3 kids in 1 bedroom - would this work??

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[Cinder]

When I was young we lived in a 2-bedroom apartment and we 3 kids had to share a room. We had a bunk and a single. As the oldest I got to have the single, my brother had the top bunk, and my sister got the lower. We lived that way for about 7 years until we moved into a 3-bedroom when I was 13.

 

Yes, it can be done. And if this works best overall for your family, then all the better.

[ashfern]

I have my 3 girls in the master bedroom. The dresser for oldest is in the master bathroom. We got rid of the bed frames because it was taking up too much roomfor the kids so they just sleep on mattresses on the floor right now. I'm still trying to get my DH to build a loft & bunks for that room.

[missmoe]

We currently have three girls sharing a room. Their room is bigger than the one you described, but still not super roomy. Do what works for you now. At a later point you can always change back.

[Renee in NC]

Sure! We've always had 3-4 to a bedroom.

[CalicoKat]

We're trying to have 3 in a room right now and it's not working. But it may be the age gap. My 12,11 and 4 yo dd's are supposed to share the big attic bedroom upstairs.

 

But mostly my 4 yo dd sleeps in my bedroom. She just can't get to sleep. She'd rather pester the big girls. Anything but sleep!

 

So we put her in our bedroom on the floor in a sleeping bag so we can supervise her more closely. Our bedroom is on the main floor. The plan was to take her up to her bed when we go to bed but we've just been leaving here there. She usually climbs in bed with us around 4 a.m. and sleeps some more until 8 a.m.

 

Eh, it's not a priority right now to figure out. She'll outgrow it, right?

[Aubrey]

At our last house, we had 3 bedrooms, so we'd planned on 2dc/room. They chose to sleep together instead. :lol: So we've had 4 dc in a 10x10 room...once I convinced them that the smaller one was TOO SMALL.

 

We did what you're suggesting--just turned the other one into a play room. It works. :001_smile:

 

And at this house? I think the room is 10x12...maybe 12x12. We're all 7 sharing it. I just suggested rearranging furniture so that dh & I could have the room to ourselves, & they all balked. For whatever reason, they seem to think the more squished the better. :D

[GWOB]

Yep. I have a 4-bedroom house, yet all three children share a room. Their choice. They sleep in the smallest bedroom, which is roughly 10x11. We fit a bunkbed and a twin in there. The lower bunk and the twin bed have a set of drawers underneath. We have a tall but not wide dresser in there. That room is only used for sleeping. The dc have a playroom for all their toys. Changing isn't a problem as they usually go into the playroom or bathroom.

 

I think they have really enjoyed sharing a room. At night I hear them giggling with each other, which can be either heart-warming or infuriating. Some mornings they are all in the same bed, which is always sweet. Sharing a room has brought them a lot closer. I vote for you to go for it!

[emcap]

We have 4 to a room right now, works out great. I'd say go for it:)

[LuvingLife]

Definitely, as long as each kid has their own "space" it can so be done. We rent a 2 bedroom house, where 4 kids are on one room, 1 with my parents, and 3 live downstairs, so it can be done!:D

[Love HSing]

Yup! We've always had 3 in a bedroom. The room is bigger then that one though, but I think it should be fine :)

[jplain]

I grew up sharing a room with 2 sisters. There was enough room for 2 twin beds, one smaller bed (bigger than toddler but smaller than twin), one chest of drawers, and space to walk to the beds. It was fine! We couldn't use the room to play in, but I read in there all the time, and even did my homework on my bed up through high school.

[The Girls' Mom]

I had the 3 of mine in one room for over a year, last year. It worked fine and mine are a lot bigger than yours. (they were 13, 10 and 10 at the time) We had a futon bunk that we removed the futon from and put a queen bed in the space under the top bunk. The younger two shared the queen and the oldest was up top. It was tight (We didn't have an extra playroom area) but they survived. If there were a big area for all their junk it would have been even better!

 

We may be going back to a similar arrangement after we move.

[ezrabean2005]

We have four in one room. We gave them the "master bedroom" that has an attached bathroom. It's bigger, but no bigger than 11' x 14' max. To give you some perspective, there are six of us living in 1,003 square feet.

 

Be creative if need be. We have two in bunk beds and have a mattress below that (like a trundle bed) for our youngest that is only pulled out at night. Then there is one more single bed for the other one.

 

We've asked the kids each year if they want to change things up and they always say no. They say it is like a slumber party (thus the extra "buffer" in our bedtime for giggling and chatting). :)

Edited November 15, 2011 by ezrabean2005
additional info

[AdventureMoms]

I definitely think it can work! Mine are separate right now because the boys are terrible sleepers (and 12 months old) but I've thought about putting all three together at some point in the future. Our "big" bedrooms are 10x11 and DD's "small" bedroom is 8x10 (smaller really, the configuration is odd).

