Second floor flat (with storage room on ground floor for pram)

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Do any of you have any advice on this? My current flat (which I own and am selling) has 2 bedrooms and is also on second floor (so am used to steps). However no storage room on ground floor unlike this flat. This flat has amazing location, is reasonably priced (hence allowing for £1800 childcare fees and new higher mortgage) and is most importantly a reasonable location from MIL (who can't drive but has promised to look after my future baby 1 day a week at least- thereby reducing childcare fees).. new flat is also bigger. Not planning on more than 1 child. And arguably, this flat would be easier than my current set up due to the storage room.

i really want this to work. Any tips from mums who live in second floor flats in London!

In fairness the YoYo pram is what made that a life saver, because you can carry it hands free even from newborn, but it’s something like £650. Then it’s getting shopping delivered which in the case of groceries, there’s a minimum spend, delivery fee, and often getting more expensive substitutions. And coffees bought in cafes because you don’t want to wake baby from a nap. All very doable when you have plenty of money but not so much when you’re on a very low income.

I just got a tiny pram - the babyzen yo yo so It takes up barely any room in the flat fold it and hang it on a hook on the wall

when my baby was really little I mostly used a baby carrier as was easier

it’s never really been an issue for me - I usually take her out of the buggy when home or if she’s asleep I could actually manage to carry the buggy with her in it up the steps

I see. Well I already go to cafes and have no qualms about the price of the yo-yo. Already get shopping delivered. This makes a lot of sense!

I think storage is a nice bonus. Realistically, you use a pram for such a short period of time (3 years), that I wouldn't be too stressed about where to keep the pram. But having storage in general is nice because children have a lot of shit and somewhere to put it is nice.

That said, it would almost be the balcony that puts me off. I assume you don't have dc yet? I've only ever lived in a house since having dc and I'm sure there are obviously loads of people who live in very tall buildings with small children, but the balcony, especially if you plan to use it for play would massively stress me out. Just thinking of all the times my toddlers climbed up on stuff and nearly killed themselves, and the silly things that can happen when you turn your back for a second because you need a wee or to grab something from the kitchen.

Get a baby zen yo-yo, with the newborn nest rather than bassinet. You then just fold yo-yo in one piece. Carry baby in arm, yo-yo on other arm, as it has carry strap like a bag. Store pram upstairs

We have a babyzen yo-yo ( it’s our second travel pram as live remote, so large wheel jogger other). It folds so small it just lives in a cupboard.

You can’t take baby and leave in flat and go back down. Mine could climb out of a cot or highchair by about 11months, so not safe.
Also, pram in flat is handy. If you have baby like mine, you will often want to open pram back up, and rock baby to nap in pram in your living room. If they don’t nap well in cot and it’s pouring with rain for a walk, this is main option.

Flat with child is fine though. But I would want a garden if possible. But it’s not always in London.
It’s just not the same as a garden without child. A 1 year old still wants to go and do something even on days when it’s boiling hot heatwave or in August when the parks are rammed. If you have the option, it’s handy to have some at home you can put sun umbrella up, little paddling pool and sandpit. Plus you have to take loads of crap out with you with babies and toddlers, so it’s nice sometimes for an hour to just be able to open door and let them potter around and you have coffee. Mine is so active, in summer he’s outside at 8am playing, and I’m not ready at 8am for trip to park, but can eat toast and tea and hang laundry whilst keeping an eye on them. Before then heading out

I wouldn’t worry about the balcony, even my current house in London has a roof terrace as well as a garden, which is so common for family houses. Once they get old enough for it to be a worry you just be vigilant about keeping the door locked unless you’re out there with them, presumably as you do with your downstairs doors! I’m not even sure my 2YO actually knows we have the terrace since we always go to the park to play!

When my dd was born we lived in a third floor flat.

We would leave the frame downstairs tucked behind the stairs and take the seat upstairs.

But this wasn’t in London. It was a quiet flat with only 6 flats in the building.

Not using the balcony for play! Realistically we wouldn't ever have a garden in London as DH hates conversions and these are the only flats in London with a garden. To be fair, they often don't have good layouts. We have always had a communal garden and are happy with it.

You can't have everything in life, and we plan to privately educate our future child so are cautious regarding taking out too much mortgage or moving faraway and incurring high season ticket costs (extra £7k per annum between both of us). Flats may mean high maintenance in future (esp as this flat we are looking at is ex council - it's 3 bed in Highgate for a low price) but it would still be lower than the extra £300k for a house! DH had a bad experience in state school (his comprehensive is ranked no 6 in the country based on the the times rankings of comprehensives in 2022) so he says it's not as much paying for 'private education ' as it is for 'proper education '. And even if we don't end up going for private education, it's probably a good idea to not overspend on our residential home (and we want to stay in London).

Regardless of garden/ no garden.

just get a small pram like babyzen. And don’t worry about storage downstairs.

My 2.8 year old now only uses pram probably 20% of the time. We only use for long days out, and locally he walks or uses his balance bike. So it’s only a temporary 2-3 year thing. The first year a sling is also easier for most local journeys

Thanks so much!

I’ve actually just remembered that our old flat did have a storage area! Very handy for suitcases and xmas decorations. Wouldn’t have worked at all for the pram since it was outside the front door, back in through another door and down a flight of stairs.