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Parenting

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Original poster

Do you sleep on a different floor to your children?

19 replies

PinkTigerBrownPig · 27/02/2017 14:51

Hi.
We're moving soon and the new house has two bedrooms upstairs and two downstairs. I have a 6 Year Old and 2 Year Old. I've decided I'm going to put them upstairs and us downstairs for now until they're much older.
Does anyone else sleep on a different floor, what safety precautions do you have any any tips for settling them into new rooms knowing that we won't be just next door??
Any other tips would be great. I am intending to get a video baby monitor with two cameras so there will be one in both of their rooms .
Thank you, feeling a bit nervous about it all and hoping for some reassurance that it's ok.

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LunaAzul · 27/02/2017 14:56

We have a townhouse, me and DH on middle floor, DC on the top. Aside from making sure the windows are locked we don't do anything different. Mine were 2 & 4 when we moved in.

I wouldn't have them on the floor below me though, I can hear them moving around above but if they were below I don't think I would settle.

GatherlyGal · 27/02/2017 14:58

We have 2 kids on the 2nd floor and we are on the 1st. We let them choose stuff for their rooms and they love them and don't really worry about being on a different floor.

DD2 however is a terrible sleeper and only sleeping through on her own in the last year or so (she's 8). Her room is next door to ours and if she had been upstairs it would have been a nightmare up and down the stairs all bloody night!

I would never have thought of video monitors - you will hear if they need you, get sick in the night etc.

Original poster

PinkTigerBrownPig · 27/02/2017 15:02

My 6 Year Old is up and down with sleep at the moment, I'm hoping maybe the new house will help once she's settled as she knows she won't just be able to wander into our bed My 2 Year Old has just started sleeping through ( please god it lasts) x

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LilaAndLenuccia · 27/02/2017 19:39

following with interest as we have always been planning on moving into the loft bedroom in a few years, with both DS on middle floor - in a shared room (they're 2y and 4y now but wouldn't do it for a couple years at most.

We're currently in the room next to them

BikeRunSki · 27/02/2017 19:48

I grew up in a 4 storey house. From birth to age 6 i slept on the 1st floor and my parents on the second floor.

When I was 7, the lodgers left and I moved into the basement - 3 floors below my parents.

No baby monitors, no stair gates, nothing.

Somehowsomewhere · 27/02/2017 19:51

Yes, we have a three story house. DH and I sleep on the top floor, 3 year old and 19 month old on the first floor.
We don't have any baby monitors. We have a stair gate at the top of the stairs leading to downstairs. None leading up to our floor.
19 month old is in a cot and mainly sleeps through. On the nights she doesn't, I hear her and go down to her.
3 year old doesn't sleep through, she comes upstairs and climbs in with us at some point in the night. I hear her come out of her room and come up the stairs.

oldbirdy · 27/02/2017 19:52

I didn't when the kids were small. This after neighbours lost two of their three in a house fire (not related to which floor they were on, but just made me paranoid). Now the kids are older our teen is in the basement, preteens on top floor and we and 6 year old on first floor. Top floor has fire escape windows and at some point I intend to fit ladders too.

milpool · 27/02/2017 20:03

We do, but our children are younger. DD1 is 21 months and sleeps on the floor below us. DD2 is only a month old so sleeps in our room. We just have a monitor so that DH can go and see to DD1 if she wakes, though most nights she does sleep through.

Aquamarine1029 · 27/02/2017 20:16

I think a video monitor is a good idea, but the main thing I think of is to be sure each bedroom has a fire/smoke detector and a carbon monoxide detector.

PlugUgly1980 · 27/02/2017 20:25

We too are on the top floor, and 1 year old (still in cot) and 3 year old each have their own room on the middle (first) floor. 3 year old has gate on her bedroom door, although never gets out of bed, just sits and shouts for us! Also have gate on landing so if we've been in bathroom on that floor or playing they can't get downstairs without one of us. Both have a cheap basic baby monitor in their rooms. I wake up to most noise, but my toddler seems to be sick very quietly!

ride · 27/02/2017 21:40

We have two bedrooms upstairs, the kids are up there and we are downstairs.
They love having it all to themselves. We don't lock the windows in case of fire and us not being able to get to them from below.
Works fine for us.

