Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

What size home did you have when you had your first baby?

153 replies

Moseyjosey · 29/02/2024 17:46

My sister and BIL were lucky enough to own a 5 bed house before starting their family, and they managed to do all this under 30.

We live in a two bed semi detached home. It’s a lovely street. We have a garden and a bedroom for baby, and some floor space in the sitting room but not a separate playroom or anything like that for when they are bigger.

Everyone’s different but what was your living situation when you had your firstborn and if you upsized how old were they when you did this?

OP posts:
Twolittleloves · 29/02/2024 22:01

2 bed rented Semi.
Now in a 3 bed rented semi with one more child.
Would be nice to have more living space at some point as we are feeling quite 'full' here already but we love the area and neighbourhood so whilst it would be nice to own and have something bigger and ours at some point, we are very happy here for now.Plus can't afford a mortgage til I can work full time again anyway, and that's just not going to be financially doable til kids are both in primary

tunainatin · 29/02/2024 22:11

Small terrace, 2 up 2 down type. Moved quite soon after to larger, 3 bed terrace. Moved to 3 bed semi shortly after having 2nd.

GuessThatGranny · 29/02/2024 22:16

Two bed mid terrace

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Families
FizzyWizzyBubbles · 29/02/2024 22:16

1 bed flat.
When I was expecting we were in a 2 bed. LL kicked us out because ' he got fed up with fixing the boiler' it was old and crap
We moved into parents and thankfully we got a 1 bed council flat. Was there about 9 months after dc born. I hated the area it was hell! Managed to move back the other side of town near family to a 2 bed. However, as much as i hated the 1 bed i was grateful as we were fortunate to get it.

Mistyhill · 29/02/2024 22:16

I was renting a one bed flat in London. Not ideal for long!

Thefirstonewastaken · 29/02/2024 22:18

We moved into a two bed 3 weeks before they arrived, then bought a four bed a year later and then a bigger four bed when they were 3!

OldTinHat · 29/02/2024 22:18

3 bed house when DC1 arrived. Extended to 4 beds before DC2 arrived 18m later.

ohthejoys21 · 29/02/2024 22:25

Two bed flat with dd, moved to 4 bed terrace with ds, now both adults and all in 6 bed.. they'll be moving out soon but I don't want to downsize.

Ninahaen · 29/02/2024 22:30

3 bed terraced. (One of the rooms was tiny). We have family stay over a lot so moved to a really large house which is now far too big for us

milliemermaid · 29/02/2024 22:38

We had a one bedroom basement flat with an outside loo.
Actually it had quite large rooms, and it was just off of the seafront, so not as grim as it could have been.
We managed quite well there, and moved into a house when she was 3 and a half.

AlecTrevelyan006 · 29/02/2024 22:40

one bed first floor flat - moved into a two-bed terrace a couple of years later, had another kid then moved to a three-bed semi a couple of years after that. Still there almost 30 years later and kids have left home.

Lucyintheskywithcubiczirconia · 29/02/2024 22:44

We were in a tiny 2 bed, semi detached bungalow which was absolutely perfect for the baby/toddler years. When our child was about 6 we decided to upsize to a (still small) 3 bed house with a downstairs toilet. We felt it would offer more privacy and better for having friends over, or spending hours in the bathroom etc as she got older! But to be honest we would have been happy to stay in the little bungalow if we weren’t able to move.

Wbeezer · 29/02/2024 22:45

We decided not to wait to buy a house before having a baby after an attempt to buy fell through, moved in with in-laws for 6 months, v then borrowed a rather grotty flat from a friend who was travelling, then finally bought a four bed ( two were box room sized), finally moved to a larger house with three teenagers.

justanothermanicmonday1 · 29/02/2024 22:56

1 bed flat 😂😂🤡

claudiawinklemansfringetrimmer · 29/02/2024 23:48

2 bed rented flat, then bought a 2 bed semi detached house when she was 4 and DC2 arrived a year later.

Gemstonebeach · 29/02/2024 23:51

We owned a two bedroom home when we had our first, then moved to a different city where we rented a three bed and tenanted our two bed. When we moved back to our original city, we sold the two bed and bought a three bed with a study. Kids were almost 2 and 4 when we did that.

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 29/02/2024 23:57

2 bed first floor flat until ds was 5.5 then we moved to a 3 bed house.

Unexpectedlysinglemum · 01/03/2024 00:04

Moseyjosey · 29/02/2024 17:46

My sister and BIL were lucky enough to own a 5 bed house before starting their family, and they managed to do all this under 30.

We live in a two bed semi detached home. It’s a lovely street. We have a garden and a bedroom for baby, and some floor space in the sitting room but not a separate playroom or anything like that for when they are bigger.

Everyone’s different but what was your living situation when you had your firstborn and if you upsized how old were they when you did this?

I would love your set up!

catin8oots · 01/03/2024 00:09

I had my older sister's old bedroom in my mum and dad's house.

Nat6999 · 01/03/2024 00:10

A 3 bed townhouse.

Manyandyoucanwalkover · 01/03/2024 00:11

We were in a two bedroom end of four new build. I loved that house. It had a decent sized kitchen dinner and a lounge with the stairs out. The front door opened into a porch.

imnotwhoyouthinkiam · 01/03/2024 00:50

We lived in a 2 bed terrace when DS1 was born.
19 years later we're still in a 2 bed terrace, albeit a different one. I've had another child (now 17) and ditched the DP in that time.

MrsMurphyIWish · 01/03/2024 06:58

3 bedroom but small lounge and kitchen/diner, small north facing garden.

Moved to where we are now - 4 bedrooms, separate kitchen, dining room, lounge. Moved when DD was 3 and DS 3 months. That was fun!

Girasoli · 01/03/2024 07:18

1st floor, 2 bed rented flat with communal garden with DS1.
Ground floor, 2 bed rented flat with communal garden with DS2.

Hoping to buy (either a 3 bed flat or house) when DS2 starts reception.

meow1989 · 01/03/2024 08:19

We were in a 3/4 bed townhouse when we had D's. Small garden. Ds nursery was a floor up from us but we had a spare room on that floor too. It worked really well with a baby as our living room was the same floor as our bedroom so we just brought the crib in there in the evening so we could chill and watch TV without worrying about him before he was in his own room.

We moved when Ds was 3 as we didn't like schools in our old area - ended up in a 3 bed semi with a huge garden. We've lost upstairs space and an ensuite but gained loads of downstairs space as the house is extended and it's brilliant for family life - we hadn't realised how much we valued living space over bedrooms!