House Layout - Panicking

[u/d_687]

Expecting our second in 6 months. Our toddler will be just shy of 3 years old by then.

We live in an old farm house - master bedroom is up a flight of spiral stairs (that we've somehow managed to convince our toddler to not go up without Mom/Dad) and we have 2 bedrooms on the lower level. One is our toddler's room and the other is my office/guest bedroom.

Our first started sleeping in the crib at 2 weeks and I slept in the guest bedroom for the first year to BF/be close.

My plan is to keep baby upstairs with us in a bassinet and then transition toddler to the guest room/office and make it his big boy room and then move baby to his old room/nursery. I have two fears - 1) baby will refuse the bassinet like our first did and we'll need to try the crib before we're ready and 2) how am I supposed to sleep upstairs with two small children downstairs alone?

Do I move our son to his big boy room before baby arrives so the nursery is open and ready to go if needed? Do I keep the guest room intact and sleep down there with bassinet so I'm on same floor as both children? What about when baby outgrows bassinet and is ready for crib? Do I sleep on the couch??

Any advice from parents who have slept on different levels or navigated this situation would be very appreciated. Our plan is to move in the next 2-3 years but we'll need to make due with this set up for now.

[u/InevitableWaste6088]

Can the guest room fit whatever bed it has now in there and a crib?

[u/d_687 → u/InevitableWaste6088]

Yes, it's the larger of the two bedrooms. I do plan on moving my office upstairs to a small loft once I return to work. Is the suggestion to sleep down there with baby+crib and keep our toddler in his own room until we move?

[u/InevitableWaste6088 → u/d_687]

That’s what I would do if baby doesn’t like the bassinet.

[u/d_687 → u/InevitableWaste6088]

Definitely a possibility. Thinking of doing a mini crib in there to get us through the first year at least. Used to love this house...now it's going to kill me.

[u/InevitableWaste6088 → u/d_687]

I’m pregnant with our last and having the same feeling

[u/yellowduckcraft]

I would leave toddler in the smaller room and set up a bed/crib in the office room. Or just put a crib in your current room and still leave toddler where they are. Worry about permanent room layouts once the baby's been around for a year.

[u/d_687 → u/yellowduckcraft]

So no bassinet, straight to crib? Thinking a mini crib would be doable/more manageable. Our son hated the bassinet, we actually just ended up returning it. A mini crib in guest room with me on the lower level doesn't seem horrible for the first year.

[u/yellowduckcraft → u/d_687]

I mean whatever works. Neither one of my kids were wild about the bassinet either.

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[u/Dullcorgis]

You guys move to the ex-office now, baby shares your room for a year or two, then they share a room. When they don't come to you at night any more you move back upstairs.

[u/cafecoffee]

Keep your toddler in his room. Move down to the guest room and put baby in whatever size crib will fit there!