"Move to a ground floor!" is what I said to my pregnant friend who lived in the top floor apartment of a three story non-elevator building with those strange outside stairs we have here in Montreal (um, it gets cold and snowy here, hello!). But she preferred to stay put and appreciate all that great top-floor light. Here's how she dealt with it while going through first kid, pregnancy and second kid:
1. Keep the diaper bag very basic. A couple diapers, a ziplock with a few wipes, snacks or bottle, that's it. Baby doesn't need more, and most of the time, if you go out for longer periods of time, there are most likely other mommies there with supplies.
2. Use the baby carrier. When they are infants, it's what's easiest. But my friend used it for quite a while when she only had one kid, even if it was just to go up the stairs with her 18 month-old on her back (even while pregnant, so clearly, living on the last floor assumes you are in good health without pregnancy complications!) . Then, when she had a two year-old and an infant, she had her two year old walking up in front of her with her infant in the carrier.
3. Make it a game. I think her kids both learned to count while walking up the stairs! They also had time to sing their favorite songs from school since they would take their time. She did, however, really try not to make it competitive so it wouldn't be dangerous with pushing, etc. Being a photographer, she also used that time as inspiration to take typical Montreal photos. Many creative people can surely find inspiration (positive or negative) in this!
4. If you have to have a stroller, either only use the light umbrella kind, or try to negotiate with the first floor neighbor to lock it on their railing or porch. If this isn't an option, I've had friends bring up the kids and come back down for the stroller, the easiest being the kind of stroller that has a separate seat from the frame, since you can take the bassinet or seat with kid in it first. If you're lucky, your building's stairs are indoors and there is a storage space in the foyer. And of course, when there is snow, it's all about sleds, and those are pretty light to carry.
5. Have groceries delivered.
6. Never, EVER, forget to have the kids go to the bathroom before leaving the house!
7. Have landmarks for kids to stop on. When my friend's kids got a little older, they would run down the stairs a little too quickly, and she was scared they would run off in the street. She was able to establish that the round knob at the end of the railing of the stairs had to be touched with one hand until she was there. It got to be so routine that even their friends would do it before going up and when coming down.
(images: Art Prints by Sylviane Robini, available at Society 6)
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These are great tips. I would also add: Warn visitors beforehand! Although I managed while pregnant and with a newborn to climb four flights on a daily basis, I had pregnant friends scoff at going up the stairs. I also had a few people ask to hold playdates at their house (instead of mine) because they were unable to climb the stairs with the baby in a carseat.
Third floor? That's 2 flights of stairs. Hardly an epic feat of strength.
Mostly great list, but...
I'm all for traveling light with a diaper bag, but don't make a habit of bumming off other parents. Nobody appreciates a mooch, I don't care how cute your baby is.
@Holiday05
These are outdoor staircases in Montreal the original poster is talking about. These staircases are usually narrow, made of metal and covered in snow for 8 months out of the year. Sooo not the same as indoor staircases.
Just wanted to clarify.
Number 6 should be the rule no matter where you live. Go before you go!
Our upstairs neighbor was always going up and down stairs with the kids to do laundry in the basement in addition to the regular many, many trips in and out. Luckily, I really loved those kids and enjoyed hearing them sing and play in the hall. I always tried to duck my head out and play with them for a few minutes when I could so their mom could make grocery runs while I kept them occupied.
I live on the top floor of a triplex in the Plateau, too. Most of the time I much prefer it; after all, top floor means no upstairs neighbours stepping on your head. But in the winter, or when I have heavy stuff to carry, it can be a pain. Plus, I don't have kids. These are great tips, for sure.
I'd also add, if you get on well with your ground floor neighbours, you might be able to negotiate for the use of some space to store something like a stroller or a bike.
You DO need a change of clothes in the diaper bag. Being the mom who has a diaper explosion and then has to carry the baby home covered in feces in a baby carrier is just not an acceptable tradeoff for a slightly lighter bag!
@thorndale, you sound like a great neighbour!
Yikes. Well, at least you'll have buns and calves of steel.
