Stairs with 1-2 Kids?

[Anonymous]

Are you the one whose wife wanted the elevator building while you wanted the walk up? If not I will tell you what everybody told him: hold out for an elevator building.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:God that will be so hard. I miss our 1 story home so much.
Now with 2 kids, they basically have 1/2 their
Stuff down and 1/2 up. I take a huge pile on sundays back
Up to their rooms from the week (shoes, books, stuffed animals, pajamas)

Well presumably OP's child will not be keeping toys in the lobby of their building.

[Anonymous]

We are in a multilevel condo in a Dupont rowhouse and love it. Kids are 5 and 1. No complaints by anyone.

[Anonymous]

I grew up in a 4th fl walk up and and my parents raised 4 kids there. We just got used to it, you can used to anything if it is your normal. I will say that hauling luggage when we visited as adults was a pain in the neck, but my parents are super healthy and I bet a lot of it is walking up and down those stairs multiple times a day almost every day of their lives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in a 4th fl walk up and and my parents raised 4 kids there. We just got used to it, you can used to anything if it is your normal. I will say that hauling luggage when we visited as adults was a pain in the neck, but my parents are super healthy and I bet a lot of it is walking up and down those stairs multiple times a day almost every day of their lives.

This. I live in a 3rd floor walk up and my husband and I are in great shape even through the early childhood years where it is very hard to find time to go to the gym or focus on fitness. But hauling a baby and all the baby stuff up and down 3 floors keeps you in the game. I used to send my friend mirror selfies from when I would come home from the grocery story with the baby in a carrier, grocery bags on each shoulder and in each hand, baby bag on my back. It was hilarious. Like being your own sherpa. But no regrets. I pride myself on being a middl class city parent who can roll with the challenges and figure it out.

[Anonymous]

I found it easier to live in a place that opens directly to outside when we had little kids, like a townhouse. Getting in and out of the house with a baby, their gear, and a stroller, and my own stuff was more of a challenge when we had more stairs, but of course it's doable. It's more important that your home has enough space inside and that the location is where you want to be (and ideally safe and convenient).

[Anonymous]

It’s a pain but you adapt and get used to it. We lived in a townhouse with tons of stairs both inside the home and from the door to the street with our two kids. We kept the stroller in the car and grocery delivery often was so worth it. The worst was my back pain from carrying our kids up and down the stairs all day.

[Anonymous]

We live in a 4th fl walk up with 2 young kids. Have lived here since before they were born, and it's totally doable for us. I found the stairs hardest towards the end of my pregnancies, but doing them with kids has been fine. I wear them in the carrier as babies, they learned to climb them themselves by 22 months or so. Getting groceries etc up can be a pain but we either make a few trips, wear a backpack, etc. It's fine. We are able to leave our strollers in the foyer so that helps. You'll develop the right set of muscles. I don't even think twice about it at this point, and I like that my kids are good at stairs, which is something many city kids aren't so experienced with! Our pre-k teacher actually told us she can tell who has stairs based on fire drill preparedness.

[Anonymous]

Here's the scenario, you have a sleeping infant in an infant seat, a 2.5 yo melting down and refusing to walk, and a double stroller with its underneath loaded with kid stuff. How do you get to the unit? Can you leave the stroller or kid stuff or infant somewhere safe while you carry the 2.5 yo upstairs? You can't carry an infant in the seat and 2.5 yo at the same time unless you're super human, so you'll have to wake the infant to carry them at the same time (if the 2.5 yo will even be cooperative enough to let you safely carry the infant too). The double stroller and kid stuff will likely require two more trips, for 3-4 trips up and down total. Dont forget that the infant will likely be screaming its head off while you make trips to carry stuff because you just woke it up. Meanwhile, the 2.5 yo will be screaming its head off too because you stuck it in a pack and play to stay out of trouble while you carry up loads of stuff.

Same for car trips. You arrive home with a sleeping infant, a 2.5 yo who wont walk, a large diaper bag, and a trunk full of shopping bags (including stuff that needs to go in the freezer). How do you get everything upstairs? Logistically where do you stash the kids while you carry stuff up? Some stair scenarios are easier than others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DOn't overthink it. I have a SFH and have stairs from the garage to the main floors of the house. More than 24. It's not really any different.

