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Original poster

Do your children sleep on a different floor to you?

29 replies

Driveamazdashopatasda · 19/06/2019 09:59

How did you manage when they were babies/toddlers?

We moved from a bungalow to a cottage, and the DC have attic rooms on the floor above us. Youngest baby DD will be a year old soon, and we're starting to think of trying her in her own room (currently cosleeping)

I'm nervous about the stairs, and about having her on a separate floor. I feel it's probably psychological, as it's not a huge staircase, it's directly opposite our room, and we can see the children's bedroom doors from our bedroom door. The bathroom is also on our floor. Older DC have been absolutely fine but are well past the baby/toddler stage, so I've never had to deal with this before.

I was going to put a stair gate on the nursery door rather than the actual staircase. Does this sound OK?

I'd love a bit of reassurance... Nobody else I know has this set up, and I'm currently ordering black out blinds for the Velux window and worrying!

OP posts:
KurriKurri · 19/06/2019 10:08

It sounds OK - as you say a stair gate on her door and if the door is open she can call to you. maybe you could have a baby monitor in her room - more for your reassurance.
You might find it a bit moer complicated when she starts toilet training if the bathroom is downstairs - but maybe she could have a potty in her room.

I had a similar set up - but my youngest was six at the time. I think given the fact that your room is in her sight even though downstairs, she will know where you are which is the most important thing.

Finfintytint · 19/06/2019 10:08

Do you have enough bedrooms for you to all swap around for a while so youngest would still be nearby?

Avocadodance · 19/06/2019 10:11

Similar situation to you. We put a gate on the nursery because it couldn't fit the top of the stairs. Will they be in a cot? They will just shout on you if they wake then. My toddler has no longer got a baby gate on and is in a bed now. He is good on the stairs and comes down to our room most nights. I always leave the stair and hall lights on and make sure there's no toys etc lying in the way.

It sounds fine - but until ok to come down stairs themselves, definitely cot and stairgate on room. Baby monitor also useful in this situation. What in particular are you worried about?

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Original poster
Driveamazdashopatasda · 19/06/2019 10:13

No chance of us swapping around - house is a very odd layout due to bits being added on/taken off over the years.

Yes, we have a video monitor that we will use. I have thought about toilet training, it will be awkward for a while, but my eldest wet the bed until age eight, so I'm prepared to lift to the toilet at night, anything is better than constantly stripping and changing the bed!

OP posts:
Original poster
Driveamazdashopatasda · 19/06/2019 10:18

Yes, she'll be in a cot. That's good to know avocado.
I'm not sure what exactly it is I'm worried about. I've had a fear of house fires ever since I was a young child, and I know someone who died from falling down only a few steps. I think that plays on my mind a bit. We put in an offer for the house before I became pregnant with surprise DD, and older DC were long past the stair gate and worrying stage by then, and I think I'd forgotten how anxious I'd be over safety when in possession of a small baby!

OP posts:
Talcott2007 · 19/06/2019 10:34

We have a town house over 3 floors. DD slept in our room until she was about 10 months then we moved her cot bed to her own room. DH are on the top floor and DD's room in on the middle floor. I promise you will hear them if they need you! We never bothered with monitors but we fitted a stair gate directly to her bedroom door. Toilet training hasn't been an issue fortunately for us with this set up either

Pinkmouse6 · 19/06/2019 11:10

Mine were on the third floor when they were toddlers and it was fine. They had a stair gate on their bedroom door.

Original poster
Driveamazdashopatasda · 19/06/2019 12:28

Talcott does she just not wake in the night to go?

Thank you all so much Flowers I'm feeling better about this already

OP posts:
Nixen · 19/06/2019 12:33

I wouldn’t have my child sleeping on a floor above me and I’ve ruled out houses on this basis

Winegumaddict · 19/06/2019 12:37

Mine are on a different floor to me. Slightly different as I'm the floor above but apart from using a monitor for longer than friends did so I could hear them it's not an issue. I didn't use stair gates as they didn't fit our odd stairs and mine are so loud I hear them as soon as they get to the bottom of the stairs. If they were upstairs I think I would have. As for toilet training I'm not much help as mine have never woken in the night to go.

StopMakingATitOfUrselfNPissOff · 19/06/2019 13:18

We're in a two storey but like you OP there's something vaguely unsettling for me about them being on a different floor. I think it's the fire situation.

