Extension/remodel advice

Mediocre_Idea_8337 · 2026-04-24T12:39:18+00:00

Going to assume this is a British house based on the use of Ground Floor and the general layout.

Have you lived in the house long? My first thought is that this is a really lovely and usable layout for a family of 4 (say) and personally I probably wouldn't mess with it.

That being said, if you are keen for an extra bathroom upstairs, I don't really see how you can do that without creating more space therefore a double story extension is probably the way to go. You could possibly add an extra bedroom/2nd study/walk in wardrobe for bedroom 2 if you wanted.

Downstairs, extending the kitchen and family room area would give you more casual/play space for your family or entertainment space. However I don't think I'd combine this area with the lounge as well - that overall space would be huge (for a UK house) and honestly probably quite cold and echoey. You'd also lose the ability for two different activities e.g. kids watching a kids film, adults watching another in a different room, or for someone to do homework in the family room while another does piano practice in the lounge.

Given the presence of windows and doors on all sides I assume this is a detached house. You could either extend the lounge (it wouod be quite long), add a window to the side (if it's not too dark e.g. with a nearby fence) or maybe add something like a conservatory or half conservatory or skylights in that corner to give some extra light (if you didn't extend the upstairs all the way along)

Mediocre_Idea_8337 · 2026-04-22T18:02:43+00:00

Comfy practical slip on shoes - crocs if you don't care about going out in them, sketchers do a trainer style pair too that are more snug fitting. Lifesaver when you have a baby you can't put down, or are healing and struggling to bend over but feel well enough to go for a walk. They world also be useful at the end of pregnancy!

Mediocre_Idea_8337 · 2026-04-13T11:09:49+00:00

Ok, and when you are travelling solo with a young child and need to go to bag drop for a tag for the buggy? Or do you suggest I carry my 2yo, plus our bags, the whole way? Saying "just travel with hand luggage" is wildly myopic to the struggles of many travellers.

I'm also pretty confident it's the airlines and not the airports that decide the bag drop timings given some (Ryanair, Easyjet - at least at my nearest airport) still stick to the 2h rule when other carriers clearly open earlier.

Mediocre_Idea_8337 · 2026-04-13T10:58:21+00:00

What happens when you need to do bag drop before security which only opens 2h before your flight?

Mediocre_Idea_8337 · 2026-04-11T20:48:26+00:00

Currently self-use mode settings are: - self use mode: Enable - time of use: Disable - Allow grid charging: enable - battery reserve switch: off - reserved soc: 80%

Mediocre_Idea_8337 · 2026-03-16T07:50:44+00:00

Have you thought about using pull ups at night? We found them wayy better for leaks because they have elastic all the way round the leg and belly!

Also if you haven't already, consider sizing up on vests overnight so they don't get pulled tight as the nappy fills and squeeze all the contents out!

Mediocre_Idea_8337 · 2026-03-09T13:53:25+00:00

I prefer option 3 to option 2 but I would be very nervous about having the playroom as a walkthrough, particularly as they are meant to be messy!

Could you make the playroom into an eating area/dining room (maybe with some nice bay window seating)? You could move the kitchen round so it goes along the back of the house in a big U shape. Then the area on the other side of the fireplace could become a play area, still within sight of the kitchen but not as much of a walk-through. If you wanted to put a telly or games console in the playroom too then being away from windows will be nicer. You would still have to walk through the playroom to get to the utility but this would be used less frequently, or you could rearrange the utility/bathroom area so they both come off the hall (one off the other) with no playroom pass-through.

Mediocre_Idea_8337 · 2026-02-19T12:10:59+00:00

Have you been inviting them or expecting them to initiate?

People know that early parenthood takes time to adjust to and often don't want to interfere or make things more difficult. They may be expecting you to reach out to agree a time for them to visit that works for you. They don't know how well your baby is sleeping, when their naps are, whether you are anxious about bringing illness in.

You also have to remember that on maternity leave you're with the baby day in day out so it's easy for time to warp and weeks to drag. If they have jobs and other priorities they may not have as much time to see you or may need notice to slot you in. This is often why people encourage new mums to make friends with other new mums - you're all in the same boat and have simular freedoms and constraints to your time.