It’s completely different. That you think it’s remotely similar shows you have no idea what this is like.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here's the scenario, you have a sleeping infant in an infant seat, a 2.5 yo melting down and refusing to walk, and a double stroller with its underneath loaded with kid stuff. How do you get to the unit? Can you leave the stroller or kid stuff or infant somewhere safe while you carry the 2.5 yo upstairs? You can't carry an infant in the seat and 2.5 yo at the same time unless you're super human, so you'll have to wake the infant to carry them at the same time (if the 2.5 yo will even be cooperative enough to let you safely carry the infant too). The double stroller and kid stuff will likely require two more trips, for 3-4 trips up and down total. Dont forget that the infant will likely be screaming its head off while you make trips to carry stuff because you just woke it up. Meanwhile, the 2.5 yo will be screaming its head off too because you stuck it in a pack and play to stay out of trouble while you carry up loads of stuff.

Same for car trips. You arrive home with a sleeping infant, a 2.5 yo who wont walk, a large diaper bag, and a trunk full of shopping bags (including stuff that needs to go in the freezer). How do you get everything upstairs? Logistically where do you stash the kids while you carry stuff up? Some stair scenarios are easier than others.

Have you been in this situation? I'm the pp who has been in a 4th fl walk up for years. Dd was 2.5 when DS was born. We survived and I'm so glad we stayed bc our apartment is great in so many other ways. There will surely be some "how do I do this?" moments, as there always are in parenting, but the stairs dont have to be a deal breaker.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here's the scenario, you have a sleeping infant in an infant seat, a 2.5 yo melting down and refusing to walk, and a double stroller with its underneath loaded with kid stuff. How do you get to the unit? Can you leave the stroller or kid stuff or infant somewhere safe while you carry the 2.5 yo upstairs? You can't carry an infant in the seat and 2.5 yo at the same time unless you're super human, so you'll have to wake the infant to carry them at the same time (if the 2.5 yo will even be cooperative enough to let you safely carry the infant too). The double stroller and kid stuff will likely require two more trips, for 3-4 trips up and down total. Dont forget that the infant will likely be screaming its head off while you make trips to carry stuff because you just woke it up. Meanwhile, the 2.5 yo will be screaming its head off too because you stuck it in a pack and play to stay out of trouble while you carry up loads of stuff.

Same for car trips. You arrive home with a sleeping infant, a 2.5 yo who wont walk, a large diaper bag, and a trunk full of shopping bags (including stuff that needs to go in the freezer). How do you get everything upstairs? Logistically where do you stash the kids while you carry stuff up? Some stair scenarios are easier than others.

But if you live in a walk up, you don’t put yourself in this situation. You don’t put your baby in an infant seat that has to be awkwardly carried up and down stairs, you use a carrier. We never had a double stroller, just a regular stroller (baby in carrier and toddler in stroller, or baby in stroller and toddler on foot or bike). You don’t load the stroller up with stuff— you have a well stocked bag that can be worn while carrier a child. You get groceries delivered or you do your grocery runs on the weekend when both parents are around. As others have said, you keep the stroller in the building’s foyer or in the trunk if your car so you never have to carry it up or down the stairs. The logistical solution to this scenario is to make choices appropriate to living in a walk up apartment.

I get that it’s not what everyone wants. Some folks are just happiest and most comfortable in a SFH with a garage or a driveway. I’m sure such people would also argue that you could never have a child, much less two, in a 900 sq ft apartment, or that you could never have kids without a car, or whatever. And yet people all over the world do all of this every day and it’s fine and we rarely even think about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here's the scenario, you have a sleeping infant in an infant seat, a 2.5 yo melting down and refusing to walk, and a double stroller with its underneath loaded with kid stuff. How do you get to the unit? Can you leave the stroller or kid stuff or infant somewhere safe while you carry the 2.5 yo upstairs? You can't carry an infant in the seat and 2.5 yo at the same time unless you're super human, so you'll have to wake the infant to carry them at the same time (if the 2.5 yo will even be cooperative enough to let you safely carry the infant too). The double stroller and kid stuff will likely require two more trips, for 3-4 trips up and down total. Dont forget that the infant will likely be screaming its head off while you make trips to carry stuff because you just woke it up. Meanwhile, the 2.5 yo will be screaming its head off too because you stuck it in a pack and play to stay out of trouble while you carry up loads of stuff.

Same for car trips. You arrive home with a sleeping infant, a 2.5 yo who wont walk, a large diaper bag, and a trunk full of shopping bags (including stuff that needs to go in the freezer). How do you get everything upstairs? Logistically where do you stash the kids while you carry stuff up? Some stair scenarios are easier than others.

