To think we can have a baby in a 1 bedroom apartment?

[MummyToBe89]

Hi All,

Our first baby is due in December and we're confused over whether we should move out of our one bedroom flat or stay there until the baby comes to need their own cot.

We currently live in a 1 bedroom flat. It's ground floor, has a small patio area and is an old Victorian era house, so nice high ceilings and fairly roomy living room, but doesnt have much spare space in the bedroom or much storage. A few of our friends have told us the baby won't need their own cot until they're about 6 months old and to not bother moving until then.

We live in a very expensive part of the country (currently paying around £1000 per month for our 1 bedroom place) and are trying to save a deposit for a house. Staying where we are would save us about £500 per month, but I'm just worried the baby will get here and I'll wish we moved to a bigger place and have a room to put all the baby's stuff.

Has anybody lived in a one bedroom place with a baby? How long was it before you put your baby in their cot or in their own room?

We could afford to move to a 2 bedroom place, it'd just mean a big hit to what we save each month towards a house deposit.

TIA :)

Baby should be in your room for at least 6 months according to sids guidelines but in reality you're free to do what you want when you want. We put DS in his cot from day 1 to sleep but he was in with us until we moved into a 2 bed apartment when he was 9 months (previously living at my parent's). A friend of mine is in a 1 bed place and her DS is just coming up 14 months old and is still in with them purely because they can't afford anything larger around here.

You COULD stay put for years to come if you were willing to invest in a decent sofabed suitable for long term sleeping (if such a thing exists) so your bedroom becomes the baby's room and your wardrobe/dressing area and the living room becomes your sleeping area. It all depends on what works for you

I wouldn’t bank on the baby not needing a cot until 6 months, it’s not unheard of for them to outgrow a Moses basket in half that time. However, if your bedroom is roomy enough for the cot and changing table etc. then you can probably cope in the 1 bed for at least a year. That said it wouldn’t be my preferred option, baby’s can be noisy sleepers and we found we all slept much better once DD went into her own room.

Will the saving of about £500 a month for a year mean you will have the deposit you need to buy when your lease is up? If so I’d stay where you are as it’s not long to wait and it will be worth it. However, if buying is still a long way off then I’d move to the 2 bed rental before the baby arrives.

Yes, DS and fiancée lived in a one bedroom flat with DGD until she was one! DGD’s cot was in their bedroom.

My baby went into her cot after 2 months , as she was getting abit big for her moses basket. We intend on sharing a room until she is 1. But to be honest, i dont know if I could be bothered with the hassle of finding somewhere new to live & moving with a young baby. Thats just me tho

If you can fit a big cot in your room I would stay put and save a button of money. It's nice for baby to have its own room but tbh with you it's a bit of a waste of space until they get older as it's only used for sleeping.

Bit of, not button

We lived in a studio for the first 10 months, then one bedroom of a shared house for the next year after that!

You really don't need much for a baby if you don't want to - we co-slept so didn't need a cot (straight in toddler bed when older), didn't have changing table or buggy - just had one of those bouncer things for the living room, and a wrap. Car seat went in a cupboard (we didn't have a car, but occasionally hired one). Ikea box of clothes, another with toys and blankets, couple of stacks of nappies and that's all we needed for months!

If you can fit a cot in your bedroom there’s nothing wrong with staying. I know people that have kept babies in their room for a year because of space issues.

We were thinking of getting a Next to me beds that attach to our bed, not a moses basket (although we'll also have one of them too). A cot wouldn't fit in our room as the only spare space is right in front of the wardrobes meaning we couldn't open them without moving the cot everytime.

@Expressedways Do we definitely need a changing table? Our friends have a 5 month old and they said they never use it and nearly always just use a chnging mat on the couch/dining table/ fllor etc. I wish that would be our deposit, we'll need about £40-50k for 10% deposit for a 2 bedroom house or 3 bedroom flat.

@PoppyHxx I know what you mean about you can't be bothered, that's why I'm wondering if we should just bite the bullet before the baby is here.

We stayed in our one bed flat til daughter was 14mths. It was fine. If you’re wanting to save for a deposit then I would stay put. One bedroom is perfectly manageable
Good luck and enjoy the time, it flies by!

We didn't move to a 2 bed until DC1 was 2yo.

We did have a massive bedroom in the 1 bed place though, so the cot-bed fitted in no issue (we had a crib then changed to cot-bed)

You don't need a changing table, a £10 changing mat will work just fine.

Tables are actually useless once the baby can roll.

We managed fine for 18m. Then we got a three bed house 😁 because I would've lost the damn plot.

And the Ikea changing table with two shelves is great. We still use it for every change and getting him dressed as I have all his clothes in tubs on the shelves.

