Brownstone Walk-Up w/ Toddler & New Born - NEED ADVICE
We are thinking about moving from an elevator building to a 3rd floor walk-up brownstone. Our daughter is 2-1/2 and youngest daughter is 2 months old. Is this doable or are all those stairs (including the ones on the stoop) a deal breaker? My wife isn’t sure she will be able to handle the stroller…
We are thinking about moving from an elevator building to a 3rd floor walk-up brownstone. Our daughter is 2-1/2 and youngest daughter is 2 months old. Is this doable or are all those stairs (including the ones on the stoop) a deal breaker? My wife isn’t sure she will be able to handle the stroller and both kids.
OP, give this a read, you and your wife can share a chuckle or two… 🙂
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B00E7D81538F931A1575BC0A96F958260
Better think twice. Apartment buildings have much better noise insulation between floors. Two young one running around on a floor of a brownstoner are going to drive your downstairs neighbor bonkos. Nothing but fights for years.
Easily three times as bad as in real apt. building.
And then the running up and down the stairs by kids will drive everyone insane.
Stick to elevator buildings (or 1st floors).
For goodness sakes then just click into the links that deal with the subjects that you’re interested in.
Or, ask the questions you need answers to and wait for responses.
Go have a second cup of coffee, have breakfast,
relax! 🙂
Yes!!! You articulated it so well. All other information on this site is useless because ppl have children and have advice on living in brownstones when you have children.
Shame on all you breeders. Don’t you know? Only the childless can own in BK, or if you do have children, even if someone asks for advice, keep your opinions to yourself otherwise 9:01 will never come back.
I thought I could get some good advice on renovating my house on this blog, but it seems carrying your toddler up the stairs gets the most comments. Now I know that the info on this site is suspect.
We just moved up from a 1 br in an elevator/doorman for a 3br in a 3rd floor walkup. we have a 1 yr old and hope to have another child soon. It’ll be tough for 3 or 4 years but we couldn’t have gotten this much space in an elevator co-op. We don’t plan to move again, also.
Not sure what the big deal is…I grew up in a 3 story house (incl. bedrooms in finished attic…obviosly my mom had to tote me and my brother up and down at least one flight of stairs several times a day.
We live in 5th floor walk-up, just had baby, and it’s actually no big deal. We were worried for a long time about it – especially as wife got more pregnant. She handled it – but she is hardy. You get used to it. And usually, you can save some money because other people (for various reasons) automatically exclude places up lots of stairs. You’d be surprised what you get used to.
Years ago when I rented a 5th floor walkup in paris, it was interesting that all my American friends were horrified and suggested I look elsewhere, and my French acquaintances thought it perfectly normal and said it was good exercise.
We have a different viewpoint on quality of life here. What’s normal elsewhere is subject to endless heartbreak. When we moved here with a 2-1/2yr old, we got rid of the stroller in a month (after having to lug it around subways) and he had no problem. Many of his friends were in strollers until 4 or later…parents say “they just wont walk”. Well, no, not if you dont make ’em. We dont have a car, so my now 9yr old can happily walk a mile or two with no fuss.
Bottom line: there *should* be no problem with your quandary. But if you feel insecure about this, don’t do it.
It’s a real schlep. How are your backs?
Note that if your older one falls asleep in the stroller, which probably happens a lot, you will always have to wake her to get her into the house — and that may not be pretty and it sure won’t make it any easier getting the groggy kids upstairs.