Rob and I are building a house, but it’s taking much longer than I’d like (isn’t that always the case?). Our current home is basically a two bedroom/one bath at this point; we have an upstairs attic that could function as a usable space but the bathroom and electric do not work. The main issue is that the two bedrooms on the main floor are only separated by the bathroom, so they are super close together. Ember sleeps in the second bedroom, and even though baby 2 likely will sleep in a bassinet in our room for a few months, the girls will probably wake each other. Ember is a good sleeper, but she does not sleep as soundly as I’d like, so I do think the baby might wake her if they are only a bathroom apart. I have heard that toddlers usually sleep through most noise, so I wonder if Ember Eve will get used to the baby crying and sleep through it. I suppose we have no way of knowing until we’re in the weeds with both babies here.
We’ve been trying to come up with a workable solution until our new house is livable (we don’t currently have a solid date, but late winter or early spring is likely). If baby 2 is born by the first week of October, we may have to endure raising a baby and a toddler in this house for a few months or longer. My husband thinks we should move Ember’s crib to the attic so that the baby won’t wake her every two or so hours while Ember naps during the day and sleeps night. This may be the only solution, but I don’t like it. I want both girls on the main floor for many reasons.
First, I want them close to me because it’s what I’m used to. Second, the attic temperature will take some effort to control (Rob plans to fix the electric before we move her). Third, I’ll be anxious about Ember being up there alone since the space isn’t what I would call livable. We can work on this, though, to ease my anxiety about the state of that space. Fourth, if I have a C-section, I will have a terrible time carting her up and down the super steep and weird stairs that lead there. The stairs are tucked in a corner in our kitchen and take a little maneuvering to enter. Since they are steep, you need to be very careful going up and down. Also, you have to duck to make your way up or down or you’ll hit your head. In fact, we may have to wait to move her until I’m able to handle the steps and a toddler. Fifth, what if Ember learns how to climb out of her crib and tries to make her way down those stairs?
However, I understand my husband’s point, and I don’t really want a cranky toddler who has been up half the night because the baby woke her repeatedly. At our new house, the kids’ rooms are upstairs and the master is down, so I suppose this won’t be much different than them being upstairs in the new setup. (Though my anxiety will be much, much lower since the rooms and the stairs will be safer.) I may just have to accept it and get used to it. I keep telling myself that we can make the space as safe as possible and if Ember Eve is only up there to sleep, she’ll be just fine in her crib. I imagine if we do move Ember up to the attic, I’ll be glued to the monitor when she’s sleeping!
Being in this house with a baby and toddler will be a challenge in general, but I know we can do it. I assume lots of people in smaller homes and apartments have made smaller spaces work with multiple babies, and I’d love to hear any advice you wise folks have on this topic. I also welcome advice for coping with a toddler sleeping upstairs, away from the main floor.
(Photos – Rob, Ember Eve, and the dogs checking out the house before the foundation was poured. NOTE: the foundation has been poured…these pics are old)
