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ok, so i am not good at estimating square footage, but i grew up in a suburban home, it wasn't huge like some other homes i have seen, but it was a house. small enough that i shared a bathroom with my parents as our all bedrooms and one bathroom were on the top floor, but big enough that we had 3 floors plus a basement. I liked having the bigger space and we want the same for our kids. Heck we want it for ourselves even if we don't have more kids. We are managing in an apartment now with an almost 2 year old, but are definitely getting a bigger place by the time LO2 rolls around.

A bigger place for me could be more to have just one extra floor so when the kids are sleeping, we don't have to tiptoe and worry about the volume of the TV (and maybe vice versa when we have teenagers). And i really like the idea of some private outdoor space like a backyard. It doesn't have to be huge, but we definitely want more space.

I think people in general just get used to what they know and have a hard time living in very different environments. If a person grew up in a larger home, they probably can't imagine having children in a small space. And if you are used to a small space, you probably can't imagine filling up so much space.

I grew up in a 5 bedroom home, that also had 4 bathrooms, 3 living spaces, a music room, and so on. Sounds like a mansion, but this was in the middle of nowhere, west Texas where land and housing is cheap. Also, I'm one of 6 kids.

I currently live in a 2 bedroom apartment (family of 3). I have no issues raising 1 or even 2 children in our current apartment. We don't have a lot of closet space, but we have 1260 sq feet and our own entrance and patio so it's great space for our neighborhood. We have tons of parks nearby and a community room and gym in our building, so those features eliminate our needs for extra rooms.

The one thing I wish we had is a 3rd bedroom, just because our parents visit us, and stay much longer than the typical American custom. I would happily trade sq footage in every room in our condo for a 3rd bedroom, if I had a magic genie who could make that happen.

One thing I've found I really like about small space living is not accumulating so much "stuff". I have friends in Texas who have a crib, bassinet, pack n play, travel crib, swing, rock n play, bouncer, jumperoo, exercauser, walker, doorway jumper, play table, activity cube, tummy time mat, 3 types of ride on toys, 2 or 3 strollers even though they drive everywhere, water table, kitchen helper, any size chairs, every single toy known to man, etc.etc.

It's so freeing to not have all that stuff. We've picked maybe 1 baby item in every category and stuck to that and it's been really nice.

That was a really interesting article. It's great to hear a kid's point of view; so often as parents we question whether the choices we make about living environment are the right ones. I could totally see how living in a city like NYC can make up for the fact that you have less living space than the average American does.

It's funny though because I just moved out of a townhouse we thought was way too small at 1600 sq feet, and into a 3300 sq foot house. Admittedly our townhouse didn't have a floor plan that used the space very effectively. And we definitely don't need quite all the space that we've got now. But man, I really appreciate having it.

I love apartment living. But I also grew up in a big house so I could live happily either way. But for now, NYC living is the only way for me

Thanks for sharing! I grew up in a small house, but there were definitely a few things that we all would have liked to change. The biggest thing we've decided is that layout is key. If you have a good layout, that will make the biggest difference. Also, if we have a small place, it is important to have the right kind of furniture; bulky furniture is no good. DH and I have said for a while that we would rather make a small space really nice than have a huge space that we can't make the way we want it to.

this reinforces 1) the house we have is the right size for us, 2) formal living rooms are a waste of space, and 3) there'there's nothing like NYC.

I love this article. It makes me feel good about my choices. We live in a 2.5 bdr/2bathroom apt and we have worried a little about what that means for another LO, but I think we'll be fine. I love NYC living.

@travelgirl1: get a flat in London

@mrsjazz: the second bathroom is so great, I didn't realize I needed it in my life until I had it. If only I had a balcony...I would be in heaven.