Another "who gets the big bedroom" post, bare with me first thread I've started...

[Carolann8584]

Ok, we live in a 3 bed house, with myself and OH in the master bedroom and my DB in the second double room. I have 2 DSSs 6 and 4, they currently share the box room (big box room, bunks, wardrobe and shelf unit in there currently). I am currently 24 weeks pregnant.

The plan is for my DB to find his on place by the end of January. Who gets his room? I am having a DD and my DSSs currently live with us Saturday PM until Sunday Pm so only use their room 1 night a week unless we arrange extra over school hols etc. All toys etc. are in the living room so boys don't play in their room at the moment.

The boys have started asking if they can play in their room, so take toys/puzzles etc up with them to play. They have a town/car track type rug in their room which is pretty much all the floor space they have next to their bunk beds.

My suggestions -

1 - was for myself and OH to move into Bed 2 and then knock the wall down between Bed 1 and 3 then split the space equally with a new wall.

2 - Our loft is converted so we could put a stair case up to loft though the box room which would give another double room.

OH think Bed 2 will be too small for us and DD won't need a big room so she can have the box and the boys can have bed 2.

Sorry for long post but I'm getting there. I think having the box room for a girl who is there full time is unfair. I know we are a few years off her needing the space but I wouldn't want to keep moving the boys from one room the next., it is their home as well so want them to have a permanent room. Would love to bang my OH head against the wall until he agrees to suggest 1 or 2! Failing that am I being unfair to my DSSs or DD?

[IAmAPaleontologist]

I would put the boys in the bigger room for now and have the box room for the baby.

Longer term I would be looking at doing the loft as you've suggested but I fear it might not be as simple as you think depending on when it was converted as if you want to put a stair in now then even if it was done to building regs at the time if those have changed then you will have to conform to the current regs when you add the stair. However it sounds like the best long term option then you can have the boys up there which they will appreciate in a few years given the age gap between them and your dd.

[MissWimpyDimple]

If you have the funds then conversion or knocking a wall through would certainly be the best option.

Failing that I think it depends on how you plan to use the space. Could you have the boys in the larger room but with a sofa bed as well so that you can also use it for guests? Also you could then have all their toys in their room too. You won't want the little bits and pieces that older children play with in your common space when your baby starts moving around and putting everything in her mouth. It can be a condition of them having the big room - they must keep their toys in there too.

You box room sounds perfectly adequate for your DD for at least the next 4 years. Toddler beds and cots hardly take up any space.

[ArmfulOfRoses]

I agree that the boys should have the bigger room for now.

I say this as a sm who has swapped bedrooms with the DC in different houses based on their needs at that time.

So at one point dd had the bigger because she wanted sleepovers and floor space to play but ds was too young to play unsupervised and dss was one night a week so they had smaller room with bunks.

Next house, boys had bigger room with bunks as boys used more floor space for lego, dd had moved mainly to tech by then so no dolls/buggies/massive colouring projects.

Now we're in a house where they have a room each. Dd and ds have a double each while dss a single.
He still comes every week but it seemed madness to have a double unused for 5/6 nights a week.

Anyway, my point is, when the baby comes she'll be downstairs all the time you are for weeks/months, and unable to play safely on a different floor for years.

A bigger room will give the older boys space to escape a tiny baby/crawler/toddler if they want, whilst really she will only need the space for sleeping.

A loft conversion sounds great for in the future.

[Carolann8584]

Thanks for your replies. I would agree the boys need the space now and she won't. I just didn't want to move the boys again, I want them to have their space which them thinking we just moved them here there and everywhere. They have had a lot of changes recently and more to come next year.

I will keep there toys downstairs a while longer as I like spending time with them and don't want them to feel pushed out and into their room once baby arrives. They have recently had a new baby sis from their mum and I think they spend a lot of time in their room from what I hear.

Ok boys will have the big room

[Carolann8584]

I don't know why that say which them thinking, should be with them thinking

[KickAssAngel]

I think that for the next 2 - 3 years it makes sense for the boys to have the 2nd bedroom, and DD to be in with you, then in the box room. By the time she might want a bigger room, the boys will be at an age where you can discuss it as a family about where the children go, whether to use the loft etc.

[Petal02]

I agree that for the next few years the boys have the bigger room. But when DD is older, and needing more space, she should have the bigger room – there’s no point in a larger room being empty six nights per week while she is struggling to fit into a smaller room.