Securing my son's pushchair in a flat?

emsywoo123

katiechoc wrote: »

Leave bubs in his cot while you run down with the buggy, dash up and get him and run down again. I don't see how that can take 30 minutes? You'll have legs of steel after a couple of weeks!

Am I the only one that went :eek:

A) is a 20mth old still likely to be in a cot
leave said child in the flat? Alone?

I know people will say its only briefly, but I wouldn't be comfortable with that at all!

dizziblonde

If I HAD to leave a pushchair in the foyer - I'd buy a really el-cheapo umbrella fold one (about £10 or so on gumtree if you watch it for a week or so, often free on freecycle) and fold it up and put it right out of the way. Even at my most ham fisted turning the air blue attempts to get the umbrella fold of doom up (hubby can do the flick it out and press down thing fine - I can't) it's a 2 minute job to put up and the space it would occupy is absolutely minimal... would never be leaving a named branded buggy in an open stairwell, and I think expecting to be able to leave one up and ready to go is more than a bit much.

And yes, you're probably really annoying your new set of neighbours with the amount of junk you've left in the shared areas already.

katiechoc_2

emsywoo123 wrote: »

Am I the only one that went :eek:

A) is a 20mth old still likely to be in a cot
leave said child in the flat? Alone?

I know people will say its only briefly, but I wouldn't be comfortable with that at all!

Must admit I hadn't thought of him being in a bed rather than a cot, so no I wouldn't leave him alone if he was loose on the rampage around the flat! However I think if he was in a cot leaving him in there for a matter of minutes while I dash downstairs is ok - a better option than trying to manhandle a big buggy and a wriggly toddler down two flights of stairs. I know someone suggested a sling which in theory is fine, but I think in all honesty I wouldn't have the patience to get him in it just to get downstairs, if OP could use a sling all the way then great.

And having thought about it, don't get an old banger and leave it outside the block, if my neighbours did that I'd be miffed!

I've got a lightweight stroller that I've bored the newborn thread to tears with recently which I can easily manage to carry at the same time as the little man, granted my boy is younger than the OP's but a possibility?

Birdie85

I'm afraid that I agree that it's antisocial to leave your 'stuff' in a communal area. I live in a small block of flats and hate that our neighbours seem to view the landing as a storage area, it's so unpleasant to come home to find old appliances/furniture and pushchairs shoved under the stairs. The landlord (who is the HA BTW, we own our flat, the HA owns the rest of the property and our neighbours are all tenants and have a 'can't care less attitude' ) has issued several reminders that it's against the fire regulations to store anything in the hallways, including pushchairs, but these are ignored as things are 'just there briefly whilst they're moved in/out' - briefly being weeks at a time! :mad:

I'd strongly recommend that you keep the pushchair in your flat as the others have suggested. If you've already annoyed your neighbours by dumping stuff in the hallway, the sight of a locked up buggy more or less declaring 'I'm leaving my stuff here regardless of rules and I don't trust you not to nick it' will just cause even more friction!

If you're nervous about leaving your LO in the flat unattended is is possible to set up a little pen in your hallway (assuming you have one?) using a stairgate or something so he can't run off and get into trouble for the 2 minutes he'll be alone?

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

At my old flat, other than stuff in the stairwell, which was just not allowed, if anything was put outside, that meant it was there for anyone to take. A sort of early freecycle.

Most things stayed out for about an hour before somebody took them. Sofas, armchairs, beds, cookers. And the mattresses were removed by the council because they attracted vermin or were set alight.


It doesn't matter to your landlord, the Housing Association, that you had a rough day, week, month or life; if you're leaving items around the block, you're probably in breach of your tenancy terms already. And you can expect a letter to that effect soon.

Buy a lightweight buggy, one that has a carrying strap is great. Backpack over shoulders, changing bag on one, buggy on the other, child in arms and connected up to reins, out the door, turn, lock the door, walk down stairs, buggy down and opened, changing bag on handles, child in seat and fastened in, walk.

You've only got about a year or so of this. It's a small irritation compared to where you were a few weeks ago.

