where to have them sleep?

[motherpeculiar]

We live in a fairly standard Victorian 4 bed house. Theres one bedroom on the first half landing which is currently used as an office and houses our gas boiler (it was there when we moved in - don't think we'd have sited it there). Then there are two more bedrooms on the next floor, and a final one up on the top floor, kind of an attic room - but very nice. Currently DD (aged 2.5) sleeps in the one next to ours on the middle floor. Wondering what to do when baby arrives at the end of March (and in a bit of a panic as I want to get the room sorted tbh).

I'd like to leave DD where she is so as not to cause upset. SO, where should we put the baby? Up on the top floor? This would make a lovely cosy baby room, but means two and a half flights of stairs from the ground floor to reach it, also I am worried about how it would work in case of fire at night - we'd be trying to go in two different directions to collectthe kids. The other option is to put baby in the room that is on the half landing and move the office upstairs. The room isn't quite as cosy but could be lovely, but should we be worried about the boiler being housed there? are there any risks associated with this?

any advice or thoughts very welcome - we are very confused and in a state of inertia until we decide this...

and sorry the post is so long!

[aloha]

I'd move the boiler and make the small room the baby room, personally.

[aloha]

Not so much due to risks, as due to noise and ugliness factors.

[Beatie]

Our dd has the boiler in her bedroom. There's nowhere else for it.

We made sure we installed a carbon monoxide alarm and have the boiler serviced yearly. It's not ideal and I have to have the heating come on at 7.30am so as not to wake her before 7.

The boiler is also boxed in with attractive wood.

[motherpeculiar]

The boiler is boxed in already. It's a bit noisy but I reckon kids can sleep through a lot - it's the health and safety issues that concern me more. Carbon Monoxide alarm is a good idea.

Do boilers ever explode? (Sorry Beatie!)

Anyone know if it would be mega expensive to move the boiler - DH says it would but he is always a bit negative about getting things done

So you think it would be a bad idea to have baby on floor above us then?

[starlover]

I slept in a room with the boiler in it for 20 years!
It never blew up or gave me carbon monoxide poisoning. And I slept like a baby!
We also have a busy A road down the bottom of our garden and the noise from that didn't bother me either!

[starlover]

i didn't actually SLEEP for 20 years... just in case there was any confusion!

[motherpeculiar]

Awh Starlover - I was starting to think it was s surefire way of getting some peace - pop them in the room with the boiler, check annually, wake up in 20 years

cheaper too

[Sponge]

We have the same situation in reverse. Ds is currrently in the room with us but when ready for his own room the only option is on the floor below. I don't really see a problem with this other than that it's further for me to travel if he wakes in the night.
You can't organise your whole life around the remote possibility that your house catches fire. Get smoke alams though.

[Jimjams]

My friend's mum's boiler exploded. I don't know why though- may depend on the type. I'd move the boiler and use the little room.

[hovely]

we were advised that it costs lots to move a boiler and they often don't work as well afterwards. If your boiler is a few years old it might not be so much more expensive to replace it with a more energy efficient type and save money afterwards and feel virtuous.
Do you particularly want both children in their own rooms from the start? We have room to spare, but moved ds in with dd last year (when he 10 months she 3 yrs) and it is working very well. the presence of each soothes the other. They can have their own rooms later.

[morningpaper]

Is it a gas boiler?

[morningpaper]

oh yes sorry you said that

[morningpaper]

Why don't you move YOUR room to the top floor, and then have both the children's bedrooms on the floor below?

[motherpeculiar]

That's a good idea MP, which we have considered. There is even a second bathroom up there which we could have all to ourselves

however, the room up there is much smaller than our current (fairly massive) bedroom and wouldn't allow us to have much clothes storage in there once we got our (fairly massive) king size bed in there. Couldn't countenance storing the clothes anywhere else as DH is already a NIGHTMARE when it comes to leaving clothes dribbled about the place and if he had the excuse of two sites to store them I think I'd need to move out.

Keep 'em coming though...

and maybe I'll run upstairs (sorry, should be waddle) to check the storage really wouldn't work just one more time...

[starlover]

why don't you ask dd if she would like to move up to the top floor? she might like to move to a "special" big girls bedroom... especially if you get her to help you decorate it or something.

admittedly you will still have the long trek up there, and kids on 2 floors... but presumably you'll be up and down the stairs less often than if you had the new baby up there. And of course, your dd can make her way downstairs by herself so you won't have to go up and get her!

[motherpeculiar]

good thinking Starlover - will talk to Dh and see what he thinks about that one

I already feel a pang at the notion of DD moving to a different floor to us though - maybe we do need to consider hovely's suggestion (thanks Hovely ) to have them in the same room - although DD is already a dreadful sleeper so maybe that isn't the solution

oh dear, the trauma of having 4 bedrooms all on different floors - I do appreciate what a luxurious position this is BTW just in case anyone out there with more bed requirements than bedrooms wants to scream at this thread