Really worries about baby in a one bed flat

[Lilybow]

I'm pregnant with our first baby which we planned. I didn't want to wait too much longer as we are in our mid thirties.

We don't have a mortgage, and rent in an expensive coastal town.

We don't have large savings so a mortgage at the moment is out of the question.

We live in a small one bed flat, we have a large living room with lots of space, a smallish sized bedroom (with some moving around we can fit a cot and use chest of drawers as a changing table, a very tiny kitchen and bathroom. All the rooms are separate.

Turning lounge into a bedroom isn't feasible as we have zero reception and signal in the bedroom so we wouldn't be able to watch TV etc. It just won't work.

I'm all of a sudden feeling very panicky because it's hitting me that we are bringing a baby into a one bed flat, and we can't afford to move somewhere bigger yet. We are thinking we have to stay here until baby is a year before we can move.

I'm feeling awful that we didn't save for longer and had our life sorted out, we spent our money on holidays and having fun, and now feel guilty I'm not providing the best start possible and it's going to be hard.

Has anyone had a baby in a one bed flat and done ok? Any advice welcome. Thanks.

You'll be fine!!! Baby would probably be in with you anyway. Enjoy not having a giant house to keep clean. Get rid of crap and keep organised you'll be fine. Baby won't remember, let the mum guilt go.

I will be fine, babies are supposed to sleep in their parent's room for the first six months any way. I foster and often have a baby up to 12 months in my room and a 1yr old+ in their own room.

Why would it be a problem, babies don’t need their own room, there was a family of 5 living above me in a one bed flat! 😐

I did until DC was 2, and I miss it! No dashing upstairs when I forgot something, baby was always within earshot. I did get a changing table but quickly got rid of it, mat on the floor was easier and safer.

Can you put a partition in the living room and use that as a lounge/bedroom? Ikea Kallax units work good for that

Babies pretty much end up with you anyway. People do fancy nurseries but they’re mainly for show

Don't stress OP - I wouldn't worry about about needing extra space until the baby is getting to walking age.

You’ll be fine, honestly…

I’ve just moved from a one bed flat to a three bed house. DH really wanted to be moved before baby arrived… we finally moved in at 35 weeks pregnant. I was a lot happier in the flat, if I’m honest! Baby will be with you initially anyway, and they don’t need that much space.

We wouldn’t have split our living room - just shuffled the bedroom to fit the next to me in, and the changing table would have been in the hall.

Best of luck to you!

We ended up having first baby while living with my PIL. Baby was in the same room with us through the first year of the pandemic and we moved back into our out own (rented) place at DC 1st birthday so he could have his own room as there wasnt spaceat PIL. We just did changing mat on our bed and cleared 2 drawers in our dresser for babys stuff. Nappies and wipes were under babys cot and it worked fine for while we were there.

It's fine, we had pretty much exactly as you described and moved when dd was 13 months to a 2 bed

You don’t need a changing table. A mat on the floor works ideally.

Don't worry! We didn't move out of our one bed until our first baby was 2.5 and our second was 6 months. We had to be strict about toys and spent a lot of time at the park but it was actually lovely having everyone snuggled in the same bedroom through winter. We had baby in a snuzpod on one side of the bed and a cotbed for the toddler pushed up on the other side. They have their own room now but frankly spend nearly as much time in ours as they ever used to. You'd be surprised how little babies actually need, both in terms of space and stuff.

You'll make it work, and you grow to the size of the space you have. Just prioritise what you need and maybe do some reading on what you actually need, as apposed to what you think you need. Get things that fold away or can be stuffed up small (high chair, bouncer play mat). Get a carry cot that can double as a Moses basket (only certain ones are certified for overnight sleep). If you're getting a next to me crib, don't buy a bigger crib till you know that baby will be sleeping in it (you might end up cosleeping). Don't buy endless fancy weaning plates and cups. One sucky plate and one cup is fine. Ones baby is a little older and is more susceptible to noise when sleeping I'd suggest white noise on something that you can position between the cot and your bed/the door. When baby gets a bit older try and get some open ended toys rather than loads of toys that just do the one thing/press a button and make noise ect.

I'm sure I'll think of more...

Hmmm don't stress too much.

• cot can go in the bedroom
• Set up the baby station and stuff in the living room. We got a cheap koppang type unit from IKEA we store nappies, clothes, everything and we change the baby on top. Scubb containers are great for being organised!

• get a small pram. We got a yoyo baby zen its super compact light and easy when on the go. (The bassinet is pretty flimsy IMO so pre 6 months we will use a sling. after that it'll be great)
• get things like the bouncer second hand and only when you need it and then sell it on. There are loads on FB marketplace and free cycle.

Don't buy bulky stuff new or in advance the stuff lasts for a couple of months if lucky.

Be ruthless with clothes and dont buy too far in advance.

Be clear with friends and relatives about what you need/want and will appreciate so they don't go and buy a load of bulky plastic and £40 boden outfits. ( unless you want that!!! )

We had changing etc in the living room as our bedroom was a bit tight for space once we had the cot in there. Also meant one of us could get up with baby and change him while other slept on. I often bf in the living room too.

I had DD1 in a single room annex for almost 4 years, DD2 overlapped by about 4 weeks until we moved out. With DD1 it was fine, didn’t have to worry about keeping a large space clean and tidy, we were just conscious about not having too much stuff ie no changing table but a changing mat that could go under the coffee table which also doubled up as storage for clothes and nappies. When baby is a bit bigger and needs more space you might need a rethink, we moved into the living area and had a partition wall up between her room and the rest of the living space…I won’t dress up the last few years for you, it was increasingly not great over time but we were in a tiny tiny space. It is certainly doable though, get on Pinterest and get creative with storage ideas!

I was in a one bed with my eldest until he was 1 and It was absolutely fine. There's so much stuff that you don't actually need to buy like a changing table or a huge pram , as long you're dedicated to keeping your space clean and ordered you'll have no problems there.

Congratulations op

I had a one bed until DS was 3, you’ll be fine

And you don’t need a changing table either just a mat on the floor is safer - they can’t roll off. Also less space means you can turn down unwanted gifts

Don't worry! I live in NYC and it's totally normal to have a baby in a one bed flat. It's not even unusual to have a baby in a studio.

We were in a 1bed until DS was 14 months old. It was fine. It was sort of a loft (2 floors, no doors) so I could always hear him and didn't need a baby monitor.

I got a bit fed up by the time he was 10 months, and was ready to kick him out of my room by the time we moved, but the first 6-ish months were great.