Moving house?

[DiddlePlumbs]

I'm curious as to whether anybody is moving house before their LO is born?

Me and partner live in a house share ATM and are desperately looking for somewhere to move to. We've not got enough money to buy so we've got to rent. Trouble is, there's nothing about within our price range, and I can't look at any 2 bed council houses until I get my matb1 form which is another 9 weeks (16weeks atm) so we're just kind of stuck in limbo. We can't go out and fully prepare for baby because we're running out of places to store everything (pram already at his sisters and cotbed and mattress at my grandads) and we can't decorate and it's SO frustrating!!

So I'm just wondering if anyone else is in a similar situation and how they're coping with it? Cause currently I keep getting so stressed about it.

 

[Emmaw_9]

I just want to wish you luck!
I moved house at 33 weeks. (I was 12 weeks when we put the offer in) We had only been in 4 weeks when he arrived so as you can imagine not much was done.
He's nearly 6 months now and we are beginning to start all the jobs and decorating!
Stress is the worst thing you can do!! I took my mat leave 2 weeks early in the vain hope of sorting stuff out (didnt happen, he was 3 weeks early)
Is that an option?
Just want to say don't worry really, it will all come together in the end!

 

[H16]

We have the same problem hun. At the min we live in a tiny privately rented 2 bed flat. The second bedroom is super small and is full of our bedroom furniture that is too big to fit in the small master bedroom so when baby comes there would literally be no room for them to sleep in there so we are going to have to move. Thing is I don't get maternity pay as not worked in my job long enough and OH doesn't earn much so no idea how we will afford to move either! It is seriously stressing me out x

 

[DiddlePlumbs]

I know it will in the end - it kinda has to! lol I just really wanted to at least have nursery done and I'm itching to do it! Even more so once we find out the sex in June and know if it's going to be yellow/green. I probably could leave earlier cause I have a lot of support from my coworkers but idk. It's such a big thing choosing what's going to be your home for the next X amount of years but I feel like I can't be picky?

Have you got family/friends that can help you move/decorate? That's what I'm relying on Everyone keeps saying not to stress, and I know you shouldn't, but it's really hard not to!

 

[Ella1979]

I want to wish you luck too! It's incredibly stressful, especially if you don't have a lot of space. We were in a small 2-bed and my OH has heaps of stuff. We put our house on the market when I was around 5 weeks pregnant and it didn't sell until a couple of weeks before our LO arrived! I ended up having to get my OH to pack a load of his stuff off to his mum's so that we could create a bit of space for a crib and somewhere to change her. We never made a proper nursery or decorated or anything. We hadn't found a place at the time when our house was sold, so had to move in with my parents for a while. Such a relief when we finally moved into our new house and were able to make a proper nursery. Our LO was 5 months old at the time.

It always seems to be the way - just at the point where you could do without the stress of moving, you have to move!

My suggestion would be to plan according to the current space you have. I know it's not ideal at all, but it worked to reduce my stress levels. I made room for just the essentials. Have you got a car you could store the pram in once the baby is here? Have you got a small moses basket for your LO? This will be absolutely fine for at least the first few months. We ended up getting a small crib because it just about fitted in the gap between a wardrobe and chest of drawers!

 

[DiddlePlumbs]

Yeah we have a small moses basket for the first few months. As strange as it sounds, a little bit of a relief to hear that other people have done it. I suppose cause it show's it can be done! @H16, do you feel the same?

In the process of seeing how much of our stuff we don't really need/can get rid of to create some space!

 

[Gemsy]

We've just moved - we were living in a small one bed flat without our own kitchen. It was great for us, as we could be on site for our business, but not practical AT ALL for a baby. One of the first things I did was get us moved as I knew I just couldn't settle otherwise. I'm glad we've got it out of the way early, but honestly - don't stress, it will all work out. All babies really need is love and food - the rest will sort out in the end. x

 

[mummyoftwo12]

I'm in the middle of an exchange ATM and I'm sooo stressed..repairs that needed doing I've had to pay for then had the electrical man come and change light fittings leaving massive holes in the ceiling and they are trying to say I will have to pay for the ceiling to be plastered!..I can't afford that and don't see why I should since I never damaged the ceiling!..I'm stressed to bits cos i don't want this to effect the move..we have a date set for the 7th and my bubs is due 17th..stressed is not even the word anymore! lol xx

 

[DiddlePlumbs]

I wish you luck! I hope it all goes well. It's ridiculous that you've got to pay for the ceiling though!

 

[SaraLouise]

We are inbetween moves at the moment & I'm 33 weeks tomorrow. Our old house sold for a higher than asking price on the basis that we would move out straight away, so we are staying with my OHs parents. Hopefully our new house will be ready before little one arrives, but the occupants of our new house are waiting on a new build and there's won't be ready til beginning of July & he is due July 11th.