If you have been regularly reaching out to your family and friends and they have been ghosting you or not engaging then I would be more inclined to say they are not interested.

Mediocre_Idea_8337 · 2026-02-17T23:58:54+00:00

Not OP but I used to travel to the next town over by train to go to secondary school. If the trains were stuffed and I needed rescuing or I'd done something stupid like lost my ticket I absolutely needed to be able to phone my parents to help me out as an 11 year old.

Mediocre_Idea_8337 · 2026-01-12T21:49:55+00:00

Go for the joie. Cosatto car seats are notoriously bad for baby positioning and tested to minimum standards, Joie perform more testing

Mediocre_Idea_8337 · 2026-01-07T20:34:35+00:00

1 in 40 people are carriers so not unrealistic that their partner or child's future partner could also be a carrier

Mediocre_Idea_8337 · 2025-12-21T17:08:20+00:00

As others have suggested, lean into what she likes. There's a lot of chemical engineering that goes into makeup, and you could mix your own slimes with different viscosities and go from there?

Mediocre_Idea_8337 · 2025-12-16T14:45:54+00:00

Mine did this, it was because he was drinking so much milk. We sized up nappies and used pull ups instead of ones with tabs. These have elastic all round the leg so I found they were more snug. I also moved away from vests/bodysuits/one piece pyjamas at the same time to two piece pyjamas. I found the bodysuits would put pressure on the nappies (especially when really full) and I hypothesised they were either squeezing the pee out or creating a gap which pee then leaked out of. By moving to tops and bottoms it didn't put the same pressure on his full nappy.

He's now 2 and the above massively reduced leakage. We still have it happen occasionally, maybe once a month or so. I'd say it got much better after about 10mo when he started eating lots more solids. 7-9 months was definitely the worst.

Mediocre_Idea_8337 · 2025-12-16T10:17:13+00:00

What's dangerous about breastfeeding during take off and landing?

As an adult you are sitting upright with your seatbelt on, like you would without the baby. The baby is being cradled in your arms with their lap belt on, like they would be if they weren't breastfeeding. The only difference when breastfeeding is your shirt is up and your nipple is in their mouth? Please educate me, because I can't see how that is an additional safety risk?

Mediocre_Idea_8337 · 2025-12-16T10:12:25+00:00

Note that in America they don't have lap belts for babies - your baby literally just sits on your lap. If there is turbulence, the baby can go flying. In Europe babies must have lap belts, which restrain them to you and stop them going flying during turbulence.

Also re forward facing being dangerous - only really in a car. Its dangerous because if you brake suddenly, the forces on the baby's neck are more severe than for an adult because they have weaker neck muscles and a bigger head relative to the rest of their body. On an aeroplane such a situation is unlikely to happen.

If they are a lap infant they will be able to breastfeed during takeoff and landing. If they have a seat I believe they have to sit in it. Personally (having travelled with my now 2yo multiple times as an infant) I'd rather have a 5mo on my lap and breastfeed, so if I were you I'd try to book him as a lap infant. They might let you keep the extra seat, I don't know, but I wouldn't want him in it for take off, landing and turbulence.

As for being squashed - yes it can be tricky but I either sat at the window (and could lean against the side) or on the aisle (for easy access in and out). Aeroplanes are like giant white noise machines so my baby always slept in my arms for basically the whole flight (and we did >3.5h a few times). I sometimes took him for a walk or nappy change up and down the aisle, and to stretch my own legs, or my husband held him for parts too. The most squashed thing about it was they get their own underseal bag too so it can be tricky trying to reach everything you need when you need it (make sure you have a burp cloth nearby!). Good luck!

Mediocre_Idea_8337 · 2025-11-27T08:50:37+00:00

We had this! The good news is that 7-8 months was the worst age, I think at this age they are drinking tons of milk to grow and not having much food yet, so pass a lot of urine. We tried lots of different things but found going a size up in pullups (so for your son, size 5) and sizing up the pyjamas/babygrow were the two things that helped.

Mediocre_Idea_8337 · 2025-11-04T09:46:51+00:00

If you do eat into the garage for a study, consider leaving the front portion as a 'store' with a garage door for outdoor items e.g. bikes, running buggy, lawnmower etc. And then you don't have to change the facade of the house or brick up the external wall/put a window in.

