When my husband and I bought our first house, we tried to anticipate the needs of the babies we hoped to have. The house had three bedrooms, a big flat level yard for playing, and was in a top rated school district.

What we did not foresee was that the spiral floating staircase would necessitate extensive custom baby proofing when we had a cruising toddler. The "open plan" layout which had been great for adult entertaining later became problematic when the happy noise of children was channeled throughout the house.

The ski-slope driveway led to another set of issues. With the first sign of snow on our driveway, nervous neighborhood parents canceled play dates.

When buying a home, it's important to look at your future needs as well as your current ones. According to the National Association of Home Builders some important things to consider are:

Lifestyle

• Do you entertain frequently?
  
• Do you have plans to expand your family?
  
• Do you need rooms to retreat for privacy?

Size


• Square footage does not always equal useable space. Consider the placement of furniture in the space. How will each room flow into other rooms?

Openness

• Open plans work well with traffic flow, but can also channel noise from one room to another.
  
• With this type of plan, do you want to create a private room such as a library or small den off a larger room?

Parents moving with children should not assume that the optimum arrangement is one child per bedroom. Children may prefer to share a room, especially if that's been the arrangement in their prior home.

"When children are young, they gain a feeling of security from another's presence, and a sibling can be a real comfort at bedtime," says Patricia Dalton Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and family therapist in Washington, D.C. "Parents should not feel guilty if they cannot provide each child with their own room, as there can be benefits to sharing a bedroom." Independence can be gained when siblings work issues out together, without their parents' mediation, Dr. Dalton also noted.

For those with new babies, child safety is a key concern. According to the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission 2.5 million children are injured or killed by hazards in the home each year. Many of these incidents can be avoided by childproofing your home.

"A knowledgeable sales person at your local baby store or an in-home safety consultant, or "baby proofer," can help you find products to meet your home's unique needs and possibly even identify problem areas you haven't considered" says Debora Robertson, Group Publications Manager of the Expectant Mother's Guide series.

If you have hand-me-down products, you should check that they meet current safety standards and have not been recalled. You can do this at the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association consumer section or The Danny Foundation for Crib and Child Product Safety.

Published: May 31, 2005

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