Original poster
Driveamazdashopatasda · 19/06/2019 13:27

Nixen good for you, thanks for that enlightening comment

OP posts:
BlackInk · 19/06/2019 13:28

Our DC are on a different floor from us (we're in an attic room and DC are on the floor below us. It's never been a problem - in fact I chose this set up so that I could feel a little less close to them! I swear I used to hear every time they turned over in bed or sighed when we were next-door to them...

We have a smoke alarm on the landing outside their rooms and leave the landing light on all night. It's a small house.

When they need us in the night these days they just come up to our room, but when they were little they would call out or cry. Hearing them was never a problem, but I'm a light sleeper!

At a year old my DD moved into a bed as she could climb out of her cot. We also avoided stair gates as she could climb over them (very dangerous at the top of the stairs!). We just taught her to climb stairs as safely as possible and bump down on her bottom.

Nixen · 19/06/2019 13:29

@Driveamazdashopatasda your post title literally asks the question that I answered so you can take that attitude back!

Original poster
Driveamazdashopatasda · 19/06/2019 13:34

No, I'll keep it, thanks, my OP was perfectly clear in that I was asking the opinions of people who have had small children on different floors to them Confused I don't really care if you've turned down houses because of it.

OP posts:
feelthefearhaveabeer · 19/06/2019 13:35

We have a town house too, so 1 bed on middle floor and 2 on top floor.
Our room is on the top floor with DS. We coslept and my DS 3 year old still wakes up ALOT, so whilst I feel he should move downstairs to give the room to the younger one, I don't fancy walking downstairs all the time to either of them.

So I wouldn't rush it. Can you try transition to cot in your room? I can't say it worked for us, they went straight to a single bed after cosleping.

Nixen · 19/06/2019 13:49

😂 someone woke up on the wrong side of their bed today so I’ll bow out cheers

Needallthesleep · 19/06/2019 13:52

We are just having a loft extension where we will sleep, and our now 18 month old will be on the floor below us.

I’m a little nervous about it, but shall have stair gates, the light on in the landing and bathroom and a video monitor. What makes it more difficult for us is that there is a step down to the bathroom which concerns me when DD gets older and needs to use the toilet in the night. But we will cross that bridge when we come to it.

Where we live the separate floor sleeping is so common as 90% of the houses are small Victorian terraces that have been extended into the loft.

blackcat86 · 19/06/2019 13:52

DD is below us as we live in a converted bungalow. We have a video monitor which really helps and she generally sleeps through so we check on her before we go to bed and then i can use the monitor if she stirs or I wake. We also keep our bedroom door open so feel able to hear if something were to happen. I was really unsure how I would feel with the arrangement but actually its been fine.

Guff · 19/06/2019 14:03

We live in a 3 story house having extended into the loft. Dc1 (2) and dc2 (7 months) sleep on the floor below us. It's fine, dc1 will come up if she needs us since being in a bed and for dc2 we have a video monitor but in all honest I can hear every peep without it. They are on the same floor as their bathroom, dc1 is toilet trained during the day but wears a nappy at night, hasn't been a problem at all.

LinoleumBlownapart · 19/06/2019 14:21

Our bedroom is on the ground floor and all the children are upstairs. I thought it would be odd, but I actually like it. The previous people put a stair gate on one of the bedrooms, rather than on the stairs. So I don't think that's odd. If we had another baby I would probably keep the baby in our room just a bit longer.

yoursworried · 19/06/2019 15:20

Yep. We have an upstairs bedroom and our two children are downstairs. Stairgates and monitors and it's never been an issue for us. But, I always preferred to get up and feed anyway rather than feed in my own bed so I had nursing chairs in their rooms for the early days

yoursworried · 19/06/2019 15:22

Ps I love it now they're a bit older as they can get up and play in their rooms at God Awful o'clock and I can doze without hearing them loudly until someone shouts about breakfast...

DoraleeRhodes · 19/06/2019 16:29

We do, we’re on the top loot and children’s room are on the middle floor. Youngest is still in with us but for the oldest we just put a stair gate on his door. Never had any issues.

Jenniferturkington · 19/06/2019 16:38

We had the attic bedroom and the 3dc were on the floor below us. They always managed to find us in the night as toddlers.

Now in a different house and 12 yo ds has the attic bedroom and the rest of us on the middle floor.

I’ve never had any concerns about this.