Chikdren are not "it." And they understand what is going on. It's actually possible to explain to a 2.5 year old that mom will be right back. That said, I would just gently bump the stroller up the stairs and inside the door and proceed from there. I'd try to make the whole thing into a game for the 2.5 year old. But as someone else noted, I'd also avoid the scenario by wearing the infant and/or not going on a major grocery shopping trip that ends during nap time.

-Dupont row house poster.

[Anonymous]

If the stairs are giving you pause, op, don’t buy the condo.

It’s true that you can get used to anything, though if this neighborhood had what you wanted, you’d probably not be asking the question about the stairs.

I’d be more concerned about the parking situation, have you talked with potential neighbors about what happens when someone takes your spot? I can guarantee you that will happen.
Also, who will get custidy of the car during the day?

I’ve never known a husband yet my own included who lets their wif have custidy of the car. They all end up taking it to work because they got a new job that requires them to drive, public transportation doesn’t work quite the way they expected, it’s raining, it’s cold, they or you want an errand after work, the office is going out to lunch.. the list is endless.

We were a one car family until we had kids. Then I began to feel abandoned without access to a vehicle. Kids need to be in carseats now and it’s much harder to install a carseat quickly… I was always afraid that a driver would zoom off with my kid before I’d come around to the other side of the car. Nobody ever did, but it did cause me a lot more stress then buying and paying for a second vehicle would have.

The car and car storage situation would concern me way more then the steps. Since you asked about the steps though, I’d tell you not to buy in that building. You could always rent there I’m sure and if the steps and car situation prove to be acceptable to you, the go ahead and buy.



Finally, I’d not buy anyplace if I only planned to stay for 5 years. We’ve been in our current home for just over 6 years, and I’m finally feeling like it’s home. I’ve always loved the house and neighborhood, I’ve always felt comfortable, it’s just that now it feels like home.

I’d live where you want to raise children which is very different from having babies, and then visit a walkable area if that’s what you like. You can always visit any walkable downtown area until your kids get to a point that they just want to go ride bikes v. walk around with mom and dad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's the scenario, you have a sleeping infant in an infant seat, a 2.5 yo melting down and refusing to walk, and a double stroller with its underneath loaded with kid stuff. How do you get to the unit? Can you leave the stroller or kid stuff or infant somewhere safe while you carry the 2.5 yo upstairs? You can't carry an infant in the seat and 2.5 yo at the same time unless you're super human, so you'll have to wake the infant to carry them at the same time (if the 2.5 yo will even be cooperative enough to let you safely carry the infant too). The double stroller and kid stuff will likely require two more trips, for 3-4 trips up and down total. Dont forget that the infant will likely be screaming its head off while you make trips to carry stuff because you just woke it up. Meanwhile, the 2.5 yo will be screaming its head off too because you stuck it in a pack and play to stay out of trouble while you carry up loads of stuff.

Same for car trips. You arrive home with a sleeping infant, a 2.5 yo who wont walk, a large diaper bag, and a trunk full of shopping bags (including stuff that needs to go in the freezer). How do you get everything upstairs? Logistically where do you stash the kids while you carry stuff up? Some stair scenarios are easier than others.

Have you been in this situation? I'm the pp who has been in a 4th fl walk up for years. Dd was 2.5 when DS was born. We survived and I'm so glad we stayed bc our apartment is great in so many other ways. There will surely be some "how do I do this?" moments, as there always are in parenting, but the stairs dont have to be a deal breaker.

Agreed. It can be doable. But these scenarios are helpful for a not-yet-parent to understand what people mean when they say stairs are hard with kids. It was meant to help the OP think through the issues. Can they stash a stroller on the first floor? Is there a safe place to ask the 2.5 yo to wait while you haul stuff upstairs? Are the stairs wide enough to easily haul a double stroller upstairs? Can you see the door of the condo from the bottom of the stairs? How many sets of annoying double doors do you have to get through to get from the lobby to your car to stash the stroller? Is the OP okay with grocery delivery? (My husband likes to pick his produce and won't use it.) Alternatively, is OP okay waiting to do shopping with two parents or have one parent stay with the kids while the other parent shops with no kids?

It's also great that many posters had 22 month olds who were comfortable doing the stairs routinely, but it's also completely possible to have a 22 month old who isn't steady enough for the stairs. You get what you get.

So many of these other factors are just as important as the stairs.