Would you buy a second floor flat if you had a toddler?

[theotherfossilsister]

There is a smaller one in the same price bracket that is ground floor, but it doesn't have as many lovely period features. We have viewed the bigger top floor one twice and it has lovely cornicing, fire places, Victorian tenement, city centre.

The smaller one is three bedrooms and opens onto a small patch of garden. It isn't in the catchment for the school DP wants for our child/ren but it is lovely and the school, as far as I understand it, is fine. We may be having a second child, but undecided. DP works from home and wants an office.

I have Rheumatoid Arthritis which mainly affects my wrists, but I also had bad perinatal OCD when my child was born, and stairwells with a tiny baby was a huge trigger, but then should we let intrusive thoughts factor into this decision?

No I wouldn’t.
I also have arthritis on my wrists so that alone, assuming no lift, would mean I wouldn’t. It’s too far to carry shopping and/or a reluctant toddler.

@NeverRunAfterAManOrABus I have arthritis in both wrists too. I'm trying to convince my partner that second floor without direct access to a garden isn't right for us. It's sad as it's a lovely flat.

Don't do it. Every day will be a struggle to get up and down the stairs, and imagine if your toddler is having a bad day and doesn't want to go up. Especially if you have arthritis, I wouldn't do it.

Probably not.

Yes. I would go for the biggest and greatest flat. Toddlers can learn to climb stairs pretty young. No big deal.

I lived in a 3rd floor with 2 toddlers but we had a lift and gardens and next to a playground.

If you don't have a lift I'd say it would be a struggle, but what's the outdoor space close by like?

Check out my thread from earlier today, OP:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5183865-how-can-i-help-this-situation-unhappy-neighbour?reply=138908390

three bedrooms and opens onto a small patch of garden

This one. Outside space is invaluable for small children!

Beautiful with period features seduces you to buy, but practical and easy to live in is what keeps you in a property.

@theotherfossilsister I currently live in a flat with my 2 year old, no lift just stairs. I am second floor, I personally wouldn't do it especially if you have arthritis. I have no joint problems or anything like that and the stairs have killed me so much and have definitely damaged my back and groin/ hips from carrying my little one, he is very very heavy though! But also you need to carry shopping etc... however it isn't much longer until your little one will be able to do the stairs without you holding him/her so you can also consider that, although will take a very long time to make your way up and down.
I am moving this coming Wednesday to a bungalow in the countryside with no stairs and I can honestly say I will not miss the flat because the stairs are hard work! Weigh our pros and cons

I would with a toddler, but not with arthritis.

Definitely not. You have a choice and period features will not enhance your life.

I don't live in the UK and here (Scandinavia) it wouldn't be an issue having children in a flat, but it sounds more like you need to think about your own health issues. Don't choose a home that makes your health worse. In my apartment building there's a couple on the third floor with 3 small kids (think they're all about a year apart, the eldest can't be more than 4). No lift! They manage - it's a few years of heavy lifting (literally) but then it's over. But they are both healthy as far as I know.

No - getting a toddler up and down the stairs would be ok most of the time but getting a baby and a toddler up and down the stairs (and a pushchair) would be a nightmare. We lived in a first floor flat for a while with a 1-2 yo and it was a faff.

We lived in a big period flat until ds was nearly 6, it was fine. We left the buggy in the main entrance - would've been hard to lug it upstairs each time so check you can do that. Shopping was delivered and they brought it upstairs. Ds learned to climb the stairs really early and safely.

We lived with DD in a second floor flat for 2 years. It could literally take 20 mins walking up with her as a toddler! We left the pram downstairs. In practical terms it also meant having occasionally to leave the shopping in the pram until there was another adult available to bring it up.

Answering the door also took time - if on my own I had to bring DD down every time, easy as a tiny baby but harder as she got bigger.

It was doable but just added stress and extra work.

On the plus side she was great at climbing up and down stairs!

Thank you. DS can do the stairs himself and was very insistent on doing them at the second viewing, which we took him to. He did them very slowly and hit me away when I tried to walk directly in front of him to catch him. It took ages. There was also one which looked like it was wide enough for him to get through

The estate agent did say he could ask the neighbours and get a feel about leaving buggy in stairwell though. It is beautiful and about seven minutes walk for the Meadows, which is a lovely area. It's also really near a primary school.

The other one is near a different primary school which is considered less good, but from my understanding is still OK. Both feed into the same high school, which is on the same campus as the primary for the second flat.

Might start a 'find me an Edinburgh flat we can afford which works for us' thread, although feels a bit indulgent

We have to be in Tollcross, Newington or Marchmont as DP wants to be near his elderly mother. I bloody love Leith where we live now, though

https://www.deansproperties.co.uk/property/25-1-marchmont-road-marchmont-eh9-1hy/

vs

www.deansproperties.co.uk/property/32-4-rankellior-street-newington-eh8-9hz/