Spendless

emsywoo123 wrote: »

Am I the only one that went :eek:

A) is a 20mth old still likely to be in a cot
leave said child in the flat? Alone?

I know people will say its only briefly, but I wouldn't be comfortable with that at all!

One of mine was in a bed at 19 months old, the other still in a cot(bed) till turned 2.

It would depend on the lay-out of the flat and stairs as to whether I would be comfortable and without seeing it I couldn't comment. The 1st floor flat we used to live in and that layout, yes I'd have been fine with it. With both mine I never took them to the loo with me, and I'm pretty sure at times I was in there longer than it would have taken me to walk down 2 flights of stairs and back.

Isn't a 20 month old likely to be walking anyway, so could walk at the side of his Mum till she got up/down stairs?

tyllwyd

I have to say, I'd rather leave my child in the flat alone for a few minutes rather than try to carry books/buggy/child up and down the stairs all at the same time. I had a horrible moment with my youngest where she was in front of me on the stairs and stopped with no warning - I had both hands full and I was so close to falling over her and the both of us landing at the bottom of the stairs in a heap. If you could organise something like leaving him is in the living room, maybe, with the door to the flat propped open and a stairgate on the living room door so you can hear if he calls, I think that is less likely to cause an accident than trying to balance everything on the stairs.

shegirl

katiechoc wrote: »

I live in HA association flat, albeit we are leaseholders rather than renters, and we aren't allowed to keep anything in the communal areas - even the door mat we had outside our door was deemed a fire hazard.

We have a car so I leave our buggy in there, take baby down sit him in his car seat while I get the buggy out and stick him in, so I think the old banger idea isn't a bad one? Although a sorn wouldn't work on the type of parking we have here as its communal parking and not classed as being off road.

I would avoid bumping the buggy up and down stairs, whether bubs is in it or not - it'll increase wear and tear on the buggy hugely, damage the stairs and make a huge racket and probably not help with getting to know the neighbours. Leave bubs in his cot while you run down with the buggy, dash up and get him and run down again. I don't see how that can take 30 minutes? You'll have legs of steel after a couple of weeks!

Bumping a buggy does not make a racket.It does not damage concrete steps (as most blocks of flats have) and it isn't going to do much to the buggy.You don't slam it down...wheels are round not square

An old banger,seriously? What buggy is worth wasting money and leaving an old car taking up space?Buy a banger to store a bloody buggy in?:rotfl: How many light weight pushchairs could you buy with that money?

People told the OP not to bother buying carpet for the bare floored flat (personally,I would prioritise for the little one and don't understand people who refuse to put any flooring in their home,but still) buying an old car to store a bloody buggy that she should put in her home is a good idea?:rotfl:

Bonkers!

xxlouisexx56

I live in a second floor flat with 2 children.

I drive now so our buggy lives in the car. But before I would open the door, send 6yr old down with her own school bag. I would put my bag on, hold baby (who is now the same age as yours) and grab the folded up pushchair by the handle and then make our way downstairs.

My small dd now walks herself up and down the stairs and has done for months. Surely your son can walk up and down the stairs whilst you walk next to him carrying the buggy?

lovecake

Well said lor6126! There can be a lot of nasty, unsympathetic and unneccesary comments on this forum and it upsets me to read them. I think people feel they can do it becuase they aren't talking to the person face to face.

The issue is not whether she leaves other stuff in the close, or whether you think she maybe exaggerating the timescales - there is not really any need for people to speculate on how long it takes her to get the pushchair downstairs and get the baby into it - just answer the question yeah? And if you don't have any helpful advice don't bother posting. Why do people feel the need to just stick their opinions in there when they are no help to the OP? I must be being idealistic in thinking that forums are supposed to be helpful and supportive communuties....*sigh*

Anyway, I think previous helpful replies may be right when they say that chaining your pushchair in the close may not be acceptable to the other residents or the housing association. It certainly isn't allowed in my building, although if someone was to come and ask us at the AGM and it was special circumstances then I suspect we would probably allow it. The other two suggestions which I agree you might want to try are the sling option or getting a lightweight pushchair with a one-handed mechanism if you can afford one and just keep it in your flat - it would save you p-ing anyone off. Hope you find a solution!