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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to think its perfectly do-able to live in a first floor flat with a baby?

71 replies

annabanana84 · 28/05/2013 11:15

DP and I have the home of our very humble dreams. Its large and airy, and we live above a shop, so dont have to worry as such about the potential of upsetting tenants below with noise.

Dp and I have decided that we would like to start ttc. Yippee! However, my mother has recently expressed her concern that it would be a great struggle to live in a first floor flat with a baby with regards to the stairs (which are outside stairs iyswim) etc, but people do it all the time, dont they, and I can always take baby up first, put him/her in bouncy chair while I go back down for pram (coz dp will be at work most of the time when I take dc out in the day). I know its a silly concern really, but I want to plan properly.

OP posts:

FrontLoader · 28/05/2013 21:29

We're on the 4th floor and it's manageable.

I mainly used a sling until DD turned 1, which worked really well. You need a good sling like an Ergo.

Now she's bigger we've got a Quinny Yezz buggy, which is super- lightweight and has a carry strap.

Oh and you'll need to get your shopping delivered.

McNewPants2013 · 28/05/2013 21:39

I did it with a 3 year old and a newborn, it is manageable but I was so glad to move into a house when my DD was 4 months old.

I had my own access though so could leave the pram downstairs

oldendaysending · 28/05/2013 21:45

Another vote for slings here. I barely used the pram. I had twins and wore them both on my front when they were tiny, then I had one on my front and one on my back

funchum8am · 28/05/2013 21:57

We too are above shops and baby is 8 months. We recently got a babyzen yoyo buggy which folds up tiny and can be carried easily with a shoulder strap so you can carry LO and buggy at the same time. Slings are also wonderful for short local trips. Look out for local sling meet for advice as there are so many types, and they may have a sling library.

teenagetantrums · 28/05/2013 21:59

I live on the 4th floor, 64 stairs, easy with one baby, harder with two but still ok, harder when they are 5 and 6 and you have bikes to carry up and down

MousyMouse · 28/05/2013 22:01

absolutely doable.
we lived in a third floor flat without lift and 2 babies/small dc for a few years.
sling and buggy in boot.
sorry, have not read all replies...

greencolorpack · 28/05/2013 22:03

I had two kids and a double buggy in a first floor flat. I had no problems. Snobby idiots did. Hell mend them.

sillyoldfool · 28/05/2013 22:18

We lived in a second floor flat until our dds were 5&2.
Using a sling does make life a lot easier.

fizzzness · 28/05/2013 22:25

Lived down or up stairs with both of my children. Right now live on the first floor with my disabled four year old and one year old. It's fine, you get used to it and get strong and ingenious

FeelingHorse · 28/05/2013 22:29

I live in a 2nd floor flat, with my 8wo Ds, and regularly cart the pushchair up and down the stairs. I put DS in a sling in order to carry it up/down, or just keep him in the bassinet part and carry him up in that.

It won't be as bad as you think!

FeelingHorse · 28/05/2013 22:31

And YY to getting your shopping delivered!

Tigerbomb · 28/05/2013 22:40

Totally doable.

I moved into a 3 bedroomed flat with a 6 week old and we left it when he was 18 years old and his sister was 15 years old.

Get a sling and a small buggy. Shopping can be delivered when necessary (no Asda or Tesco deliveries when mine were small)

We didn't have a garden either. We used parks and gardens at Grandparents/family.

Dillytante · 28/05/2013 22:40

It's completely fine, the only annoying thing is if you have a baby who you need to walk in the pushchair to sleep (or the car) you can't then leave them as you would in a house, you have to keep on walking! Still, it's how I lost the baby weight

We had a gorgeous 1st floor flat and only left as the landlord sold it. We were luckily that there was an alcove for the pushchair at the bottom, otherwise that could have been annoying, but I used a sling much more with DD2 and definitely recommend that anyway.

shellandkai · 28/05/2013 22:41

It is doable although I will admit I did struggle having to take pushchair down the stairs then ds afterwards, or taking ds up 2st then taking pushchair apart and taking that up after it does get tiring I think luckily we moved a month later to a 2 bed house now my partner keeps talking about moving to an apartment but I couldn't imagine not having a garden now, summer going in the garden to watch ds play with his toys or in the paddling pool I must say living in a house with a garden is wayyyy better than in any kind of flat/apartment.

quesadilla · 28/05/2013 22:52

Good grief; obviously your mother has never lived in London. Yes of course it's doable.

madmacbrock · 28/05/2013 23:03

completley do able. we lived in a caravan for the first 18months of DS life, it was around 800 meters at bottom of inlaws garden so not car access. cue numerous trips back and too with shopping and pram all at same time or as he got older baby in wheelbarrow with shopping as could not leave him to go up and down garden. space was a bit of an issue, mostly with cleaning but im not that tidy or organised, rather than with DS.
we have sinced moved out and whilst it is easier we loved our time in the caravan and all the difficultys it presented actually made living there even more exciting than a boring house with a nice drive, consitant heat, space and gaurenteed water!
we would all move back tomorrow

RubyOnRails · 28/05/2013 23:09

It's fine.. I have a three year old and ten week old....no problem. Carry baby in sling, hold sons hand. If I need stuff brought upstairs I text my husband and he brings it from the car on way home. Tesco online, footballs and bikes kept in the close and for me the biggest benefit.....no arsing about with stair gates! Once were in, we're home and dry.

RubyOnRails · 28/05/2013 23:11

As for gardens...we have third of an acre communal garden but nobody uses it except us....we have picnics and all that stuff so, we don't feel like we're missing out at all...in fact we'd never have a garden thus size in a house!

Exhaustipated · 29/05/2013 07:13

Another 1st floor flat dweller here, with a 3 year old and a 9 month old. Starting to think about possibly moving now, but with one baby you'll be absolutely fine :)

SilveryMoon · 29/05/2013 07:22

I live in a 1st floor flat. My ds's are 18 months apart in age so I had to do the stairs with ds1 whilst heavily pregnant and then with 2 of them. You'll be fine! Yes, it'd be easier without the stairs, but it's not a huge deal. My ds's are 4yo and 5yo now so it's much much easier these days, but nothing unmanageable when they were little.

HorryIsUpduffed · 29/05/2013 08:43

We lived in a flat until DC1 was 2.7 and I was heavily pregnant with DC2.

Most of the advantages and disadvantages of flats are the same regardless of what floor they're on. As children get bigger (say 12m+) it gets more annoying not to have outside space that you just use instead of having to go to, IYSWIM.

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