Financially, it can make perfect sense. Dieter lives in a shared house with three friends – all aged 33 – including a couple with a 6-month-old baby. They knew each other before through mutual mates but have become close since living together. When the couple decided to have a baby they looked around for a place of their own but the options available in their budget were tiny studios. Nicola was living with her mum in the suburbs before she moved into her house-share – she and Saffie’s dad split up when Saffie was 6 months old. She’d just started a degree so cash was tight and she needed to be near to her university. Her sister offered to help her out with the rent and Jo offered to help with childcare. “Even without knowing her too well, it was evident that Jo loved children and was fantastic with Saffie. I felt she'd be a wonderful person for her to grow up with.”