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Find out all about large family cars, holidays and more right here.

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Find out all about large family cars, holidays and more right here.

Larger families

How many in one room!?

30 replies

shortlegss · 19/02/2016 23:12

Hello! Thought this was the best board to ask?

We have two boys age nearly nearly 3 and nearly 2. We would love a third, but we are living in a 2 bedroom terrace and don't want to move - at least not til they are bigger and/or we are better off!
We can't afford 3 bed prices and we love our house. It's got a biggish living room, two equal size bedrooms, smallish bathroom, small kitchen, hallway, garage is separate (in a block of garages). My fancy Mummy friends call it 'sweet', 'cute' and 'an okay size actually'...

I don't know if I'm worrying because everyone I know round here seems to live in mansions?! Are we being totally impractical? The boys share with space and have built in wardrobes, we're not a very cluttered household and we wouldn't be trying til next year (so boys would be 4.5 and 3.5 by the time baby arrived).
What do you think?! 3 in one room?

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PippaFawcett · 19/02/2016 23:19

Baby in with you for a couple of years and then could you have a sofa bed in the living room and let the children have the two bedrooms?

We live in a tiny house and I often think we manage because the DCs shoes/clothes etc are small and take up less size. I wonder how we will cope when DS has shoes the size of DH's and more than two pairs like he has now!

shortlegss · 19/02/2016 23:22

I couldn't share with a bubba for more than 9 months though, if it's anything like DS1 for fidgeting I would lose my mind! I also don't want to sleep in living room, my OH leaves for work at 4am and he needs a place to get ready and usually does in the kitchen (makes his tea, breakfast, etc. Wouldn't be great...

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AlpacaLypse · 19/02/2016 23:31

What will you do further down the line if baby 3 is a girl?

AnotherStitchInTime · 19/02/2016 23:34

Before we moved I had Dd1 then 5, dd2 3 and ds 18 months all in a room together since ds was 6 months old. It worked okay, but as dd's got older they wanted more toys with small pieces that are a risk to ds.

There was also the issue of storage for the toys. We mainly had all ds's toys in the living room seeing as he needed watching anyway and the girls were free to play in the bedroom.

Space wise we bought bunk beds for the older two. I moved Dd1 into an upper bunk aged 4.5 which was early, but possible as she was sensible and the bunks have stairs not a ladder so she can get to the toilet if she needs to.

If we hadn't moved we would have had to sleep in the living room eventually once Dd1 reached 10, but as I shared with my brother until that age without major issue I wouldn't have worried about 3 in a room before then.

Of course if you have another boy it would be less of an issue and you can get triple bunks to make the most of space.

shortlegss · 19/02/2016 23:35

We don't want to move now right but would want to further down the line so would want a 3 bed eventually, however rn OH is training for a new job so money is OK but not great (not great enough to move!)

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shortlegss · 19/02/2016 23:37

We do keep all the toys in the living room anyway (we're still in baby mode I think) so that's an idea, I do worry about being unfair but they really only sleep in their room, mostly they are in the living room or out the house... I worth about bunk beds as my eldest is NOT sensible lol but that's a definite idea further down the line

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steppemum · 19/02/2016 23:39

my three shared, first in a flat, then in a cottage. The babies were in with us for 6 months ish, and moved into the other bedroom once they were sleeping through regularly.

We finally moved when they were 3, 6 and 8.

The oldest was really ready for his own space. The younger two continued to share for another 2 years.

The rooms were largish, we had bunks beds plus a cot and then bunk beds plus a high sleeper. The space under the high sleeper was ds own zone (the lego zone) . The younger kid toys were downstairs. Most of their clothes were in our room.

There were all good sleepers, and they (mostly) went to bed quite well. We staggered bedtimes and did bedtime stories downstairs, or on my bed, so that the ones in bed could drop off while we read story no. 2 or 3.