Original poster

PinkTigerBrownPig · 27/02/2017 23:33

Thanks everyone. Sounds fairly positive. I'm going to get a community fire officer round when we move in to give me some pointers and apparently there's smoke alarms you can get that link together so if one goes off they all do so will definitely look into that. Thank u xx

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Jenniferb21 · 27/02/2017 23:44

I've been wondering about this as I live in a townhouse with 1 bedroom upstairs and 3 on the middle floor I wish we went for a house with 2 bedrooms on each floor instead but I didn't think about it at the time (stupid me). I now have DS 10 months and he's still in our room. Mainly because he still wakes a few times and needs settling with tummy rubs/ finding his dummy etc and up and down the stairs would annoy me. But from a safety POV I am worried about moving him downstairs but long for an adult bedroom back and think he may be less disturbed by DH waking early for work and his bloody snoring!

I'm hoping that stair gates, video monitor and keeping all doors wide open will help. Ensuring windows are locked, plug sockets have covers, no cables running around or any other potential tripping hazards if they wake in the night and get out of bed etc. Could you get an alarm installed that you could set for the downstairs of the house at night time? We have one and that will really put my mind at rest. That's all I can think of good luck xxx

Summergarden · 28/02/2017 00:18

We have young DC on ground floor, us on first floor. We are all completely used to it so don't think about it. Have stair gate on ground floor and plug in PIR nightlight in hallway.

As a result we probably have more burglar deterrents than would otherwise. We have 4 motion sensor lights outside, including by their bedroom windows. A dummy alarm box and 2 dummy cctvs with warning stickers.

We have smoke detectors in every room. Would love more specific advice on fire safety for our home but our local fire service won't come out even if you pay, if you're not over 65 or disabled.

minipie · 28/02/2017 16:16

We're on the first floor, DC age 2 is on our floor, DC age 4 is upstairs on 2nd floor and has been since age 2.5.

We have a smoke alarm in her room and a video monitor, I sleep with the receiver next to me (bit tedious as it wakes me if she coughs or talks in her sleep!) We have a stair gate but don't use it as I want her to be able to get down to us if she needs to.

Our eldest is not a good sleeper and I do think that being on a different floor has helped somewhat in that it's made her less likely to come and disturb us in the night!

Supernothing22 · 09/03/2017 20:22

DS aged 5 is on the 1st floor and we are on 2nd floor. We moved here when he was 2.5.

We didn't have a baby gate as he doesn't get out of bed on his own, he shouts us till we come downstairs. It's a newish house so internal walls/floors paper thin. I tend to hear him on the first shout.

SilenceOfThePrams · 09/03/2017 21:16

I wouldn't put a video monitor in the 6 year old's room; at that age they can find you if they need you. You could put a sound one on the landing just outside their room if you were worried. But if you start with effectively cctv age six, at what point are you going to decide you don't need to watch his every movement? Easier not to start.

2 year old slightly different; I guess it's easier to check if they are awake/covered up without disturbing them.

I've slept on different floors to my children in previous accommodation and on holiday, and it's fine. My bedroom door is open, I hear what's happening.

I'd have a safety gate on the 2 year old's door but that's all probably.

It's no different really to having them upstairs when you're watching tv downstairs in the evening.

Linked smoke alarms possibly a good plan; we didn't have those but it wasn't really relevant for us.

Only reason I'd consider doing things differently would be if the 2 yo were a very poor sleeper and I had to be comforting them all night - in that case is consider putting them in the other downstairs bedroom temporarily, for my own sanity! But then I'd keep their bedroom upstairs and decorate it nicely and use it as a bribe for better sleeping when they were a little older.

Pigeonpost · 09/03/2017 21:18

We did in our old house as our room was in the converted loft. Didn't have any precautions at all. Never occurred to us!

Mehfruittea · 09/03/2017 21:39

We have lost conversion, that is our room with en suite. DS 5 has bedroom on middle floor. No stair gates needed but we still use a baby monitor. Otherwise we wouldn't here him shout for us and would prefer he stayed in bed rather than wander up stairs half asleep and looking for us.

Our bedroom door has one of those handles you pull upwards so it locks. When it's just me and DS getting ready in the morning, I lock the door and leave him in my bed eating breakfast, watching tv, while I have a shower.

I also have thermostat for boiler set to the temp in his bedroom, so we know it's perfect for him, as lofts can get very cool in winter and very warm in summer.

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