One bed flat.. Will we cope ?

[Firstpregnancy2014]

Abit worried really
Bought our first home last year- didn't plan on having children but obviously we now are.
So I basically want to know how hard it's going to be ?
We are going to try to move- but I think trying to our flat and buy a house in 5 months is going to be stressful and an expense we can't really deal with right now !
We also have a french bulldog who we absolutely love to bits- it's very well behaved and that factor doesn't worry me. Just think it's makes everything even more cramped !

Should our priority be focussing to move ASAP or should we focus on buying things for baby and saving and then look to move once the baby arrives ?! Just worried especially as I see people decorating nursarys :( I know I can't have that.

You will probably want the baby in your room with you for the first 6 months so another bedroom is by no means essential-we're in a double bed in the nursery and i've barely been in our room since DS was born.

There are a couple of things to consider though- I absolutely could not imagine moving and/or decorating until now really(DS is 22 weeks) so if you decide you want to move I would have found it easier to do it pregnant than with a new baby-If you decide to stay put for now, plan to stay put for a year.

Also, your dog. I would never leave, even a trusted dog alone with a baby so you'll need somewhere to lock him out of the way.

You'll be fine. Friends of mine have 2 kids ina tiny one bed house and they manage ok.

So I'd stay put for now

I moved house at 8 mths pg and whilst it was tough (think moving in a heatwave 4 weeks before giving birth with a cleaning obsession) I'm so glad we did it pre-baby.

My advice is do it now or wait a while. We've just moved our dd who is now 7.5mths old into her own room and glad not to have moved her sooner (although some people prefer to move them sooner, it's individual preference). I don't think 2 beds is essential immediately, a spare room came in useful but more because of dh's snoring keeping me/baby awake than us wanting to move the baby.

In terms of buying stuff for the baby, I'd borrow or buy nearly new for most of it which should keep costs down as much as possible. Also there's loads of stuff people buy which isn't necessary so don't get too much before he/she gets here as you might not end up needing it.

We are in a one bed flat with 13 week old DS and it's a bit cramped but fine. He barely sleeps in his crib as he prefers to be in bed with us, so a nursery would be a waste right now. Our lease runs out in August so we will be moving then but I'll be gutted to leave the area we are in as I love it. But alas London property prices mean that we can't afford a two bed flat around here so we need to look further afield. You will manage in your flat. If anything having limited space means that you won't go overboard buying pointless baby stuff that you'll never use.

Stay put! There are loads if advantages to being in a one bedroom flat and the baby should be with you for 6 months anyway.

I think you'll manage fine, I'd stay put. I'm in a 1 bed flat although we have a box bedroom we'll be using as a small nursery so I guess some might say it's a 2 bed. Although our flat is very spacious I do worry about the 3 flights of stairs! But I really couldn't be bothered selling/buying right now and we've decided we'll stay put until I'm back at work after my mat leave which gives us the benefit of my salary too. I have a lot of friends who started out in a flat with a baby. There will come a point where you feel you have to move but wait until you've had the baby cos you've got a lot to think about at the moment.

We have a 14 week old baby and are currently living in a one bedroom flat. We're hoping to move in the next couple of months but it honestly has not been that bad at all.

We didn't buy a lot before the baby was born as we wanted to wait and see what we actually really needed once baby had arrived. We have large built in wardrobes so I cleared a space in there for baby's clothes. We bought a tallboy of drawers, which we had room in our hallway for, and we bought a chest of drawers with changing table on top as we had plenty of room in the lounge (it is matching nursery furniture from mothercare and will go in baby's room when we move). We now have loads of storage and are not even using all of the drawers. Rather than buying a Moses basket we bought a crib with wheels (john Lewis troll crib). We can move it around the flat and it will last longer. After baby arrived we bought a baby bjorn bouncer chair as it folds flat and can be put away in a cupboard at the end of the day. We also bought a small pram (bugaboo bee), and this also lives in the hallway.

We have avoided buying lots of toys etc. Baby has a playmat (another thing that easily folds away) and we only bought that this weekend. We are in a top floor flat and luckily we have a loft so any toys, teddies, books etc (apart from a few) that were bought for baby when he was born have been packed away in a box ready for when we move.

One good thing about being in a flat is that you don't have to go up and down stairs during the night if formula feeding!

You probably need to be a little more organised but you will be fine. Congratulations!

You'll be fine. My friend also had 2 kids in a small 1 bed flat. Buy everything second hand or borrow and eBay it when done so you don't need to store anything.

Personally I'd find a dog and a baby in such a small space pretty impossible, but others may disagree.

I think it will be fine for a while do you have a separate kitchen/somewhere to put the dog that's not where baby will be sleeping? We have a 2 bed flat and it's totally pointless dd is asleep next to me in our bed! She's 7months and she has no plans on going anywhere! The spare room currently houses a bike lots of washing I need to put away and toys people keep giving us that dd can't use for at least another year!

If we have to move soon I would consider a 1 bed garden flat quite happily as we are on the 1st and it's a massive PITA.

Oh and if you are in a tiny place then I recommend the Babyzen Yoyo pram as it's the smallest out there and takes up hardly any space, especially if you store it folded.

