We all live in a tiny flat with a newly crawling baby. Does anyone else? Any tips?

[macneil]

I live in a one bedroom flat with my husband and 8 month old. We can't move till at least December. It is very tiny, in Central London, was my single-girl flat. It's full of crap, for instance, we have FOUR computers - which we need, unfortunately. My baby's just started to crawl A LOT, and I just feel like she has absolutely no space, she's going to kill herself, and she's going to be permanently psychologically damaged by having to stay in our room until she's a year old. Can anyone make me feel a bit better? I'm staying with my parents at the moment and all is big and spacious and the baby is loving it. We'll be able to move to a very tiny house with a couple more rooms in the new year. (I hope. You never know, with house prices.)

You have my sympathies, I lived in a very small house with only one room 12 ft square that was suitable for my dcs to crawl in. She won't be psychologically scarred, I promise! I did notice that when we moved my two yr old came on developementally, but it won't matter to a little one. With all three of mine I've found a travel cot a real help - they can crawl a bit but are safe (until they work out how to climb out of it like my dd2 did .

Oh, and in terms of sleeping, I had dd1 in with us until 13 mo, dd2 until she was two, and ds is still in with us now at 14 mo!

Make the most of any dry days, get out to the park so she can have a crawl around. If it's wet , go to one of those soft-play places (if you can bear to!) Sometimes sports centres have Baby/Toddler sessions with soft-play equipment etc.

She'll be fine in your room! Good luck with the move.

My cousin lived in a very small one bed flat with her boyfriend, they had their son in their room in a tiny cot (not even a cot bed) until they moved when he was two.

He is fine he never went cabin crazy! She just used to go out visiting people which no one used to mind.

Go and visit other people if you can or go to a park. Although I know they don't always provide suitable places for babies to crawl.

Just think though that when you do move you will really appriciate what you gain.

Is there any way you can put some of your "crap" into storage before you move? If it will free up some floor space.

Otherwise, how about making the most of the beautiful summer weather and get to the park? That's where my 9 month old and I can be found most days! I bought a big (cheap) picnic rug from Tescos and she has loads of room.

Also, have you tried your local Sure Start for activities to keep the baby occupied during the day? My local centre has something on nearly every day, lots of stay and play type things, and free.

We lived in a one-bed flat until ds was nearly 2. It was honestly fine, although we didn't/don't have a lot of clutter and the living room was quite big. Can you try and clear as much clutter away as possible?

I'm in central London too, in a tiny flat. I have two beds but it really is tiny (plus the lift literally is too small for two adults!).

However, I have religiously got rid of stuff - almost no books for example as I simply don't have room for them and I am a big reader. Most people think this is sacreligious but I can't see the point of letting books you once read and won't read again clutter up your life and get in the way. I also try to put stuff away a lot - not on open shelving but in cupboards and chests, so it's really not easily get-attable.

My lazy girl (nearly 10mo) is not crawling yet but rolling everywhere. I think it's fine. She loves rolling under the chairs. It's all exciting to her so I don't think you need to worry.

I am making a big effort to get all the wires and cables tidied away as she seems particularly attracted to them and somehow in a small space they seem to loom rather large.

I have a nanny and I know she makes an effort to take the baby to lots of drop-ins (though I think it's mainly for her benefit so she can get out of the flat rather than because the baby needs it). She has to travel for them - we're in Fitzrovia so Westminster and there's very little for young children here. There's quite a bit in Camden though and I know she enjoys going to Coram's Fields, if you are anywhere near that. There's also quite a bit at the Soho Family Centre.

Coram's Fields is lovely.

Thanks for the reassurance. When I tell people she's still sleeping in with us I have started to feel like they think we're weird child abusers, but it could be paranoia. Okay, the thing to do, then, is to really start a proper programme of making it more baby-friendly and not just sit there going 'Nooo!' as she lunges at wires. This will delight my husband actually as he's a bit OCD about my messiness. And you're right, the weather is now good enough to get to the park, so we should do that more. I'll also look up Sure Start, because I haven't heard of it.

Our dd has just moved out of our room at age 4y.

Yay, juule. Many thanks.

i lived in a 1 bed flat untill my son was 18myhs old it to was very small for 2 people baby had to sleep in living room as no room in our room i called environmental health in as we did have name on council list as couldn't afford to buy as yet a risk assessment was done and rooms were measured and we were high risk as the bedroom for us was too small to have 2 people in by regulation it was a loong struggle but we noew have a spacious 2 bed flat with communal garden make sure you fight for things to change it took me along time but i got there and ne wi had to do it and now we are happy and son can actually run around contact local council and environmental health not sure if you are already in private or council but if in private the battle is harder but you will get many points as if you ahve environmental health evaluation done it will boost your points good luck and dont let them fob you off and say baby can have living room thaqt changed last yr

cant you store some of yr stuff at your parents and find yrself a toddler group, its a god send for me!