This is a sponsored post.
Once we found out I was pregnant, moving house was high up on our agenda. At the time, we were living in a first floor maisonette, which was lovely but incredibly small. We knew we’d need more space for life as a family of three, but the specifics of exactly what kind of space would be best were lost on us. We had no idea. We moved into a lovely little two bedroomed house, complete with small garden thinking it’d be absolutely perfect.
Don’t get me wrong, I do love our house. But there is lots about it that aren’t ideal when it comes to parenting a baby or toddler. So it got me thinking: what would be the perfect home for babies and toddlers? Here’s what I’d pick – how about you?
Triple the Space
No matter how big you think a house is for children, you always end up needing a lot more space than you could have imagined. When we first moved into our home, it felt palatial! But now? We’re crowded by toys, prams and clothes and suddenly, everything feels very cramped.
It always reminds of that scene in Friends where Joey thinks his apartment is more than big enough to house both Rachel and baby Emma. Because we’ve all thought that at some point right? A baby is so small… how much space can you really need? It turns out: a lot. And I have a theory that no matter how much space you have, it’ll never be enough.
Wall to Wall Storage
There’s a reason the Ikea KALLAX is so popular with parents. It offers maximum storage, in a relatively small space, and it’s easy to just scoop up all the toddler paraphernalia at the end of the day, pop it in a box and hide it away until morning. We actually have a nine box TOMNAS unit in our lounge which I absolutely love, but I’m constantly wanting to head back to our nearest Ikea and grabbing ourselves another 8 box unit.
Carpet Free Feeding Area
Our carpet is absolutely wrecked. I dread to think of the amount of times it’s been splattered with a variety of foods… and there are some stains that just don’t come out, no matter how hard you scrub. It’s a great cause of embarrassment for me every time someone comes over to visit, and no matter how many times I pull out our Messy Me mat, the food somehow still manages to find the pale blue carpet. Our plain carpet is looking woefully worse for wear, and if I could go back in time, I’d find somewhere to live that has an easily wipeable floor in the dining area. It’d be the dream to have something like this amtico flooring.
Located Near the Park
The one thing that I do absolutely love about our house is it’s location. It’s just a ten minute walk (for adults, make it thirty with a toddler!) to the gorgeous lake in our town which has lots of wide open spaces and a pretty decent playground. If I’m ever having a bad, stressful or tiring day, it just takes me two minutes of walking to feel like I’ve completely stepped away from it all. Not only is it good for free trips out with Pickle, but it’s the perfect place to do a bit of exercise too when I get some time away too. With it’s own parkrun too, it’s definitely my favourite place.
What have I missed?
Is there anything you think I’ve missed? How would you design your dream home for life as a parent? I’d love to hear your suggestions (even better if they’re likely to make me giggle), so leave me a comment and I’ll tell you if I agree or not.
Disclaimer: this is a sponsored post. All content ideas, opinions and views are my own, and remain, as always, 100% honest.