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Pregnancy

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Original poster

One bedroom flat with baby, is it realistic?

80 replies

SunnySideUp2020 · 14/09/2020 13:14

Clueless FTM looking for opinions or experiences of living in a flat with only big bedroom with a baby!

DP and I are looking for flats at the moment, it would be to stay until the baby is 10 months to a year. Due in April hopefully!

I liked one of the flats but it only had one bedroom. It's spacious and has a nice separate dressing room and a utility room but none possible to convert in baby room as no ventilation and small spaces tbh.

I know that baby is supposed to sleep in our bedroom anyway so what do people think?

Is it ok or the worst idea?

Thanks x

OP posts:

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LizzieMacQueen · 14/09/2020 14:07

Don't bother with a changing table, you will get used to changing on a mat either on your bed or the living room floor.

FaintlyMacabre · 14/09/2020 14:07

That flat sounds lovely and is probably more spacious than a lot of supposedly 2 bed places with tiny bedrooms and no storage.
You’ll be fine!

Lowprofilename · 14/09/2020 14:09

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ for privacy reasons.

IamPickleRick · 14/09/2020 14:11

We had a one bed till our boy was nearly 2. Couldn’t afford to move. Then we had a 2 bed with 2 babies, then a 2 bed with an unexpected 3rd child. You cope. It’s fine.

Ashdownstar · 14/09/2020 14:14

We did it till my son was 4. It was fine. Was spacious flat, but only one bedroom. Feels like a very long time ago now. The plus side is that he was always able to sleep through a bit of noise.
Nooky happened in the lounge...

RedRumTheHorse · 14/09/2020 14:14

You will be fine as long as you have storage for their bits.

You don't need a changing table because as soon as the baby can roll they will roll of them.

Change them on the bed then when they really start wiggling do it on the floor or your knee.

The biggest issue you will have is keeping the baloney doors closed so when your child is mobile they don't get out there.

doadeer · 14/09/2020 14:15

Lots of friends do this in London. You will be able to manage

ChickensMightFly · 14/09/2020 14:17

A dressing room and utility are very helpful, spacious flat... Sounds great. Unless it is up flights of stairs with no lift. I would have no qualms doing this as you are up with them in the night so often anyway it can be a massive bonus if they are in the same room as you don't have to wake so much yourself it is easier for you to get back to sleep.
I wouldn't want this for much older than a baby but for a stop-gap is totally doable and would even have some advantages

Twizbe · 14/09/2020 14:18

Me personally, I'd want 2 bedrooms so that you can have some space just for you. Babies do tend to take over the space.

Also - don't change baby on the bed! In the early days you will get at least one wee when the nappy comes off that you're not expecting. On the bed that is going to be a nasty mess to clear up

BabetteAteOtemeal · 14/09/2020 14:20

Yes you can OP! We lived in a 1 bed with DS1 until he was 2, he slept in the cot in our room and we were all happy like that. It wasn't a huge flat either, though we were in London so maybe those out of a city would think it was a matchbox ha. Like a PP said the worst bit was the stairs with the buggy but hey, I did it whilst 8 months pregnant. We moved when DS2 came along and now live in a 2 bed.

Of course having a big house would be amazing don't get me wrong but there's no way in hell we would be able to afford that where we are in London.

Oh and no changing table needed, just get a mat and stash it under the sofa. Tall, thin chest of drawers for babys clothes

UsernameNotValid · 14/09/2020 14:24

Short term definitely, I'd say we could have managed 2 years in a set up like yours.

We spent the first 6 months in a bedroom at my mum's house with DS and didn't find it particularly difficult as we were careful about the things we actually needed rather than buying all the crap they tell you to!

yikesanotherbooboo · 14/09/2020 14:28

A 1 bedroom flat is plenty big enough for parents plus a baby up to toddlerhood. I agree with the pp who said think about how you will manage getting your shopping in from the car and where the buggy or pram will go if you are up many sets of stairs.