I have a baby, and have never been SO grateful to live on the 1st floor.
Also, I bet the neighbors living below her doesn't appreciate all the thundering about.
Fantastic list! I really love the last one - what a great tip. We're in Montreal, and we have friends in a third-floor apartment who are considering whether they should move before the babies come along. I'm totally sending them this article.
Hello fellow montrealers! Shauntelle makes a compelling point but the winters last about 6 months. These stairs are hard on anyone, even more so a pregnant woman. Justkazari mention the thundering. Yes it can be annoying but it does not last long, the whining on the other hand... Let's just say my neighbours and I are don't miss the lady upstairs with the three toddlers.
@Holiday05: Perhaps you have not been pregnant and carrying a screeching toddler plus your work bag and laptop up those two flights of stairs. Those of have are entitled to feel like epic heroes.
*those of us who have* (sorry)
I used to live in Montreal and was told that the outdoor spiral staircases became popular years ago when homes were taxed by the square foot, which included indoor staircases. They're gorgeous to look at but I agree they're a pain in the butt in winter!
I echo the need for a change of clothes for babies under 6 months, but do agree that the over-packed diaper bag hurts more than it helps. A small backpack or fanny pack is handy. (There ARE cool ones, I swear!)
Having lived on the 5 and 6th floor of a narrow, tall, 1680 canal house in Amsterdam, whilst pregnant, then with baby, then toddler, and without a car, I learned a few things. (i) It's awesome: you can quit your gym membership! (ii) Invest in a good carrier and only bring basics when going on outings (fully agree with above list, except maybe add a change of clothes for accidents) (iii) Become besties with your neighbours so they'll let you hang your Bugaboo or whichever stroller you use, on a hook in the corridor on the ground or first floor. (iv) Teach your baby to crawl up stairs at the earliest opportunity. Mine could confidently scoot up stairs loooooong before she could walk. (v) Pay for supermarkets to deliver heavy goods or bulky items such as water/other bottles, to your house. (Ensure the small print clearly states delivery is to your kitchen, not your front door, or it could get messy / be a big dissapointment). (vi) Whatever you do, do NOT leave your keys in the front door and only find out when you've finally made it to your own door....
in my neighborhood some people lock their strollers to the outside fence. i used to raise and lower items in a basket rather than transport via the stairs. especially the garbage.
Can I add one (helpful to anyone with more than one child or a lot of stairs!)?
Have your child carry their own stuff.
Once they are steady on their feet a child sized backpack can easily hold a couple diapers, baggies of wipes, a small drink and snack without being too heavy.
We have used the clip on leash backpack (sans leash) because the chest buckles kept the kids from dropping their backpacks and us not realizing for many blocks or until we were in need of a diaper.
Now that they keep up with their stuff better each kid has a toddler size pack from sugar booger and we LOVE them. Our younger diapered toddlers each carry 2 diapers, a small pack of wipes, cup and a toy. Our potty training toddler carries his folding potty seat and a change of pants along with whatever treasures he is choosing to lug around for the day.
I keep a carabiner on my bag and when we end up somewhere the kids can't or don't want to carry their bags I just clip them all onto the strap of my bag.
Oh my gosh, after reading this (I don't have children) I agree that the parents going up and down these steps with kids and stuff absolutely are heroes!
Good Karma to those of you who live the 'walk up' life. I'm doing it with a three floor walk up building for an organization. After several years, it STILL seems like a chore going up (and not all that great going down when carrying stuff).
Jamie, I totally agree with having your kids carry their own stuff! And everyone should make better use of back packs - for babies, for groceries, for laptops etc. I can not understand why more people don't use back packs more regularly, having your hands free is such a bonus, especially when dealing with kids.
I used to live on the first floor and my 3rd floor neighbors used to leave their stroller outside MY door--like they owned the hallway--without asking. Then, they would yell at me at every opportunity if my bike was so much as touching their portion of our storage area. Made me want to chuck their stroller into the street! Eventually, I told them they shouldn't feel entitled to leave their stroller in my space because they chose to procreate. Then, I began to rent a SFH instead.