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Housekeeping

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Original poster

Top floor flat - baby

18 replies

cvchap · 14/04/2010 21:17

I'm due to have my first baby in October. I live in a top floor flat (2nd floor), there is no lift. We cannot move unfortunately. I'm keen to receive any tips or advice on how to cope with getting the baby in and out of the flat. I have a car and have a vision of keeping the wheels/chassis of a travel system in my boot and carrying the baby in his/her iso fix car seat. Is this realistic? I really haven't a clue! Any tips from experienced Mums appreciated.

OP posts:

mrsflux · 14/04/2010 21:19

carrying a car seat is HARD! they are bulky and heavy once baby is in them.
our buggy lives in the boot of the car. we don't tend to walk much in the local area as it's very dull

tattycoram · 14/04/2010 21:22

I know all about this . Is there room to keep anything in the hall downstairs? There isn't where I live so I had a very light buggy that I could fold with one hand (Graco citilite, don't think they make them anymore but I am sure there are others now) and mainly kept it in the boot of the car. So, you want to check that whatever you buy is easy to open/fold with one hand. When DS was tiny I used to put him in a pouch sling while I sorted it all out. I got a Maclaren triumph when he got to about six months and generally just folded it up, slung it over my shoulder and carried both of them upstairs.

tattycoram · 14/04/2010 21:23

I think a lot depends on whether you are a city or country person and how much you will be using public transport. If you drive a lot it really won't be too much of an issue.

Waswondering · 14/04/2010 21:25

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SilveryMoon · 14/04/2010 21:27

I live in first floor flat and have 2 ds's, 2.8yrs and 14moths.
I keep the pushchair in the hallway at the bottom of the stairs.
I knocked on all my neighbours doors and asked if they'd mind and told them how difficult it would be for me to get dc's, shopping, pushchair up 2 flights of stairs.
I don't drive so I use my pushchair alot.

dylsmum1998 · 14/04/2010 21:36

i live in a second floor flat and have done since dd was small. I used to keep pram in boot of car and carry her up in a sling so that I had my hands free to carry shopping/nappy bags etc etc. We had no option of leaving pushchair downstairs as several neighbours had theirs pinched when they did this

moocowme · 14/04/2010 21:46

yep leave it in the boot of the car. have shopping delivered or shop often so not to much to carry. or shop peacfully on your own while DP minds baby.

during winter i would leave the shopping in the car until DS was asleep and then pop down and get it.

you need to plan more when faced with these challanges.

Shaz10 · 14/04/2010 21:55

I have steps to my house and used an infant carrier. But I couldn't have done it to a top floor flat! It got really hard work by the time he grew out of it. If I was using the pram (lives in the back of my car) without the car seat I would carry him down in a Mei Tai, lay son on back seat of car and loop lap belt around him (a bit like those changing tables in public loos), while I unfolded the pram. Now he has a fixed car seat I can strap him in there while I sort out the pram.
I park right outside my house so I can do shopping/baby in shifts easily, this may not be so easy with a flat. Make use of cool bags in the car or supermarket deliveries. Now he's a bit older I can park him in his chair in front of the TV while I empty the car. It is doable, just takes some planning!

justallovertheplace · 14/04/2010 21:58

Get a wrap sling. Completely hands free. Kari Me or Moby are good makes.
When it comes to pushchairs, I'd suggets either a small maclaren as you can easily carry it upstairs with baby still strapped in (I can do this with my nearly 2 year old), or something with big air tyres that you can bump up and down. We have a mountain buggy too and both work well for us, living on the first floor

SuziKettles · 14/04/2010 21:59

I live on the third floor and when ds was first born we didn't have a car.

I used to manage a (bulky) M&P Ultimo Chassis over one arm/shoulder and ds in the carrycot in the other hand. I could also carry the change bag and a couple of bags of shopping. I'll probably have hideous back problems when I'm old though

If I had a lot of shopping, I would carry ds and some bags up the stairs, leg it back down as fast as I could and then back up as fast as I could with the rest of the stuff. Not ideal but doable.

When he was 5 months old we got the car and that was great. Kept the pram in the boot and never again lugged it up the stairs. I did the same once he moved into an umbrella fold buggy around 6 months.

I reckon when your baby is tiny using the carseat part of the travel system is a good idea - just so you don't wake them up going into the house.

A sling or other carrier is your friend though. Leaves both hands free for shopping bags etc. I used one for getting ds up the stairs when I was laden and he wouldn't walk until he was almost 2. He did learn to walk up the stairs on his own at the earliest opportunity though .

Don't worry. You'll work out your strategies. It's all very doable.

SuziKettles · 14/04/2010 22:02

Oh, and I reckon that those of us who live up loads of stairs are just better at stairs through the endless practice.

Doesn't necessarily mean we're fitter, but take any friends etc saying "oh it'll be too heavy you'll never manage" with a little pinch of salt. You will manage.

Ponders · 14/04/2010 22:07

We used to live in a 2nd floor flat, in an Edwardian semi, & the previous occupants had TWINS! (They moved out when their babies were about 6 months old though.) I think they used to park their pram in the hall, which was wide enough for it not to be a problem, & carry the babies up and down.

Mind you the front door was up a flight of about 10 steps....I am lost in admiration!

JoeyBettany · 14/04/2010 22:10

I used to live in a first floor flat.

Elderly neighbours were annoyed if I ever left the pushchair outside so I used to store it in the under stair cupboard in my front room.

It kept me fit-I had rock solid arm muscles.

I used to take the massive 25 kg, 3 wheeler off roader outside, set it up, back upstairs (running) to fetch baby, back down again, and reverse when back home plus shopping to lug back in.

DS progressed to flimsy stroller at earliest opportunity IIRC.

You will manage. I did, and as I had no garden I spent hours out and about in the local parks and got even more fit. Now, 8 years on, I have a car and a garden with DD2 (14 months) and am MUCH flabbier.

Original poster

cvchap · 14/04/2010 22:39

Thank you for all your tips.

So the consensus seems to be get a sling to carry baby up and down and leave a lightweight buggy in the boot?

There is potential to keep a buggy downstairs, but I don't plan on taking much public transport so might just keep the buggy in the boot so it's safe. If I plan to go for a walk I can always just get it out the boot.

I am already the biggest advocate of online shopping so that's not going to change!

I'm a bit worried about buying a really expensive travel system and actually finding out that come 6 months a lightweight stroller does the trick. Lots to think about!

OP posts:

tattycoram · 15/04/2010 07:13

Tbh even my friends with houses and no stairs ditched their heavy travel systems at six months, so I would spend as little as possible if you do want to get one

Sonilaa · 15/04/2010 07:23

we live on the third floor, no lift, with two kids (4m + 3y).
the travel system (and lighter buggy) live in the car, as the hall is two narrow to store anything.
the first 3 months I used the carry cot from the system and than moved on to an ergo carrier.
I useed my travel system until dc1 was 2y, but I walk a lot and for that it is much more comfortable than a buggy.

SilveryMoon · 15/04/2010 07:25

Agree with tatty I didn't get a huge travel system. The pushchair was the last thing we bought for ds1 so I didn't spend a fortune on it, but when he hit 6/7 months I got really bored of it and got another one.

Shaz10 · 15/04/2010 08:04

I still use my travel system but just the pushchair part now. I quite like that he can lie flat in it, and it still fits in my boot, maybe get one that does that?

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