How would you arrange 6 people in one big bedroom, two smaller bedrooms?

[Noreen Claire]

We moved into this house just about a year ago. There are three bedrooms upstairs, one large and two small. Currently, my husband and I have the large room (with the newborn in bed with us), the three little boys share one small bedroom (one bunk bed, no toys in the room), and the other small bedroom is set up as an office/craft/sewing space (though it is used rarely and often a complete disaster).

 

If money/furniture was no obstacle, how would you arrange the people into the rooms so that it makes the most sense to you?

 

Additional information: The boys currently all go to sleep at the same time. There is plenty of closet space in each room, though the largest room does have a walk-in closet. The boys currently spend very little time upstairs in their room - only for quiet time, naps, and bed. All the toys live downstairs.

Edited November 21, 2016 by Noreen Claire

[Junie]

Is the largest bedroom a master bedroom with an attached bathroom?

[ktgrok]

I'd probably put the 4 and 2 year old together for now, if newborn is staying in your room. If not, I'd put DS 7 and 4 in one room, newborn and DS2 in the other. 

[Melissa B]

3 boys in large bedroom

parents in small bedroom

baby in small bedroom

 

[Farrar]

No matter what your set up, I wouldn't make the small bedroom a school/craft space. That's what you've got now and it isn't working.

 

When they get older, I'd probably either do parents in the big room, kids 2 and 2 in the small rooms. Or, parents in the big room, kids in one room, play room in the other room. And keep school in the dining room (I think that works better in general unless you have mondo space).

 

But for now, I'd do parents in the big room, three oldest in one room, baby in a room alone.

[Frances]

Would you use the craft/sewing/office room more if it was larger and more well organized? If so, I'd use the two small rooms as bedrooms and turn the large one into the new multi-purpose room. Even if you don't use it as a school room, it might be handy as your children get older to have a quiet space for one or more of them to go work. But I'm also used to a very small bedroom. We live in a 1920s Craftsman Bungalow and use the smallest room in the house as our bedroom.

[Julie Smith]

I would ask the boys about presences.

 

If I ended up with a spare bedroom I would likely make it a quest room so if anyone decides, or for some reason needs their own room they have one available.

[MiMi 4under3]

I'd eventually split the boys 2 and 2.

 

Second choice, have them share the large bedroom.

[Noreen Claire]

Is the largest bedroom a master bedroom with an attached bathroom?

 

No attached bathrooms here. The we have three of the *tiniest* bathrooms ever in this house!

 

I failed to mention that we also have a finished basement which my 21yr old currently uses as his bedroom. In a few years, when he moves out, that will become a study/quiet area for the other boys, possibly with a daybed for guests. The toys will likely stay on the main floor, where they are now.

Edited November 21, 2016 by Noreen Claire

[citymom]

multi-purpose in large room

all boys in one room mainly for sleeping (triple bunk to save space)

parents in smallest room

 

I would probably wait a few months to move the newborn in with them.

 

[wapiti]

I'd leave parents in the large bedroom, three boys in one small bedroom and then baby in the other small bedroom whenever that is needed, if ever.  Eventually, when baby is bigger (closer to 2-ish?) I would transition to two boys in each small bedroom.  In part, how to combine them may depend on their personalities and how they get along, which may change over time, as well as bedtimes of course.

[Julie Smith]

You could also turn the walk in closet into a bedroom. When I was younger a friend of mine has just such a room.

[Wilma]

I have always wanted to put my four girls in the master bedroom, have the hubs and me in one of the two small bedrooms and have a guest room / office situation. He's always balked at giving up the master bath, though. So for a while it was baby in one room, three others in the other room. And whenever the baby got big enough to be a good roommate (2ish?) we put a big kid and a little kid in each room for bunk bed purposes. Nowadays it's two bigs in one room and two Littles in the other (though the "littles" are now bigger than the bigs used to be...).

 

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[Junie]

I think that I, at least for now, would put all of the boys in the big bedroom.  One small bedroom would be the master bedroom.  The other can be used for office/homeschool/storage.

[magic]

We were in this position and put the three boys in the largest room, our daughter had a small room, and we had the other small room.  Our daughter's room was also used as the guest room.  It worked great for us and we had this arrangement for 4 years.  The house was a rental and, when we bought this house, we made sure each kid could have their own  bedroom if they wanted.

[umsami]

We faced something similar in an apartment we were renting.  We put all four kids in the master bedroom, took one bedroom for ourselves, and one for an office.  It really worked well.

[foxbridgeacademy]

All the boys in the big room, parents in a small room, 2nd small room for either office or to put a baby/napper down when the other kids are playing too loud.

[happypamama]

I voted parents in large room, two boys in each of the other two rooms (and not necessarily the two olders and the two youngers -- it could be the oldest and baby together and the two middle ones together, which is how ours are arranged, although the 3yo varies where he sleeps), and move the craft stuff to another area.

 

Could you make a craft corner in your room if you had the large room?

