Starting a family in a one bedroom flat

fannyanna

Hello

Wonder if you lovely people would be able to give me some advice.

Husband and I would like to start a family. Our plan was to sell our one bedroom flat (well technically it’s a maisonette) and get a two bedroom place before trying for a baby. Well it’s been 7 months and we’re still not sold so we’re thinking about just trying for a baby. Hopefully we’ll have sold up before we successfully conceive/baby arrives but ultimately it wouldn’t be the end of the world if the baby arrived and we were still in the one bed.

Thinking about how to accommodate a baby in a one bedroom place I’ve thought of the following:

Bedroom
We’ll need a cot (which we can get in our bedroom if we re-arrange furniture and perhaps move our radiator). We have two chests of drawers which we don’t really use as they’re both full of clothes that we don’t wear. We could box up the clothes and use the chest of drawers for the babies clothes. We’d therefore have the basics of a bed and clothes storage for the baby. We wouldn’t need any luxuries like a chair (as we have the bed) or a changing table (as we can just use a changing mat on the bed or floor). Have I forgotten any other baby bedroom essentials?

Bathroom
Bath stuff is fine. After all it would be in the bathroom anyway if we had a 2 bedroom house.

Living room / hallway
Toys will be in the living room – we’ll find room. For when the baby is older we don’t need a high chair as we could use those seats that strap onto chairs so that’s not a problem. The pushchair can be left in the hallway (we have a larger than usual hallway as it used to be storage cupboards that we knocked down – regretting that now lol). Another option is to just leave it in the car most of the time – that way we don’t need to struggle getting it up and down the stairs – just the baby (perhaps in its carry cot).

Have I missed anything that I really need to be thinking about?

Many thanks for any advice offered

tanith

I had 3 children in a one bedroom flat (we moved when no.3 was a few wks old thankfully) you have thought of most things , its not ideal of course as many will tell you I'm sure but it can be done.. my 3 are all grown up now and the older two remember sharing bunk beds in the bedroom with fondness . Myself and OH ended up on a put u up in the living room before we managed to buy a 3 bed house..we were in the flat for 8yrs with the 2 youngest.. sounds like a nightmare now but at the time its just how we managed to have a family while we were young.. we didn't want to put it off for years..

vik6525

Honestly, theres no 'right' time or place to have a child. Dont 'overthink' it, just go for it!!

ILoveEoin

i personally think a child just needs 2 b make in love and who cares if u live in 1 or 5 bedroom house! we r havin problems havin a baby, i wish i had started earlier in life:( but we get there so if it somethin that u really want.... i say GO 4 IT!!!!

fannyanna

ILoveEoin wrote: »

i personally think a child just needs 2 b make in love and who cares if u live in 1 or 5 bedroom house! we r havin problems havin a baby, i wish i had started earlier in life:( but we get there so if it somethin that u really want.... i say GO 4 IT!!!!

Well said.

Wishing you well in your efforts to conceive x

ILoveEoin

Thank you:)
just remember it FUN tryin!!
Enjoy x

Tiddlywinks

Reality check! I know the go-for-it posters mean well but...

Whilst having a baby in a one bed flat is do-able, realistically it will hamper your chances of selling the flat.

If you don't sell before bub arrives the flat will look a whole lot smaller with the extras that a tiny bundle requires.

I'd look at why the flat hasn't sold - is it price, location etc. What will make it sell... push for that first. You need to be honest about this because once the baby is born you will have a lot more on your mind than keeping a place tidy and sweet smelling for a viewing.

The tidy stage for kids doesn't arrive for a good few years unless you work really hard at it (and have sufficient storage) - consider that as part of your wish to move - if you have the baby where you are now then it could adversely impact on your chances of a sale and you could be stuck for a long time.

New parents sometimes need space as well just for when emotions run high - the smaller the place the greater the risk pressures blowing into arguments.

Also, once the baby is born your outgoings may be higher (childcare) or your income lowered (if you go part time) - both issues will be considered by a lender when looking at the provision of a larger mortgage. Again, moving first might make financial sense.

Only you know your own circumstances, but if you have the baby first then look at the practicalites and impact and not just at the rose tinted view.

onlyroz

We were in a two-bed flat when our son was born, but the second bedroom was used as an office and so bubs was in with us. It was *very* cramped in the bedroom, but we somehow managed to fit in our bed, his cot, a piano and an enormous bookcase. It was not ideal, and so we bought a bigger place when our boy was around 18 months. I think that sharing a room with your child is fine up until they get to be around 2-years-old - but after that I think you'll want to get your privacy back, and the child will want a space of their own to play in. There are other things to consider than space - e.g. your sex life will take a hit once the kid gets old enough to peer out of their cot and ask "what is daddy doing to mummy?".

So my advice is to go for it, but don't view it as a permanent solution.

fannyanna

onlyroz wrote: »

There are other things to consider than space - e.g. your sex life will take a hit once the kid gets old enough to peer out of their cot and ask "what is daddy doing to mummy?".

Haha brilliant :rotfl:

make_me_wise

My husband and I were in a similar dilemma a few years back. We delayed and delayed starting a family for a variety of reasons. One of them being that we wanted to get a larger place.

We eventually got life as we wanted it and thought great lets start a family. 2 years down the track we are still trying, its just not happening for us, though we remain hopeful and are having tests done.

I must admit I often wish we hadn't been so cautious and had started trying for a baby earlier. I am sure all the other things in life would have fallen into place around it in time. Now time isn't on our side "having a baby" wise.

Spendless

I had my eldest in a 2bed MTH where the 2nd bedroom had originally been 1 bedroom but divided in half to give a bathroom. Downstairs were 1 sitting room with a front door that opened on to the street, no hallway, no porch or front garden and 1 kitchen. We managed but it wasn't ideal. Some furniture had to go/be stored in order to fit baby items. In the kitchen you will need to find room for bottles and sterislier (unless breastfeeding) plus highchair eventually. We were fortunate enough to mvoe to a bigger place when DS was 19 months.

How likely is it that you will sell within say 15 months? assumming 9 months pregnancy and 6 months recommendation of baby sharing your room.

Can you make use of your large hallway for anything? Eg we turned part of my large hallway plus the cupboard under the stairs into a downstairs loo. That could have easily beome a small nursery instead if we'd needed it.Is there any thinking outside of the box with regards to space?