Yes you will. I live in a 2 bed, the lady downstairs has 1 bed and a baby boy. They are only just moving, he is nearly 1. Don't stress out about moving, focus on you and your baby. Good luck x

Were currently in a one bedroom flat aswell :) and although we are a little cramped now everythign is almost set uo for lil mans arrival, we dont mind until something comes along :) we have a cat aswell so are more or less the same lol and hes more house cat, does go out but only when were in bed and not for long, so hes with us pretty much all the time like a dog would be. I think it will be easier for you both if cots in your room for a while as when you get up for night feeds u dont have very far to go :) and wont end up walking into things too mich as ur half asleep lool our flats not huge but isnt tiny either and weve managed just fine fitting cotbed in pram highchair for later on amongst other bits n bobs :) x

We had our lo in our room until 1 yo when we moved to a bigger place. It is perfectly doable if you make smart baby purchases (foldable everything, etc) but the dog situation would worry me a bit. Is there any way you can send the dog to someone elses for the 1st few months? I would also think about the possibility that you might have a c section, in which case you will be barely able to move around for the 1st weeks, never mind taking care of the baby by yourself and the dog? It probably won't happen but worth giving it some thought as by the time things are in motion, it is too late.

I think the dog is actually the priority at the moment. You need to start now if you are going to put him in a cage or locked in the kitchen etc so when the baby comes it is "normal" to him.

Agree with others - I don't think a one bed flat should be too much of a problem - We had a small 2 bed house but the second bedroom was a junk room till DS was 1.

You do need to think through how you are going to separate the dog and the baby - you can't leave a dog in the same room as a new baby, however well behaved the dog. How easy this will be will depend on the layout of the flat.

I would concentrate on decluttering if you are worried about the place being too cramped - think of it as getting a head start on moving, even if you stay put for the next year.

We were in a 1-bed with DD until just after her 2nd birthday. We would have ideally moved when she was c.6 months but we coped!

We live in a one bed flat. Also London. Kids are currently 3 and 4 years. It works fine for us tbh. We have no dog though

Don't buy everything baby related . We brought sheepskin rug for baby to lay on in living room but no bouncer/ seat/ baby bath etc. high chair on regular seat when time not huge contraption. Just cot bed here, still use without sides, didn't need Moses basket etc.

London has so much outdoor space in large parks and commons, as well as lots of indoor things like museums, libraries, classes etc that you can go out everyday for free and gain loads of space if you want

This has made me feel a lot better. I thought id be the ony one!
My flat is quite large, large hallway, large bathroom, 1 large bedroom, a utility room with washing machine tumble dryer and lots of storage shelves and a large open plan living room dining area. Our plan was to put a baby gate on the hallway door going into the lounge kitchen to keep the dog out there- he's usually in the hallway when were at work anyway but this way at least he can see us rather than shutting him out. Looks like it's about time I stop decluttering ! And I think I need to remind people that I live in a one bed flat SO STOP BUYING US THINGS I'm praying no one buys us any bulky toys !!

You will be fine, dd is nearly 8 months and is still in with us. Just don't go too mad on buying stuff so you don't use up all your space. I would suggest waiting until your dc is at least 6 months as it all settles down a bit then.

We had DD in a 1 bed flat and had just accepted an offer on it around the time she was born. We moved at about 12 weeks. It was fine though! I actually liked the size of the flat - less housework and meant we could put DD to sleep in our bedroom while still being very close to her of an evening so got her into a great bedtime routine early. The only problem is the amount of 'stuff' babies seem to have and we had to keep organised and tidy to make sure the flat didn't become a dump.

Moving with a 12 week old was actually fine, she was still at the age of happily sitting contentedly while we packed and moved everything. My DD is now 16 months and the thought of being in a 1 bed flat with her now seems like a nightmare. I'd advise to move before your baby starts to become active.

Good luck

Re toys and stuff as gifts - we wrote an email or told anyone who wanted that no gifts were needed at all, however if they wanted to get something could they check first whether we a) already had b) If we had something we still needed to get as essentials as we simply dont have space for duplicate/ large items.

We wanted to use reusable nappies and did. The best gifts were an extra nappy (£10 each) as we wanted particular ones for ease of use and drying, and saved us buying all of them. Plus didn't take up more space

Also try and buy things that can be used for years and multiple uses. Ie sheepskin rug instead of baby mat, can be used for baby for play/ sleep on, then toddler to sit on and play, then as regular rug anywhere in house for years. A cot bed lasts 0-5/6 years so saves buying something else sooner. Toys that baby can use but toddlers and children as well for while later, rattles etc only last a few months. Those wooden blocks can be played with by baby, and built with by older children. Bath toys can be chewed by baby, then bath toys when older.

It sounds like your flat is a decent size, so you'll definitely be fine.

We were in a tiny one bed until we could sell when DD was 2.5. But we managed fine until then - you just need to be organised, keep on top of the mess so you don't go mad, and get good storage solutions! And absolutely, tell people not to go mad with buying you stuff like toys. The grannies ignored us of course, and so they actually kept large toys at their houses, which gives DD something to play with when she visits.

It can be done!

The only other thing is, though, is that you and your partner can get on top of each other a bit, with no other room to retreat to - the bath became a haven if one of us needed our own space.

Another advantage to a flat is not having to worry about having something for baby to sleep in upstairs and downstairs! We've bought a Chicco next to me crib for the baby in our bedroom and it has wheels which means I can easily shift baby into any room in the flat!

Can you put a crate in the utility room? DD loved hers; an internal room and she'd switch off completely, often staying there fast asleep until I went and found her.
(darling dog of course)