to stay in a 1 bed flat until baby is 16 months old?

[lilyb84]

DC1 due in January. Lease comes up in May. We have 1 bedroom with room for a cot. We do have a large lounge but it's essentially our 2 cats' bedroom (we close them in at night so we can get some sleep!) so we wouldn't be able to use it as a second bedroom for us or baby.

We both love this flat - probably the most I've loved somewhere I've lived since childhood. But it's small, with barely any storage space, and no leeway for DH - or me - catching up on rest in a spare room which having spoken to a couple of people who've attempted to bring up a baby in a one bed flat seems to be what they end up doing (one couple I know have basically moved into their lounge so the bedroom is now baby's room).

We live in a fairly nice part of South London and love the area - DH's job is very local and it wouldn't make sense if he had to pay to commute as the salary isn't very high, but it's unlikely we'd find somewhere else in the immediate area for similar rent but with an extra bedroom - we'd have to move further out.

What I'm asking really is - is it practical to stay here for another year when our lease comes up for renewal, or would it just be too much having the baby in our room for nearly a year and a half? Would we be missing the chance to get DC into good sleeping habits by being able to put him down in his own room from 6/7 months onwards? Any of you out there who've managed in a 1 bed for longer than a year?

this all may be made moot by our landlord deciding to put up the rent or deciding he doesn't want a baby in the flat but I'm ignoring both possibilities for now

We lived in a one bed til DS was 15 months, although it was fairly spacious and had a garden. We also had two cats. It worked out ok for us, although we were driven a bit mad towards the end as DS started to become quite a light sleeper, so sharing a room was a pain as we'd sometimes wake him.

My advice would be to keep it simple with the baby stuff. We went for a fairly small pushchair, only kept minimal clothes and toys, and didn't really spend much on fancy gadgets etc. Also, make it clear to other people that you don't want big, bulky items as gifts. A friend of the family wanted to give us a gorgeous baby bedroom set with wardrobes, big changing table etc. Luckily they had the sense to check with us first so we could politely decline.

We made a nice baby corner in our bedroom with moses basket, small chest of drawers, and a fold down baby table. It worked well, and meant that we could keep the baby's stuff separate.

Dd is 20 months, and we live in a 1 bed flat.

It is snug but doable. I don't actually like where we live. I think if I did it would make it even more bearable.

We're near London and plan to do the same (minus the cats unfortunately). I love our flat and it's an amazing price (2 bedroom flats jump up ridiculously in price!)

If you do consider going for a 6 month contract that ends October/November time, it's close to Christmas to move and I know around our way there were far less flats to move in to at winter time. We were lucky to find our flat December last year, all the rest available were horrible! It may be different where you are though.

We had one bedroom until DC1 was nearly 25 months - in a cot in our room. When we moved it couldn't have been smoother - 2.1yrs was old enough to understand we were moving home, and to be excited about having a separate bedroom. We kept the cot in the new bedroom for a few weeks before transitioning to a bed. Not a single disturbed night, it was all fine.

Captain good point about moving in winter, not a great time of year. May would be much preferable!

And fish that all sounds very positive. Feeling very encouraged by all of this

I recommend looking at the babyzen yoyo 0+ pram also. Folds tiny out of the way. Or can use up in baby mode with sheepskin liner as a place to nap during the day

I think YABU to have cats and a baby in a 1 bed flat. Other than the cats, it's be perfectly fine to have your baby in your room til 16mo. I would suggest rehoming the cats. Your cats may also get territorial when the baby comes and start peeing on the baby's cot, etc. Yuck (happened to a friend of mine).

Coconut - you do know many 1 bed flats have gardens?

We're in a two bed flat with one baby and four cats. DS is nearly nine months old and still in with us, and I have no intention of moving him any time soon. He has a nursery but we're just storing his clothes in there really.

Our living room is now baby and cat play central, with them both preferring each other's toys.

I did take to sleeping on the sofa in the newborn days, so I could watch TV during the night feeds (and if I slept in bed I kept dreaming he was in with me and I dropped him on the floor), but I don't think this is common. If one of you has to sleep in with the cats you'll be so tired you won't care if they're jumping on you.

It will be fine! Good luck!

And don't worry about the cats at all. They were very wary of DS in the beginning, but now he is old enough to wave toys around for them they keep bringing him toys and absolutely love him. He is usually gentle with them, but if he tries to grab them they just walk away and have never tried to scratch. We had absolutely no problems with them being territorial at all, and no signs of them being stressed.

We did get rid of the Moses basket though, as the baby hated it but they would take any opportunity to climb in if it was unoccupied.

Margaret I did buy a moses basket 2nd hand - put it up in our lounge to see how it looked and a cat jumped in pretty much immediately so I can see that being one to watch! Will definitely be buying a couple of nets for cot/basket...

Coco I guess we just won't know how the cats will react until baby's here. Rehoming isn't an option unless it NEEDS to be. Eww to peeing in the cit though

*cot

Horror stories aren't really needed the O.P has already said she is keeping her cats unless they are a problem. One of my cats had a peeing problem when we moved before the baby was born due to being territorial. He doesn't do it now and he has never peed on ds stuff. I understand it can happen but it isn't really helpful to say it. She asked for advice on making the space work with everything that is there e.g cats. She didn't ask should I keep my cats.

Cat nets aren't supposed to be very good for the baby, they don't allow fresh circulation of air - I put the moses baskets etc up and put tin foil in them for a week before baby came home - cats are supposed to hate it if they jump on it. A quick hiss, wild waving of arms and throwing the cat out of the basket stopped him doing it again when he tried it a couple of months later.

Zero tolerance.

We've got a baby and a cat and it's never been even a tiny problem. We haven't had a moses basket in the lounge though and the cat doesn't go in our bedroom.

As for only having one bedroom, as others have said, breastfeeding and co-sleeping it won't be a problem. I don't plan on dc4 moving out of our room until she's 2 or so and she would probably be fine til 3 if you have room for a cotbed.

We did exactly the same thing and it was fine. Your cats will probably ignore the baby at first and will be happy enough as long as they have places they can escape from the baby once he/she is mobile. I really don't understand why some people think it's necessary to rehome the cats.