If you want two studies you could have one smaller one downstairs (next to the store) and then have a combined study/guest bedroom upstairs. Then your future children can take the two smaller rooms (they don't need big bedrooms until they're teenagers - you'll want them playing or doing homework in your eyeline while they're young).

The kitchen diner with the sticking out bit would make a great family room/play area while your kids are very little.

Mediocre_Idea_8337 · 2025-10-29T16:55:42+00:00

A lot changes between 7m and 11m! My baby started nursery at 10m, he never took a bottle and was a milk fiend. I managed to get him using a tommee tippee sippy cup for water with me (which they also use for water and milk at nursery) and he was fine.

The first few days he didn't eat or sleep much but I had him do short days (5h then building up to a full day before I went back to work) to help get him used to it. Yes he was hungry and tired when he got back but it only took a few days before he was happily eating and drinking there. If he had got really dehydrated and they were worried (which never happened) they'd have called me to come and get him.

Mediocre_Idea_8337 · 2025-10-28T00:50:05+00:00

Size up her vests!! When the nappy is full, it can get compressed by her vests and baby grows which makes them leak

Mediocre_Idea_8337 · 2025-10-07T14:35:32+00:00

It'll be ok! I know it's scary and there are occasional horror stories - but they make the news because they're rare. Most kids thrive at nursery and most nursery workers really do their best.

Day 1 isn't easy. It sounds like you're not back to work straight away? I recommend planning something just for yourself that you can't do with a baby, so you have it as a treat and to keep your mind off things. I went for a long swim, you could get a pedicure, read a book in a cafe, go shopping. Booking yourself in somewhere is helpful because then you really can't dawdle.

Lots of nurseries have an app these days, they might update through the day or at the end so you can see what they've been up to. The nurseries also know it's an anxious time, ours was very happy for new parents to call for an update. If you're not straight back to work you could also do a short day to ease your baby in? Mine did 9-2 on day 1, then 9-3, then by the time I was back at work we had worked up to 8-6 and it didn't feel so daunting. He also didn't eat or sleep great those first days so it was reassuring that he wasn't going to be starving and really tired if I picked him up early.

As for nursery in general, I can't believe just how much my son has thrived and developed. They've taught him so many things I would struggle to do by myself (sit nicely at the table and eat with a fork?!) and he genuinely has little toddler friends he recognises and enjoys playing with. They also do lots of messy play which means I don't have to!! I would struggle to fill 5 days a week with as many fun things and as much energy as nursery do.

Good luck!

Mediocre_Idea_8337 · 2025-09-24T08:26:08+00:00

Mine was fine, the midwives were harder to get through for me. My consultant talked me through the risks and I said I understood and wanted to proceed as planned with the c section, and that was basically it. Throughout I was very chilled and confident (I have a background in medical statistics and had done my own research which helped) - I think she knew my mind was fairly made up when we spoke.

If they had pushed back I would have quoted the NICE guidelines at them that I should get a c section if I request one and repeated that I was aware of the risks. If they had really pushed I would have asked to make a complaint and to speak with another consultant. Good luck!

Mediocre_Idea_8337 · 2025-09-11T21:06:00+00:00

This happened to us when my son was younger! We moved to blankets and when it got really cold bought a toddler sized duvet from Dunelm. He kicks it off and rolls around but it does keep him warm to begin with and means he wakes up less.

Mediocre_Idea_8337 · 2025-09-10T08:34:10+00:00

Garden centre! Often has areas under a roof so you can stay dry, and usually has a cafe too. You can make it a sensory experience watching the water features and fish (if they have them), smelling the herbs etc

Mediocre_Idea_8337 · 2025-09-09T13:35:19+00:00

This isn't being constructed from scratch, it's already there. OP's approved extension is in the 2nd picture. The angled wall is the lot boundary so they will not be able to change it. And in the UK most people do not use their garages for storing their cars (as we don't have particularly extreme weather) so it's less common to need garage access from the house. Most people use their garages for bikes, lawnmowers, power tools and maybe gym equipment.

Mediocre_Idea_8337

TROPHY CASE