 

We've also considered a 4th child, and probably wouldn't move if we did, so we'd have either two kids in the miniature L-shaped 8x10 room or three kids in the 10x11 (which is rectangular, at least, so you get the whole space). I think 3 in the 10x11 room would be easier. You could easily get two dressers and two twin beds in there. Right now we have a full mattress, two dressers, and two cribs in the 10x11 room and it's not that crowded. You could do a bunk and a twin or a twin over full bunk. You can also get a bunk bed with a trundle if that would work better in terms of space. My cousin has a twin over full bunk bed, with a twin trundle for her kids. In our 10x11 room I THINK I could do three twins, but I haven't actually measured. I'm sure I could do two twins and a toddler bed.

[Jennifer in MI]

Go for it!

 

We chose to have all three boys share a bedroom (we gave them the huge master) because one of my favorite memories growing up was talking with my sister before bed. I wanted that for them too!

[Excelsior! Academy]

Yes. You could even get a triple bunk if you needed the space.

 

We currently live in a 5 bedroom house, but use one bedroom as an office. Our kids are split 4, 2, and 2, with the baby in our room. We have had 6 in one room before. That was tight, but doable.

[walkermamaof4]

Our 3 share a room by choice. It is 10x10 and they share a set of bunks that is a double on bottom and single on top. The kid that wiggles the most at night sleeps up top. They love it. They are 11, 8, and 6.

[Heidi]

I currently have all of my children in one bedroom, except for the newborn. Two bunkbeds and a pack n play and one chest of drawers. We hang up all shirts. Pants, pjs, undies, and socks in the chest.

This is all by choice. We have a 4 bedroom house. :)

[Audrey]

:thumbdown: I guess I'll be the voice of dissention, but I think that more than 2 in a room is not a great idea, more so when you are mixing boys and girls together. I would just leave the arrangements as they are. If the room is too chilly, get a space heater to boost the warmth.

[Renee in NC]

:thumbdown: I guess I'll be the voice of dissention, but I think that more than 2 in a room is not a great idea, more so when you are mixing boys and girls together. I would just leave the arrangements as they are. If the room is too chilly, get a space heater to boost the warmth.

 

Can I ask why? Just curious.

[jjins]

Not only do I think this will work, but I know it can work. As the oldest in the family I shared a room with two sisters. Later, when my baby sister was 17 and shortly after I had my first child, my parents adopted three girls. These girls CHOOSE to share one bedroom for sleeping. At first my parents fought this as they have more money, more space, less children and wanted to make up for the rough start these girls had. Then they noticed that this IS what these girls not only wanted, but needed.

 

Like what you are talking about the bedroom was just for sleeping and clothes. One room was turned into a playroom and the other into a study. The girls now each have their own rooms, but really enjoyed their time together. This nighttime together allows siblings to bound, through both better and worse.

 

I encourage this choice, especially while your children are willing. :grouphug:

[Audrey]

Can I ask why? Just curious.

 

Because I think children need at least a modicum of private space. Sharing with one same sex, near age child is pushing it, but still in the realm of possible private space. Having to share with more than that, IMO, is not sufficient.

[Renee in NC]

Because I think children need at least a modicum of private space. Sharing with one same sex, near age child is pushing it, but still in the realm of possible private space. Having to share with more than that, IMO, is not sufficient.

 

That's an interesting angle - I've really never thought about it. I'll have to bring it up to my dc at some point. They generally choose to all be in the same room and no one has ever complained about not having their own space. Maybe because it's all they've ever known?

[TravelingChris]

I guess this is your home that you own? If so, you can do it but I agree with Audrey that I think it is inadvisable to mix an 8 yo f with a 2 yo boy.

 

In terms of rental homes, I was surprised by the few of you who responded to doing this in your homes. None of the houses or apartments we have ever rented allowed more than 2 in a room and when we rented our house out, we also did not allow that. For example, we had rented out our four bedroom home, and the max number of people was 8 and they either had to be related or there could be roommates like we had at first.

[mommymilkies]

We've done this for years. Works fine for us! Though my oldest REALLY wants her own room. We're looking for more bedrooms next time we move. But every time they do that, and we comply, they all end up in the same room and we have 1-2 "play rooms". There can be privacy in places other than bedrooms, and you can make privacy in a bedroom. My 7 yo has a bed tent, and my 10 yo has top bunk where the other kids can't go/see.

[Renee in NC]

I guess this is your home that you own? If so, you can do it but I agree with Audrey that I think it is inadvisable to mix an 8 yo f with a 2 yo boy.