PiratePetespajamas · 14/09/2020 14:34

Its fine. We had DC1 in a small one bedroom flat until a year. The problems were not about having them in our room but rather - eventually - about clutter (toys, clothes etc) and as PP said, hauling the pram up and down stairs (less an issue than that I just wished I could have wheeled them in while asleep - almost always ended up waking them, which was a pain). Even when we moved to a two-bed, DC continued to mostly sleep in our room so their bedroom was more or less just a play room! If you’re intending to move anyway, I would just do it - the dressing room and utility will give you somewhere to store stuff.

mamma4586 · 14/09/2020 14:35

Yes I did. We were going to buy a house but changed our minds. It turned out to be a blessing - made recovery easier, baby/bathroom/kitchen never more than a few feet away. Baby changing may on the floor - makes your life easier 😁

It was fine until crawling, but once he started to pull himself up, onto furniture, climbing to jump out the window (ground floor but still), walking, it was time to move.

mamma4586 · 14/09/2020 14:37

We did struggle with a pram, getting it in and out of the building door. But we switched to a sling/carrier and it was so lovely to hold baby close all the time and have hands free. We didn't use the pram again until he was ready for a stroller at 18m.

GirlCalledJames · 14/09/2020 14:39

We lived in a one bedroom flat until our second child was 3 months old, it was fine.

Bahhh · 14/09/2020 14:40

Absolutely under normal circumstances, of course. Do either you or dp WFH? Because that would be my concern. Is there space for you or him to WFH while the other is looking after baby?

(Just thinking with my flat open plan kitchen/living room it would be AWFUL to be confined to bedroom all day if dp was working in there. Spare bedroom would be more important for a desk etc)

Original poster

SunnySideUp2020 · 14/09/2020 14:43

The flat is on the second floor but the stairs are very large and soft... i mean not the steep work out ones 😅

All prams and bikes are stored inside the building entrance so no need to climb with it. There is some sort of concierge and we saw a few prams there today, looked fine. So not too worried about that.

Happy to hear most of you think it's feasible!
I told DP he might want to set up a bed in the living room for himself sometimes but he said he would wake up anyway and doesn't seem that bothered. (I think he just doesn't realise the lack of sleep that is awaiting him 😂)
But anyway there is space for a pull out bed as i personally don't like people sleeping on the sofa.

Thing is we could afford a bigger place but if we can manage like this it would be good to save 200 euros a month or so.
Also we are currently changing all our plans around this pregnancy (we were supposed to relocate to Switzerland...etc) but now decided to wait for lots of good reasons. But if something was to go wrong with this pregnancy as it's early and we had a loss before, i feel like taking this one bedroom flat would be ok. Instead of going all out with a 2bed... but i know this is a bit pessimistic thinking.

OP posts:

qwertypie · 14/09/2020 14:47

When my son was born, we lived in a 2 bedroom flat but never ended up using the second bedroom. There's no way his nightwaking would have been manageable if he'd been in another room!

Current guidance is that babies sleep in the same room as a parent for at least the first 6 months anyway.

Plenty of parents share a room with children past infancy as well.

SleepyMeNeedsChamomileTea · 14/09/2020 14:48

I've recently moved to a two bed flat with really good living space but tiny bedrooms. If I could I would knock down the wall and have a big bedroom and share with my son. He only wants to play with his toys in the living room anyway. It's literally a room for sleeping when they are little, so it's fine to share and in my opinion it's actually really lovely. I miss sharing a boy with my little boy.

Original poster

SunnySideUp2020 · 14/09/2020 14:53

@Bahhh DP sometimes works from home (he is a contractor) but there is a built in desk area in the living room so if he needs he can be there. He doesn't need silence or anything... very flexible patient man! * i could not do it.
Our plan is for him to stop working when baby comes to be able to help me and spend time together. We saved money to have this option and still be comfortable.

OP posts:

GrimDamnFanjo · 14/09/2020 15:11

You'll be fine but my concern would be the disruption and stress of another move so quickly.
You may find that when the baby is here you'd rather not go through another big move so soon and then you find yourself with a child getting older and possibly a sibling and still in the one bedroom.

GreyishDays · 14/09/2020 15:13

@BabyLlamaZen

There will be nights your oh will want to sleep somewhere else to get an ounce of sleep.

So everyone who has a baby has a spare room? By the third child?! They really don’t.

SBTLove · 14/09/2020 15:14

The apartment sounds spacious with well thought out areas. I’d go for it, no need for a changing table, floor on a mat is fine. Half the stuff you’re told you need ends up gathering dust anyway 🤣

Bahhh · 14/09/2020 15:15

For 200 euros I'd get the spare space. Depends on how much your income is of course.

If your DP really is taking months off (wow lucky you!!) I'd want the space even more. Less needed if one or both of you are out at work a lot.

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