But to be honest, i dont know if I could be bothered with the hassle of finding somewhere new to live & moving with a young baby

This is my thinking too.

DS stayed with us in our room at our 1 bed place until 13 months. He's still in our room now at 18 months as we're saving money by living with in laws so still in a single room.

We've got DD on the way now too. So now we're looking at moving.

I had twins in a one bed ground floor flat, we stayed there until they where about 13 months. We moved wardrobe and chest of drawers into the living as that was bigger space and they shared a cot in our room. I wouldn't bother with a changing table, I just used changing mat on the floor.
Moving wasn't too stressful as packed up everything when they were sleeping then luckily MIL had them day we moved.

Are moses baskets the same size as the free baby boxes? I've heard they are - my LO (not a tall baby at the time, but big on flapping his arms) grew out of his baby box within 2 months. I wouldnt bother with a moses basket tbh. His co sleeper will probably last until 6 months though, and I did find it a good buy. Especially if you have a reflux or colicy baby!

You might find you want to co sleep, or not be ready to put baby in their own room even at 6 months. I co sleep from the 1am feed as LO (and therefore me) sleeps better that way.

I had a c section (planned in the last week) and managed without a changing table. Used a mat on the cot for a few weeks until I could move better, but I think a mat on the bed would be ok.

If you'll have your deposit within 2 years, I'd stay where you are. But if your current place is on the small side and it'll be a few years, I'd move now for quality of life :)

You don’t need a changing table realistically the baby will need it’s own chest of drawers (or similar storage volume) though. We had our youngest in our room until she was about one not a problem. But you will need a cot not Moses basket. Ikea ones are slightly smaller and nearer than other brand ones.

Hey @MummyToBe89 congrats on your pregnancy.

We live in a one bed flat in London with our 20mo. He was in the snuzpod then the Chicco until 5 months when he got too mobile for it! He's been in his cot since then. All in our bedroom obviously.

We bought a Mokee cot which is a bit smaller than a standard cot. It's great but fuck me it took about 100 years to arrive so if you want one then order it today for t to arrive in 6 months!! We didn't bother with a changing table and never missed one. DS has a slim chest of drawers that we keep his clothes in. And a Small box of toys that he mostly ignores. You really don't need all the 'stuff' that everyone says you can't live without.

I'm actually pg now and due in Nov. We're hoping to move before then but will survive here if we can't.

Definitely sounds best to stay and save up and move when you feel it's the right time. We love the location we live in now and can't afford to stay here so we'll be gutted to move to a less naice area of London but a garden will be a welcome addition (currently on the first floor.. not great with a buggy!).

Aw, congratulations first off @MummyToBe89. I think you are really sensible. Babies need a remarkably small amount of stuff, so the longer you can comfortably stay in your 1 bed place and save money, the better.

I would be really, really firm with family & friends and tell them that you'd rather have vouchers, than 'things', so that you can choose things as and when you need them and not end up with a tonne of stuff that you'll never use.

A baby needs somewhere to sleep and someone to feed and keep it clean (and of course love it!). All the other stuff is things that adults think they need and often don't. With the wonder of internet shopping these days and next day delivery, you don't have to get in a stew about having everything in advance out of fear that you'll never make it to the shops again!

Go minimal and buy as you need.

If you can’t fit a cot in your room, and you’re a long way off a deposit then personally I’d move now and avoid the hassle of moving with a a small baby. If a next to me is the biggest sleeping solution you have space for then your current flat isn’t going to work even medium term. They’re not particularly large and are only suitable for the first 6 months-ish: my DD was pulling herself up at 8 months so needed to be in a proper cot with the mattresses dropped. Unless you can reconfigure the room to fit a proper cot, or you don’t mind giving up your room for a sofa bed then it just doesn’t seem viable.

And you don’t necessarily need a changing table, but personally after a c-section I couldn’t use the floor and I found it easier and more hygienic to have a dedicated changing space. Definitely not an essential though!

Yes very normal where I live to have a baby in a one bed. Baby recommended to sleep in your room anyway. I've even met some people with a toddler in a studio flat.

I would have something for sleeping in the lounge - sofa, futon, blow up mattress - so that if baby is having a bad night and dh is working next day he can sleep in lounge.

I'd also do a big declutter now, so it doesn't feel crowded when you have baby's stuff and are too busy/ tired to tidy up.

The flat I live in was lived in by a woman, her boyfriend and her 3 year old son when they moved out. But a cot did just about fit in the bedroom. Other than that it’s a very small one bed, without even a balcony.

I lived in a bedsit and we managed. Limit the crap you buy (get dumped on you).