 

[Noreen Claire]

 

Could you make a craft corner in your room if you had the large room?

 

I could, once the co-sleeper and the changing table are out of the room.

[Julie Smith]

Dh and I have a small room, and our boys share the larger bedroom. I like having the larger room since the boys actually use the space in the larger room. It also makes it easy to keep our small room clean since it doesn't really have any floor space. 

[JFSinIL]

Parents in large bedroom with crib.  Two oldest boys in bunk beds in small bedroom.  Crib mattress bed and space for crib in last bedroom (move baby there when ready). 

[KungFuPanda]

3 boys in large bedroom

parents in small bedroom

baby in small bedroom

I'd do this with an eye towards the small bedrooms eventually holding 2 kids each. As they get older, they'll spend more time in their rooms and their toys/stuff won't live downstairs so much. My kids never hung out in their rooms until they were teens.

[Xahm]

It depends on how big the smaller bedrooms actually are. If it wouldn't be too cramped, I like the idea of parents in one small room and kids in the other, leaving the large room for office/craft room. You could even let the baby sleep there after he's big enough to leave your room but still likely to disrupt the other kids' sleep.

[Seeking Squirrels]

I voted for "Four boys in large bedroom, parents in one small bedroom, 2nd small bedroom used as office/art space/schoolroom" 

 

However, it would depend a bit on your wants and needs. Would the school room be used and kept up, or just turn into storage as you continue to use the dining room? Is the art/craft stuff for the kids, or is it hobbies of yours that you never do because you don't have a good space for it? 

 

If you would make use of having personal craft space, I'd keep the big room for the parents and set up a craft corner for yourself in there away from small fingers. If you would make use of a dedicated school space, then the four kids together in one small room and the other a school room. If you wouldn't and it would just become cluttered storage, then 2 and 2 for the kids.

 

But if you don't want or need your own craft space, then I would put the four kids in the big one, parents in the small one, 2nd small one for school/art/office.

 

OR, if you have a lot of school/office/art stuff and would make use of a good organized space for it, then parents in one small room, all 4 kids in the other small room, and a nice organized, spacious school and art area in the big room. Honestly this is the one I would probably end up doing, but I've always prioritized our "day" space over sleeping space. 

[Arctic Bunny]

We put the boys in the largest bedroom and made the walkin closet their toy room. Spare bedroom/office, and we squeezed into the other smaller room. DH hated it with a passion, but we survived!

[Cinder]

I voted for the traditional set-up of parents in larger room with 2 dc in each of the smaller rooms. Over the years we've learned that we like all our stuff to be done on one floor. So upstairs bedrooms would be just for sleeping while school, play, crafts, etc would all be on the main floor.

 

 

[kiwik]

I would always put the adults in the smallest room that fits their bed. As an adult I only sleep in my room. I would put 2 kids in each of the others. If the baby is under 6 months I would wait if the cot wouldn't fit in the small room.

[JustEm]

We have your set up now except we have a 5 kid coming soon. The plan was going to be to have boys stay in one small room, girls got in the other small room, which is currently the computer/craft room, and have baby with us until they are ready to go in whichever room they fit in.

 

However, the kids revolted when I mentioned this. They want to all continue to share a room and keep the other room as a whatever room. If we could do it we would but I can't figure out how

[J-rap]

Our home is a similar arrangement.  I love having the large bedroom for my husband and myself.  We have room for a vanity, a dresser, an arm chair, a couple small tables, etc.  Sometimes I go in there to hide out and read.  I wrap Christmas presents there.   It's cozy.

 

Splitting the kids up into two small rooms worked well for us, and I also liked that the rooms were really too small to even play in.  I wouldn't have liked all their toys and crafts, etc. on a separate floor at those ages (either in their bedrooms or in a separate room).  I still love having our downstairs kitchen/living room/dining room area (which are all connected in our house and fairly open) as the central area where everything is done, and everyone hangs out.  When the kids were young, I'd be working in the kitchen and a couple kids might be sitting at the dining room table working on crafts and a couple more on the living room floor building Duplo houses, etc.  I could always keep an eye on everyone.  It was fun to have everyone together, and fun now too, as they are older.  

 

Plus, it seems like with your basement area, you'll always have room to expand into that area if necessary, even as a craft area.

[Free Indeed]

I'd leave parents in the large bedroom, three boys in one small bedroom and then baby in the other small bedroom whenever that is needed, if ever. Eventually, when baby is bigger (closer to 2-ish?) I would transition to two boys in each small bedroom. In part, how to combine them may depend on their personalities and how they get along, which may change over time, as well as bedtimes of course.

This.

[Noreen Claire]

Thanks, everyone! Lots to think about...

[hmvaughan4]

We have the same scenario. We just put the oldest three in one room (one set of bunk beds, plus a toddler bed) and the baby in the other room. We plan to put the two littles in one room and the older two I need the other. But the baby isn't sleeping through the night consistently and we didn't want him waking up the three year old. We'll move them back together eventually.