Move away from village for a bigger house??!!

[LovelyTee]

What should I do? My husband and I have 2 kids and are currently in a 2 bed, his immediate side of his family live 10mins drive from us and we have found it super helpful when it comes to childcare etc.
We are looking to move house for more space ideally a 3 bed (I would love more space) but if we want more space we would need to move further out which would mean further from away from our help - our village - possibly a 30-45min drive.
Anyone without their village how are you coping? Would you prefer a bigger house or a smaller house and closer to family?

Can you extend? Apart from the size is everything else about where you live as you would want it? Schools, clubs, amenities, neighbours, parking... If not then yes moving seems like the choice and 30 minutes is not that much further.

We can't extend unfortunately and we need better schools, parking etc so deffo need to move but figuring out if we stay in and around the village in a different spot thats close to better schools or even further out with good schools good space

We can't extend unfortunately and we need better schools, parking etc so deffo need to move but figuring out if we stay in and around the village in a different spot thats close to better schools or even further out with good schools good space

That's difficult because it depends whether the distance would compromise any childcare. Is this childcare you need daily or on fixed days for work or is it just as and when for evenings out etc...? If it's the first then you need to discuss with the family whether it's something you they are still willing to do. If not and you do move then can you afford childcare elsewhere? I am in a position where we live in a two bedroom and I really wish we had a bigger space. We stayed closer to our area for childcare and work reasons and it worked for us but I would give anything now for a three bedroom as the kids are getting bigger and it feels really tight. We just can't do it now because three beds in the area cost a fortune and moving further out isn't an option as they are settled in school and starting high school in September.

30-40 mi s away from family is still very close. I'd go for the space you need.

We’ve never had a village so I would go with the bigger house personally. But I think you need to think in the longer term. In 5 years, will it matter if they are 10 or 30 minutes away when kids are off with their mates or doing sports after school and on weekends? Will you need to take on caring responsibilities for any family that means they need to be close? Our closest family is MIL who is a bit over an hour away. While she doesn’t really help, the distance wouldn’t stop her from coming for a night or the weekend to help in theory.

My parents at 30 minutes away and it's not a problem for us. They are both retired and drive.
My mum has come over to look after my daughter when sent home ill and does one after school a week. We see them most weekends. When my mum broke her back I spent my non working day with her everyday
We are in a small town and find everything is a 20-30 minute drive so being 30 minutes from them isn't an inconvenience. I used to be 2h from them and we are 4-5h from my in-laws so for us 30 minutes is pretty good!