Two babies, different ages, stairs.

[OdaBear]

Hi all

I?m probably in the wrong section, but couldn?t find a more appropriate one. I am currently mum to a 11-month-old, wife to a husband and soon to be mother of a second baby (well, not until summer next year!). We currently live in a two-bed maisonette. The front door is up a set of outdoor stairs, so I currently negotiate the stairs with buggy, then bring DS down/up, depending on if I am coming home or going out. Its been fine with one baby, as I have a routine for how to get in and out. However, I am feeling a little daunted at the thought of having to negotiate the stairs, buggy and two babies! Don?t get me wrong, I?m not freaking out over it. I?m sure we?ll get a routine together with two, but am just wondering if anyone else is in the same situation and if they have any tips?

A sling? Not sure on the exact logistics but a sling might come in handy there somewhere!!

I moved to a house (from a flat) when my DS was 22 months and found he could manage the stairs OK - so you might find by next summer that your 11 month old is not such a baby, and is soon able to manage them. As suggested, a sling (for the younger one) should bridge the gap if needs be. Or else leave the baby in the house, whilst you take the toddler downstairs, strap toddler firmly in buggy, then return for baby (I'm assuming the baby is too small to move from where you leave it) - ought to work.

At the moment I put DS into his playpen while I'm taking the buggy down the stairs. I'm hoping that he will not be clever enough to open it by the time he is 19 months, although I wouldn't put anything past him! Am happy to leave a baby in a safe place (i.e. a cot) while strapping DS into the buggy. I am a little paranoid that he'll be able to somehow unbuckle the 5-point harness on the Maclaren while I'm up fetching his newborn sibling! (I realise that this is just plain stupid). I own a sling and a baby-carrier, and I love using the carrier, but not sure I would be happy to have a baby strapped to me whilst guiding a toddler down the stairs - although it is something I considered. I guess I do have a mental plan, just looking for others who do the same thing. We could just move, but we really like the flat we live in, and it would be way more testing to move house I think!

I put the toddler in a buggy , baby in sling on front and bump toddler downstairs in a buggy for the 6 steps on the front of my house.
If it was more like a whole flight I would take buggy down put it up while toddler was in playpen then bring them either down 1 at a time or baby in sling toddler toddling!
But I am used to it as I mainly avoid using our double buggy and sling and single buggy it with a 20 month gap