 38, who live in Manhattan, New York City, shared their makeshift nursery on Instagram (@nyc.yulia), racking up more than 5.7 million views.

Yulia told Newsweek: "We needed space for a baby but did not want to move because we love our one-bedroom apartment and its location. So, we decided to sacrifice some living space to build an extra room, and we love how it turned out."

The couple will have less space but will save money. As of February 2025, the average rent in New York City is $3,887 per month, which is 150 percent higher than the national average of $1,556, according to Apartments.com.

Yulia told Newsweek that the 10-by-8-foot nursery, equipped with a cot, rocking chair, and storage, cost a few grand to build. In the long run, this setup is more cost-effective than purchasing a larger property with an extra bedroom.

The previously mentioned online rental marketplace states that a one-bedroom apartment (597 square feet) costs $3,887 per month, while a two-bedroom (793 square feet) costs $5,279 per month, making New York City one of the most expensive rental markets in the U.S.

"The most NYC thing. I divided my bedroom when I lived in Brooklyn," posted one user, and Yulia agreed: "Only New Yorkers understand the space constraints."

"A true NYC baby! We did the same with our first," commented another parent, and a third commenter wrote: "This is actually such a cute and creative idea. Now that we're on baby number three, we made him a nursery corner in our room while we wait to move into a bigger house next year."

Other comments imply the baby won't even use the room.

One user posted, "All this, and they're gonna be sleeping in your bed for a year," to which Yulia responded: "My bed?! That's not safe."

Research commissioned by Newsweek in November found that Generation Z (born 1997 to 2006) and millennials (born 1981 to 1996) are relatively open to co-sleeping, with a combined 60 percent saying it's acceptable up until ages 3 to 5.

Dr. Natalie Barnett, the head of sleep research at Nanit—a baby monitor tracking brand—previously told Newsweek that co-sleeping is a personal choice.

"That said, for very young children, the evidence is clear," Barnett said. "The risk of SIDS [sudden infant death syndrome] is significantly increased in families who bed-share, and I always encourage families to have their infants sleep on a separate, clear sleeping surface."

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