Apartment Living with Kids

We moved around a lot when kiddo was little, and for us, it was mostly apts (in some areas, rental houses are cheaper than apts).

We ALWAYS lived on the bottom floor... so we could jump, walk, run, bounce, slide, and ride (indoor rideable toys, like the PlasmaCar -indoor/outdoot, are awesome!) to our hearts' content.

ALSO... don't forget to look into low-income or "income verified" (meaning you have to make below a certain number) housing. YEARS later I'm still kicking myself, because just two blocks down from us (aka same neighborhood) there was a townhome complex that was low income / "income verified". SWEET townhomes with yards, and playgrounds, and just over all amazing. Filled mostly with single parents, student parents, and young families just starting out. All for 25% of what we were paying for our MUCH smaller, no yard, apt. And we qualified by a mile. Sigh.

When you're looking for apts... LOOK for child-friendly apts. Ones with playgrounds that are in use AND have parents present, kids toys left about (means that it's safe to leave them about/ won't get stolen), and some even have onsite daycare or YMCA pickup. When you're in a community that is mostly family oriented "kid noise" is just that, no big deal.

ALSO look for apts with washer/dryers in unit, and be sure to check out the heating/air conditioning. Which are BIG when you're in a small space with a small child.

Hi N., you didn't mentioned how old your son is. I would get a down stairs, because it you live over someone they will probably complain. One of my daycare parents lived in an apartment and she lived upstairs, and her daughter could not play, because it was so loud (Normal Play) on her neighbors ceilling that they always complained. You also have to teach your child to be mindful of other people and you can't just let him run all over the place in an apartment, so my advice is teach your child no screaming and get a downsatirs apartment.

Hi N., you've got to do what's best for you and your son. So to sum it up, screw the neighbors.

We live in a townhouse which shares (very thin) walls with two sets of neighbors. One set works nights and is up with the TV/radio/voices blaring from 8pm -5 am on the nights they don't work. The other set is pretty quiet but our son's room is close to their side and he has been waking up 4- 5 times a night crying and screaming. They bang on the walls. (like we can really do much about it!) But we really like where we live.

So, the moral of my story is, everyone does what they have to. Sure we get mad at the neighbors that are up late making noise, but we are over it by morning. And sure our other neighbors are mad at us for a crying baby, but that's life.

If I cared enough, I would probably go over and apologise to the neighbors and explain that the little guy is teething and this won't last forever but because they banged on the walls (which incited more crying) I can't be bothered with the effort. You will be fine in apartment. I'll bet that you will enjoy having your own space again so much that you won't even be worried about being the "loud" neighbor!

What about renting a townhouse. We are in between houses right now, we can't move into our house until Aug 31 and we are renting a townhouse. I knew that I wanted to try to get a townhouse or duplex because my daughter LOVES to be outside, even if it is to just go out and sit in a chair and eat a snack. I am so glad we found one because it has made things so easy for a number of reasons. I love that my son can be taking a nap, but my daughter and I are able to go outside and play. If I was in an apartment, I wouldn't be able to do that. If we weren't able to get a townhouse, I wanted to at least get an apartment on the first floor.

I live in an apartment... Right now my DD is only 3 months old, but she is teething and cries a lot. Luckily for me, the neighbors below us also have a baby, so they understand...and the ones next to us have a yippy dog. so they can't complain. lol.~the good news is my daughter is gonna be able to sleep through ANYTHING~ Most people understand that apartment life means dealing with neighbor's noises...but there are the jerks who will throw fits. Just apologize about the noise and point out his age... you will have to live around these people for the length of your lease, so it's best not to make enemies. Also, I agree with a previous poster about trying for the ground floor. We are on the 3rd floor of our apartment, and every time we want to go anywhere I have to haul the carseat...stroller... (groceries suck too) etc.. up/down 3 flights of stairs. Not very easy when you are trying to keep track of the kiddo too!

Riley J. has said it all. :) I'll add my daughter's experience. My daughter has lived for 10 years in an apartment complex funded by a program called Affordable Housing. It's also said to be for moderate to low incomes. She now makes too much money to be able to stay there but once you're in and a satisfactory tenant you can stay. She would like to move because there is a fast turnover of families and because a noticeable percentage of the families are noisier than she'd like. For example Somalians tend to have large extended families and even tho they live in different apartments they keep their doors open and treat the hallway as a part of their home. Then there are young couples in which the men believe that their main responsibility is to earn the money and spend off work time hot roding around the parking lot and smoking in groups near the front entrance. She said this was fine when she was young but now that her kids are 7 and 10 and she's 30 she'd like to live a more traditional life style and where she could make friends. She did have friends living there the first few years but up until recently she didn't have anyone that she would trust with her children. She'd be willing to live in a kid friendly apartment complex that had a more stable population and people with whom she had more in common.

It sounds like what Riley is talking about is similar but has a better potential for stability because it attracts a different sort of tenant. Be sure to hang around and see what happens during the evening before renting. And ask about the average length of stay for tenants. If I were to rent somewhere I'd also look around to see the general feel of the neighborhood. Are there junkers parked in the parking lot or across the street in the residential area? Are kids playing in the parking lot even tho there is a playground. Are the children on the playground being supervised. How is the trash handled. That sort of thing.

By the way, both of her children are spirited, high maintenance kids who are very noisy. They have no one living below them. But the neighbor to the side and the one upstairs have complained. But she's only had the 2 complaints in the 10 years she's lived there. She's complained several times about really loud music keeping them awake. Every time, the noise has been reduced and the neighbors have still been OK with her. She talks with the neighbor first, tho.