If you had 2 BRs, where would you put 2 girls, 1 boy, and a mom?

[JoyfulMama]

IF you could, I'd get a 2 bedroom, one bedroom yours, one the girls, and if you're really lucky... a cool "fort type" contraction for your 6 year old. At least ours would be fine with this... :)

That sounds like fun!

 

One year? Put all the kids together, unless your 10 year old is very private.

 

I say this as a mom of kids who all slept in a heap in one room for quite awhile even as we lived in a 4 bedroom house.

 

Another idea: get one of those loft beds from Ikea, and let the oldest have her private space under the bunk by hanging curtains on the inside. (Can you see what I mean? I am starting to fade, so i will check back in the morning and try to make sense, coffee in hand.)

Yes, I can see what you mean - perfectly!

 

 

Thanks for the thoughts, ladies! I feel much better about getting a 2BR now, and will shove my loving mother's words out the back of my head. :D

[FiveOaksAcademy]

C. Change that around when the kids get older.

[twoforjoy]

I agree with mom in smaller room, kids in bigger room.

 

We're in a two-bedroom right now, and DH thinks he's going on the job market soon (he has a postdoc right now), so we don't want to get locked into a twelve-month lease on a bigger place. Come August we'll have three kids and two adults in our apartment. Our plan is to keep the baby in with us and the two others (7 yo boy, 1 yo girl) in together, and then, if we aren't moved by the time the baby is ready to transition to the crib, keep all three kids in one room, the baby in the crib and DS and DD in bunk beds. DS has told me that even if we do move to a bigger place, he wants to keep sharing a room with DD and the new baby; he really hates being alone at night. I'm sure he'll get to an age where he wants his privacy, but as long as he wants the littles in with him and everybody is sleeping okay, we'll probably stick with that.

 

The only issue we have is that DD goes down for bed a couple of hours before DS, and if he turns a light on or makes too much noise, he sometimes wakes her up. So, he can't read in his bed before he falls asleep. We let him read in our bed, with me, for an hour or so, then take him into his room. But that's really been the only issue. We've been pleasantly surprised to find that DS can sleep through pretty much any noise DD makes, and thankfully DD is a great sleeper, so she usually just sleeps through the night with no problem.

Edited May 16, 2011 by twoforjoy

[sassenach]

I will be moving at some point in the next few months... not sure where, but our lease here will be up. Looking at current income, a 2br would be more affordable than a 3br, which would make the budget REALLY tight.

So, then, how would you sleep?

1 adult mom

10yo girl

6yo boy

5yo girl

 

Options:

A) All sleep in one room, and allow the other bedroom for communal space.

 

B) Mom and boy in one room, girls in the other.

 

C) Mom and 10yo girl in one room, youngers in the other.

 

D) Boy in one room, girls in the other, and mom sleeps in communal space.

 

E) Something I haven't thought about yet.....

 

Not factoring in personalities, I would go with C. However, my real answer is to put the 2 that get along the best together, and you room with the 3rd.

[Dawn in OH]

I would put all the kids in the larger bedroom and myself in the other. I have no issues about siblings of those ages sharing a bedroom. If the 10 year old needs privacy for changing clothes she can always change in your room or the bathroom.

[katilac]

I didn't read all the replies, but I would put all the kids in the bigger room and take the smaller room. During the day, I'd offer some times when the kids could individually use my room for privacy and quiet activities. If the oldest has some items that are best kept from the littles, I'd let her store them in my room.

[texasmama]

It just crept to the front of my brain, but I do recall a code in Texas which prohibits kids of different genders with a certain age gap between them from sharing a room in an apartment. I had a friend who encountered this issue a few years back with a boy and a girl. There is a 5 year gap between her kids. I would google up the codes in your state just to make sure.

[JennyD]

 

Another idea: get one of those loft beds from Ikea, and let the oldest have her private space under the bunk by hanging curtains on the inside.

 

One of my friends here has done exactly that for her 6yo DD, who shares a tiny bedroom with a 3yo brother and 1yr old sister. My friend calls it the 'Manhattan version of a private bedroom.'

[Cinder]

Haven't read all the replies, but this was our situation when I was 10. Parents divorced, brother (7yo) and sister (4yo) and I lived with Mom in a 2BR apartment. She had her room and the three of us were in the other room. We shared a dresser--each kid got 2 drawers. We had just enough room to fit a bunk bed and a single with a couple feet between.

 

A few years later we were able to move into a 3BR. Sis and I shared a room and db got his own. Mom still took the master for herself. As a kid this was what we knew and I didn't feel like it was unfair at all. Parents just get their own room, right?

[QuirkyKapers]

If you use bunkbeds you can divide even a small room into two separate spaces with curtains

:iagree: I would put the kids in the one room and try and divide it so that the 10 year old has some privace. I would want my own room. You know, sometimes you just have to have a place to go to give yourself some time alone. :)