I think moving out was far more stressful than it will be to move into our new house as most of the stuff is already in boxes like all the kitchen stuff & we won't have to do all the little things to the house before we move like cleaning ect.

It is/was super stressful though & I certainly wouldnt recommend it if you can avoid it!

 

[H16]

Yeah we have a small moses basket for the first few months. As strange as it sounds, a little bit of a relief to hear that other people have done it. I suppose cause it show's it can be done! @H16, do you feel the same?

In the process of seeing how much of our stuff we don't really need/can get rid of to create some space!

Yeah, I think if you have to make do with the circumstances you're in you just find a way to cope. I have already decided I am not buying a crib straight away, getting a moses basket for the first couple of months and hopefully by time bubs grows out of it we will have moved x

 

[Rebecca89]

we are going to have to move before the baby is born, currently renting my grandads house from him as he is in a care home, its a nice big 3 bed house but its just not a long term solution, i want us to be settled somewhere that we know wont be sold from beneath us before the baby arrives so will be looking properly for somewhere else to rent/buy as soon as possible! xxx

 

[Juice]

I'm curious as to whether anybody is moving house before their LO is born?

Me and partner live in a house share ATM and are desperately looking for somewhere to move to. We've not got enough money to buy so we've got to rent. Trouble is, there's nothing about within our price range, and I can't look at any 2 bed council houses until I get my matb1 form which is another 9 weeks (16weeks atm) so we're just kind of stuck in limbo. We can't go out and fully prepare for baby because we're running out of places to store everything (pram already at his sisters and cotbed and mattress at my grandads) and we can't decorate and it's SO frustrating!!

So I'm just wondering if anyone else is in a similar situation and how they're coping with it? Cause currently I keep getting so stressed about it.

You can have your MatB1 form from 20 weeks pregnant, you just have to ask for it, so that's only 4 weeks you have to wait, not 9

 

[Kimmyj_b]

We live in a two bed flat on the 4th floor without any lifts we need to move but can't immediately and when I'm not working, we wouldn't be able to afford it. It is worrying me slightly.

 

[Constantstar]

We live in a two bed flat on the 4th floor without any lifts we need to move but can't immediately and when I'm not working, we wouldn't be able to afford it. It is worrying me slightly.

We live third floor no lifts and altho is a struggle coped fine with baby. Now second one on way im sure it will be a struggle but u cope u have to. We bought part buy part rent and havent got a lump sumo deposit to move atm so not as easy as giving notice to landlord and getting a new rental!

mummy to ds 11/7/11
pregnant *team pink* due 12/9/13

 

[Emma_grace]

We are currently in a tiny one bed flat in a horrible area and we are having the same problem, our council are saying that babies don't count until they're here so we won't be able to get housing benefit/apply for a council house until baby is here, which is going to mean moving with a tiny baby in tow and not being able to prepare beforehand at all

I don't earn enough from my job to be able to afford a bigger place without help! It's really stressful

 

[DiddlePlumbs]

You can have your MatB1 form from 20 weeks pregnant, you just have to ask for it, so that's only 4 weeks you have to wait, not 9

I may look into that when I go for my 20wk scan then! When my midwife said 25 weeks I thought that seemed quite late?

@Emma_Grace What's your local council? We signed up to our council list and put that we were expecting and when the banding letter came through it said that as soon as we get our MatB1 form to hand it in and they'll re-access and I presume we'll then be able to look at 2 beds. If you've not signed up already, I think it's worth doing, makes it a lot simpler when LO is here and then you won't have to start the application from scratch. (If that makes sense?)

 

[Juice]

You can have your MatB1 form from 20 weeks pregnant, you just have to ask for it, so that's only 4 weeks you have to wait, not 9

I may look into that when I go for my 20wk scan then! When my midwife said 25 weeks I thought that seemed quite late?

@Emma_Grace What's your local council? We signed up to our council list and put that we were expecting and when the banding letter came through it said that as soon as we get our MatB1 form to hand it in and they'll re-access and I presume we'll then be able to look at 2 beds. If you've not signed up already, I think it's worth doing, makes it a lot simpler when LO is here and then you won't have to start the application from scratch. (If that makes sense?)

My local council are the same. We can get a 2 bedroom flat/house when we submit a matb1 form but we have to pay the bedroom tax until baby is born because their room isn't being used until then.

 

[DiddlePlumbs]

WHAT?! That is utterly ridiculous!! I can't believe that.

 

[Juice]

It's a bit silly but I guess we're lucky as some councils won't even give you a 2 bedroom property at all until your baby is one. I try not to get annoyed about it too much or I'll just explode lol