house with downstairs loo only and kids bedrooms upstairs

[EvelynBakerLang]

We're thinking about a chalet bungalow with two single bedrooms upstairs (which would be for the kids). The rest of the house is on the ground floor. There is no loo upstairs. Has anyone got experience of small children wandering downstairs for a wee in the night. Does it work? Or would I regret it?

[feckwit]

We had a downstairs bathroom in our last house and it was fine, never thought about it. It was funny, my son went to a friend's house one day, came home and said "Mum, their house is so odd, the bathroom is upstairs!". Our row of terraces all had downstairs bathrooms so he thought it was the norm lol!

[HarrietJones]

I always had a downstairs bathroom growing up, then did with dd1/2. Now dd1/2/3 all on second floor & bathroom on first

[Mollymax]

Could the children use a potty for the night whilst they are little?
If i loved the house it would not be a deal breaker for me.

[EvelynBakerLang]

That makes me feel better! I figured that loads of houses have this kind of layout and that people must be managing fine, but I got distracted by the property shows where the first thing to do is always 'shift the bathroom upstairs'! You're all very kind.

And yes, Mollymax, they're only very small, so a potty would be easy for a while at least.

[WhereYouLeftIt]

Our loo is on the landing between floors, so 6 steps down in the middle of the night. We've lived in this house since before DS was born, he's 12 now.Never been any problem; although we have always had a night-light on in the top hall just to light the way.

[kbaby]

We have the same, live in a dormer bungalow with 4 beds upstairs and bathroom downstairs. We've lived here for 10 years and have dc 4 and 7. For us it has become an issue, when the dc wake up in the night they always need someone to take them to the loo whereas if it was upstairs they could go alone, its a pain when one of them is sick as they never get to a toilet(I now keep a sick bowl under my bed). The biggest pain is when your in the shower if the kids or Dh has friends over I have to do a sprint from the bathroom, through my kitchen and up the stairs whilst wearing a towel. For these reasons we are now losing a bedroom to add an upstairs bathroom.

Don't let me put you off though, we bought the house because we liked it despite the bathroom issue. My Dh grew up in a terrace with downstairs bathroom and he can't understand my issue. Just have a think of where in the future you could squeeze an ensuite just encase it does annoy you.

[CristinaTheAstonishing]

I don't think it would be an issue unless oddly placed, as in kbaby's example above. If it was top, 2nd floor bedrooms, with bathroom on first floor you probably wouldn't find it unusual at all.

[SlackSally]

Like others, I grew up with a downstairs bathroom and it never felt like an imposition. After all, how much of your life do you spend int he bathroom?

When we were really little, I do remember having a potty, but don't remember it being a huge deal.

I have to say, though, I've never been one for getting up for the loo during the night.

[Indith]

Our bathroom is downstairs and it is fine, kids are not dry at night yet but we just put a potty in their room anyway. The downstairs bathroom is practical in a lot of ways, I can stick them in the bath and do the washing up/cook dinner/tidy the toys in the living room and still see them!

[hester]

I grew up in a second floor bedroom. The toilet was not only downstairs but in the garden - we survived! If we felt spooked/weren't very well, we used a potty, but that was only very occasional.