Inkymess · 19/02/2016 23:39

My neighbours were in exactly this situation. 3 boys 1 room. Bunks and a single no prob. Two sheds for stuff and a cheap rented storage unit for stuff they only used occasionally. They only moved when baby 4 was a girl and got to 3 and eldest got into a top grammar school miles away

MrsJayy · 19/02/2016 23:40

Do you own your house you could extend or do the loft I think3 sharing would be a squeeze with toys and general kids stuff

Alanna1 · 19/02/2016 23:43

Personally, I wouldnt have the third DC. But I am undoubtedly projecting my own issues! We are in a lovely small mews house but if third DC was a different gender it would be a problem.

shortlegss · 19/02/2016 23:45

No chance of extending to the attic sadly, would be too much money and impractical due to house layout. They don't have toys in their room or anything, boys have a great sleep routine as well... The built in wardrobes are great for them as they are raised (I don't know why but not questioning it!) so they can't reach them at all... Considering swapping rooms with them but OH and I have two big heavy wardrobes and not sure about putting very active boys in the same room, and wardrobes wouldn't fit with us in their room (iyswim) if we did swap...

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RudeElf · 19/02/2016 23:48

I couldn't share with a bubba for more than 9 months though

ignores bubba

shortlegss · 19/02/2016 23:51

My boys must be grumpy, I try and cwtch up with them in my bed when they're poorly and I get punched, kicked, and generally shoved out of bed 😂 They like their own space!!

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MrsJayy · 19/02/2016 23:52

You can get those 3 bunk bed contraptions its a double at the bottom with a top bunk

Mummystar123 · 19/02/2016 23:54

I have 4 girls in one room aged 11, 8, 6 and 2.5 in 2 bunk beds. I share with baby girl and my 2 boys share a small room again in bunk beds

MrsJayy · 19/02/2016 23:58

Aww cwtch is a lovely word

shortlegss · 20/02/2016 00:04

It's my ma's word, cwtching up on the sofa with my 2 sisters is still my most favourite memory of family life! Maybe that's why I want another bubba! I would love to do it but I don't want to be unfair or unreasonable and I do worry. I think being surrounded by small families is what makes me nervous, I only know one parent with more than 2 kids, and she's awesome but she also has a ruddy great house!!

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RudeElf · 20/02/2016 00:09

Oh i used to do some lovely cwtching with a boy from the valleys!

steppemum · 20/02/2016 00:16

3 is a lovely number, I love having three. We didn't have the space to start with, but it didn't matter. Now they have their own rooms, but I am a bit nostalgic for when they shared.
One room each is a pretty new thing. Many of us shared with siblings as totally normal.

BeeppityBeep · 20/02/2016 00:18

I don't think it's a problem when they are wee but I think it can be when they are older. I know families can manage ok but I think it's better to wait until you have more room. A third child could be a girl and that would make it tricky. You and your partners sleeping in the living room would work with little kids but not teens.

MrsJayy · 20/02/2016 00:24

My friend has a boy/ girl they sleep in the livingroom

Kim82 · 20/02/2016 08:29

I have 3 girls sharing one room in a triple bunk bed - the same one in the pic. They're aged 11 (top bunk), 8 (middle bunk) and 19 months (bottom bunk at floor level). They have the master bedroom in the house, dh and I have the middle room and Ds (aged 14) has the little box room. It works for us and the girls have never said anything negative about sharing.

How many in one room!?

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steppemum · 20/02/2016 17:42

That is an awesome bunk kim!

BeautifulLiar · 24/02/2016 04:02

Kim that's the one I'll be buying!

TheJunctionBaby · 12/03/2016 08:48

We have 3 in one room - the largest in our two bed apartment. We've divided the room with one of those handy IKEA units (kallax) and a curtain. DS gets a single bed on one side, the girls share a bunk bed on the other side. They have a walk in closet which is used as a place to get dressed in privacy if necessary. It has worked up until now - just. We've only stayed in the 2 bed for this long because we knew we'd be moving back to the UK and needed to save for the move, not spend hundred more each month on one extra bedroom. The older two girls will most likely still share, DS will get his own room and baby will stay in with us. If we do manage to get a 4 bed, then the baby will share with DD2 (5) and the older two will have their own rooms.

I actually think that sharing a room is a great experience for kids - even mixed sex (up to a point).

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