 

In terms of rental homes, I was surprised by the few of you who responded to doing this in your homes. None of the houses or apartments we have ever rented allowed more than 2 in a room and when we rented our house out, we also did not allow that. For example, we had rented out our four bedroom home, and the max number of people was 8 and they either had to be related or there could be roommates like we had at first.

 

We had to search for it, but we found one. We can't afford to pay rent on a house that has enough bedrooms. We have 3 bedrooms now. There are no ordinances in our city. We cannot rent through a management company, so we have to ask around, drive around to find signs, etc. Even then we can be told no, but many times landlords who rent lower-end properties don't care.

 

ETA: We *are* going to try and find a 4 bedroom in the future, but it is so the 18yo can have a room. When he comes home now, he sleeps on the living room floor.

[MedicMom]

I grew up with seven sisters; I was thirteen before I wasn't sharing a room with at least two. For a long time my parents fit six kids in a three bedroom home. It wasn't a big deal; I have fond memories of after-hours giggling with my sisters. If your kids are still young, I wouldn't worry too much about the boy-girl mixing. Once they are older, I would split them up, but young kids aren't a big deal. Thinking about the privacy, I don't remember not having it. We could dress in the bathroom if we wanted, and I actually put curtains up around the bottom bunk(my bed) so I could read later into the night and not bother my sleeping sisters. We'd play in the bedroom or outside or in the living room, and there was plenty of space still for us to spread out and have some time alone if we needed.

 

Also as a firefighter, I just want to mention--be careful with space heaters. Most are very safe these days, but you still want to make sure it has enough space, clothes don't get thrown on it or near it, and that it isn't placed near anything combustible.

[Splinter]

My kids might be weird, but they all share a room, by choice. They all enjoy it and haven't had any problems.

 

So, it is possible!

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[Michelle My Bell]

Well all 5 of my kids share a room ages 5-17 and they do great. No we are not poverty stricken. We just have two bedrooms upstairs that are hot in the summer and cold in the winter. We only use them a few hours a day for homeschooling and a playroom.

[JessicaLady]

Reading these posts have really made me feel like I've found 'My People'!

 

I only have two children (I SO want more but it is not to be), but I only ever wanted them to share a room (two boys, fairly close in age). This is something that HORRIFIES my mother. My mother, who grew up her entire life sharing an upstairs attic room w/ her 6 sisters, 1 brother, AND her mother (Catholic birth control she called it).

 

She and her sisters are extremely close but I think all she remembers are the struggles and not all the good that came from that experience.

[dands]

I have my daughter 12 sharing her bedroom with two brothers 7 and 3. SHe gets the top bunk bed and the boys share the bottom. my 7 is small in size so they both snuggle, talk and are just very gooffy during bed time. However my daughter does wish for her own bedroom, space and privacy. She has a bookcase of which she can only use the top shelves due to the little hands that pull out her books on the bottom shelves. All she has is her bed space wich is surrounded by all her precious belongings. Is where she goes to be away from her 5 brothers. She does not complain because we cannot afford a bigger house. We have also turned our living room into a bedroom for the other two boys 10 and a big 5 yearl old to share a bunk bed . Yet they love sharing the same bed. My problem is bedtime, it takes them a long time to be quiet from all the chatter and laughs.

[akmommy]

As long as they will sleep I see nothing wrong with it. The room might be small, but like you said the empty room could then become a playroom. My 3 brothers shared a room for years and it doesn't seem to have done them any harm.

[Crimson Wife]

I think it's okay for siblings of the same sex or very young children, but I don't believe it's appropriate to mix older boys & girls. That's one of the reasons why we bought this house. Once DD turned 7, we felt that she needed to be in a different bedroom from her brother.

[jennsmile]

I have my daughter 12 sharing her bedroom with two brothers 7 and 3. SHe gets the top bunk bed and the boys share the bottom. my 7 is small in size so they both snuggle, talk and are just very gooffy during bed time. However my daughter does wish for her own bedroom, space and privacy. She has a bookcase of which she can only use the top shelves due to the little hands that pull out her books on the bottom shelves. All she has is her bed space wich is surrounded by all her precious belongings. Is where she goes to be away from her 5 brothers. She does not complain because we cannot afford a bigger house. We have also turned our living room into a bedroom for the other two boys 10 and a big 5 yearl old to share a bunk bed . Yet they love sharing the same bed. My problem is bedtime, it takes them a long time to be quiet from all the chatter and laughs.

Could you put up some rain gutter shelves for more book space for her? And what about a tent/curtian to go around her area? My parents never mixed sexes so I always had my own room but my brothers had to share.