• I thought I would be raising my kids in a suburban house with a backyard.
• Instead, our family of four lives in a one-bedroom apartment with a study in an urban area.
• Living in an apartment was hard when our kids were babies, but now it's working for us.

I never imagined I would be raising my kids in a 900-square-foot apartment.

My husband and I had planned to move to a house in the suburbs just before our first baby was born. But then the pandemic struck, and real estate prices went up. Five years later, we still live in the same apartment, and now there are four of us.

For a while, I felt inadequate about our living situation because we didn't live in a house with a backyard for our kids to run around and play in. Now I've realized that there are benefits to living in an urban apartment for our family, especially once the baby phase was behind us.

Living in an apartment was hard when our kids were babies

There were things I really didn't like about living in an apartment when my kids were babies.

For starters, it was hard to find room for all of the baby stuff. Some baby items just wouldn't fit neatly anywhere, such as the double stroller and the travel crib.

It also seemed like the noises were amplified in our apartment, so our babies' cries felt louder than they really were. I was constantly worried that we were disturbing our neighbors' sleep.

With only one bedroom and a study, I felt frustrated because I couldn't take a proper break from the demands of motherhood unless I left the apartment.

We socialize with other families who live in apartments

That push to get out of the apartment for more space hasn't been all bad, though. It has led to more socializing with other families who live in our neighborhood.

Our family spends a lot of time at the local parks, playgrounds, and playgroups. In doing so, we've connected with many other families, who have become our broader support network.

Meeting other families who live in apartments has also helped to normalize our own living situation. It shows me that there's nothing wrong with raising kids in an apartment.

An urban apartment suits our young family

With nearly everything we need at our doorstep, walking everywhere keeps us active and allows us to live an almost car-free lifestyle. We hardly ever have to wrestle our kids into car seats, worry about parking a car, or fill up the gas tank.

When we don't even want to leave our apartment building, we use the shared communal space, which is equipped with a landscaped garden and grassy lawn—kind of like having a backyard.

We work together to keep our apartment organized and functional, and try to limit how much stuff we own. We gift each other experiences and prefer to borrow toys and books instead of buying them.

The smaller space strengthens our family's bond and fosters many shared experiences with each other. We intentionally gather together to do things as a family, yet we also feel comfortable doing independent activities side-by-side.

While things didn't turn out quite as I had expected, I think we're making the most of our living situation.

• I waited until later to have kids, and I thought it would mean slowing down.
• Instead, I feel more active as an older mom than before having kids.
• We're always moving our bodies and it makes me feel younger.

I never felt ready to have a baby. I kept pushing it to later in life, even though I met my husband when I was 31. I was 38 when I had my first child and 40 when I had my second child. I'm 43, but I feel younger because my kids have brought more movement to my life.

I didn't expect to feel this way as an older mom. I had thought I'd have less energy and struggle to keep up with my kids' activity needs. Instead, I often feel invigorated from moving my body all the time. However, the start of my motherhood journey wasn't like this at all.

My energy levels were low for the first few years of being a mom

It took a full year to recover from having my first child. Just as I had started to feel like myself again, I fell pregnant with my second. I had expected things to slow down, but I was kept busy chasing after my energetic toddler.

Once I had two kids under 2, I was exhausted all the time. Regardless of my age, it was a very busy and demanding time in my life.

Thankfully, I reached a turning point when my youngest turned 1. She was starting to walk, so I always had to be on my feet because of her newfound freedom.

We're always moving our bodies

I've always been very active, but mothering two young kids has taken it to the next level. My daughters, aged 2 and 4, are driven by an endless impulse to move. They're always trying to master new movements: My 2-year-old has just learnt to jump, and my 4-year-old is learning to ride a bike.

Through them, I now have a greater appreciation of the joy of movement. I feel like I'm undoing years of being taught that movement had to be done in a particular way. I've also stopped worrying about how I look when I move my body.

Incorporating more movement into each day has been an unexpected gift of becoming a stay-at-home mom. Since leaving full time employment, I no longer get tight hip flexors and lower back pain from sitting for extended periods. I've swapped short, intense bursts of exercise at the gym for an almost constant state of motion.

My kids and I walk, run, hop, and skip through our days together. My heart rate increases by chasing after them, especially when they run off in different directions. We wiggle our bodies to music, do yoga poses together, and challenge each other with obstacle courses.

It's not all play, though. I'm also kept active from continuously tending to my kids' needs and doing household tasks like cooking, cleaning, and running errands.

I feel tired toward the end of each day, but my kids usually have even more energy. They run around being silly ,and sometimes I'll join in. It's hard not to feel younger when I do the things that I used to do as a kid.

They motivate me to stay active

I like being active most days, but I also enjoy my downtime. I cherish relaxing in the evenings after my kids go to bed to prepare my body for the next day's adventures.

As an older mom, I'm both excited and nervous about the future. I'm curious to see how our movement changes over time when they're at school and I'm working full-time. But I'm also worried that one day I won't have the energy to keep up with them.

Because of this concern, I feel motivated to stay active and look after my mobility for my kids. In our moments of shared movement, everything feels right. I'm determined to hold onto that feeling for as long as possible.