Water baby: Home for little girl is 70ft narrow boat moored near Shropshire border

It is a homely scene typical of families across the country, except it's subtly different – it is set on a narrow boat.

Elizabeth Ray came into the world on April 9 and her home is the narrow boat "Ant", moored at Norbury Junction, near the Shropshire border.

For new parents David Ray and Sarah Brereton, and probably also for Stella the dog and Marmalade the cat, life is different with a baby on board.

Sarah said: "I didn't know what to expect, because I hadn't had children before, but Elizabeth has settled in just fine.

Attempting to raise a son or daughter is tricky at the best of times. But when it is done while living aboard a narrow boat, it is all the more difficult.

That is the challenge facing David Ray and Sarah Brereton, whose unconventional lifestyle at Norbury Junction has been made all the more taxing by the arrival of their daughter, Elizabeth Ray, who came into the world a month ago.

The couple are joined on their Noah's Ark by pet cat Marmalade and pet dog Stella.

Far from making life more difficult, David and Sarah believe living on a boat makes parenting easier. They are convinced that the gentle rocking sensation of their solid oak boat makes their daughter feel happier, calmer and more peaceful. They have no plans to abandon ship and head for dry land. They are perfectly content in their boat, the "Ant" and are looking forward to happy years aboard.

"Some people may be surprised about us living on a boat and having a baby, but for us this is normal life. And when the health visitor came to check everything was OK, she found us without any problem – though the midwife did get lost once."

Sarah has been around boats all her life and David grew up on a narrow boat, having lived on one since he was four years old.

He said: "She's been as good as gold since we brought her home, I think it's the rocking of the boat that's making her calm and sleep so well. She has been ever so good and everyone else at Norbury Wharf has really taken to her."

David said that when he and Sarah decided to have a baby, the decision about where to live was discussed.

He said: "I gave Sarah the option of moving back onto dry land before Elizabeth came along, but it wasn't something she wanted to do. Life here on the boat is very good, it is peaceful, you can't hear any traffic, so it is a nice environment for our daughter to grow up in."

The Ant weighs 32 tons, is 70 ft long, 7ft wide and features a lounge, kitchen, nursery, bathroom and bedroom.

Everything on the inside of the boat is made from solid oak - seven tons of solid oak.

The couple have lived on the Ant for two years and the only modification they had to make for the arrival of their baby was to install a nursery.

David said: "I took out the dining table, fitted a new wooden bulkhead and then put in a cot for Elizabeth.

"Sarah is very resourceful and we have managed to give Elizabeth everything a new baby needs.

"Looking further ahead, there is a school nearby, so that won't be an issue and she will also benefit from the close community that exists here at Norbury."

David, who is the manager of Norbury Wharf Ltd, still has a large smile on his face weeks after Elizabeth's arrival, and is now planning his daughter's first canal trip. That trip will be made on David's other boat, the Ibex, a working boat that is more sparsely equipped than the Ant.

He said: "Ibex is a sort of baby too, at least to me, and I have been getting her ready for this summer over the past few months. It will be wonderful to take Elizabeth and our working boat to Braunston where a lot of our friends in the historic narrow boating community are meeting up.

"I suppose we are all concerned about to get more young people involved in the waterways, and I can't help hoping that Elizabeth will be at the helm of an historic boat a few years down the line.

"I enjoyed lots of boating as a child and want her to have that experience too."