Blogger at Late Enough 
I have many good friends having their first babies. I guess Scott and I are ahead of the curve because that was so 6 years ago for us. However, it does offer an opportunity to share the best survival tips for living with an infant and a staircase, which is more of a physical challenge than any parenting book admits.
- Have a place to change your babies diaper on every floor. Yes, your changing table in the nursery is ADORABLE and the 5 minutes your baby spends in there, she’ll love. But seriously, when there’s poop squirting down a chunky thigh or the baby thinks diaper changing is a lot like murdering her, you want to change the diaper and quick. And by “place” I mean diapers and wipes in every other room because the place is the floor/couch/chair/lap/table/bed ANYWHERE!
- Do not have 20 different bags depending on what you and/or the babe might do that day. Have 1 diaper bag or purse that sits by the front door unmoved by anyone who wishes to keep their limbs and fits everything you need. By “everything” I mean diapers your baby hasn’t outgrown overnight, change of clothing possibly for both of you, money, credit cards, keys, a phone to call your partner crying when a store yells at your for have an un-magical infant who MAKES NOISE, food for you when you forget to eat, food for the baby if you aren’t breastfeeding because he will get hungry even though he just ate 10 minutes ago mostly because you forgot to bring a snack, wipes and your sanity.
- Buy 2 deodorants and keep one downstairs preferably by your front door. The moment I had the baby in a clean diaper and not hungry with a diaper bag full of EVERYTHING (see #2) and I had finally found my car key, I was NOT about to go upstairs after realizing I hadn’t put on deodorant. And the fact that I could only get in a shower every 4 days meant I REALLY needed it. (Of course, I still have a downstairs deodorant 5 years later, but I’ve never been much of a shower-er.)
Proof I take my own advice. Also, there's a nail clipper next to my downstairs deodorant because you never know when your kids will be distracted enough to have their claws cut.
- In fact, have 2 of anything you want to do that is in your bedroom/bathroom. You like lipstick? Keep it downstairs. You like shoes? Keep them downstairs or you will run errands in your slippers. You like bras? Clean teeth? Ponytails? Not-naked kids? Keep one of all of those downstairs. (Well a bra, toothbrush, hair tie, baby clothes, respectively, because keeping a set of clean teeth and a set of clothed kids downstairs is an entirely different article)
- If you use a pacifier or anything that keeps your baby happy for 5 minutes (blanket, voodoo doll, cat) have it attached to your belt at all times. A flight of stairs is a LOT longer when a baby is screaming. It’s a scientific fact and the only reason a fanny pack should exist.
These 5 suggestions will be a lot more helpful than the 15 parenting books you’ve purchased. Trust me.
And you’re welcome.
