People w/ kids - could use some advice on space.

was there many moons ago....

save your money...with two kids under three the only thing that matters is getting some real sleep and down time.

the space will be a lot more important as the years go on...if you live in manhattan, a play room is an room that a kid happens to in at that time.

only have 1 kid, but still... will prefer to save the $40-50k and spend it on getting out of the city more and the rest half and half for each kid (for their "retirement"/college savings :-) ). it depends on how claustrophobic and outdoors your family is though.

I'm a space hog and also a pack rat. That aside, if you're organized & neat, a classic 5 with a good layout is fine for 2 kids under 3. The only potential downfall is if one child is a light sleeper. I had one of those. She needed her own room at 6 mos. Even the sound of our breathing kept her up.

Any interest in other people? If so, you can always use other people's apartments in your building as play rooms. If not, perhaps you can just pretend you like them/their kids/pets/snack foods. Or the hallway. Or the building's play room. Plus outside, of course, esp if you're close to Riverside or Central Park. But if you already have friends in a building with an available rental, I find this can double your happiness, if not your actual space.
Tina
(Brooklyn broker)

Wherever you are, the children will want to be. Get a bedroom with ample space to lay out a train track or an Hot wheels set (and two beds of course) and forgo the notion of a playroom. Keep the LR for the grown-ups and keep the extra money for: School, Camp, Ipods, Cell phones, PSPs Nikes and all the other things you swore you would never buy your kids

To some extent I think it depends if your kids are the same sex or not. I raised two boys in a 5 1/2 very happily. They shared a room and had bunk beds. When they got to school age, we got a live-in au-pair and it all got too close. The boys were 10 and 7 when we moved into a 7 and they got their own rooms. 5 years later the au pair was gone and we got a dandy home office -- now the boys are gone and we're rattling around - have rooms we never go into.

My sibling and I shared a bedroom until we were 6 and 3--it was fine, even fun. Money could be better spent (or saved) elsewhere imho

funny- i thought everyone would scream "get the space, get the space!!!"

helpful responses. thanks.

frugal's the new black. i agree, as long as the 5 is a generous one.

My daughter just said to me "I wish we owned our old apartment." This being the apartment in which she and her sister shared a huge (20x12) bedroom. Now they share a smaller bedroom (bunk beds), which is fine by me. We even stole their walk-in closet to make a laundry room. It's less to clean, and they find places to play everywhere. So, y'know, eff them and their broken dreams.

We keep the living/dining/kitchen area free of kids toys in the evening, and we put our one TV in our bedroom - which we don't use during the kids' waking hours anyway. Every room works harder when you have fewer of them, so make sure they're up to the task.

I always advise my clients to avoid permanent solutions to temporary problems. So yes - rent in a smaller place for a while. See what your tolerances are. And as your kids get bigger, and their toys get smaller, you may wonder why you thought you needed all that space in the first place. Or not. You'll see, right?

Tina
(Brooklyn broker)

We have 3 kids under five. We had a two bedroom with two kids (no extra dining room) and were fine and could have stayed for at least two more years. When we added the third, we needed the three bedrooms. You would be just fine in a classic five. My preference (if feasible) would be cheaper apartment with a place to rent out of the city for weekends.

interesting....wish i had a time machine to ask this same question 18 months ago.

We have two young kids and are very content in a smallish two bedroom. On sunny days, we set off for the marvelous UWS parks and playgrounds, and on rainy days, we go down to the building's playroom, which I have found to be a lifesaver.

Tina...The toys do get smaller but those darn kids keep getting bigger!

I know. I'm gonna have to give up my tiny office eventually.

PLAYROOMS - Common playrooms in a building. Do you get a lot of use out of them?? I'm wondering if this should be at the top of my list for our next place. I'm really liking the idea...

depends on the building. some are very active, others dead. try to ask around at the closest playground, see if anyone lives in the building who might know, if it really matters to you.

they can be a life saver in awful weather. we've never had one, but daughter had friends who did. also if you decide to go the less space route, it will be quite a bit more attractive, obviously.

no brainer, less space, save the loot. No matter how big your apt or house. 95% of your time is spent in the kitchen, family room, bedroom or bathroom. Also, less space means less to clean, furnish, cool, repaint, and eventually you will get to a point where even cloth purchases will remind you, where the hell am I going to put this new sweater?

I would choose the larger space. When you look at a smaller apartment, you will think that you can make do. HOWEVER, once you move in, I guarnatee you that the apartment will seem smaller and you may even wonder if it "shrunk"

always the contrarian.

I'm sorry, but I was unaware that this thread was an echo chamber for everyone to agree with one another.

it was a joke. sorry.

AR, did you hear an echo? HELLO - hello - h-e-l-l-o-o-o-o