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Original poster

Which child gets the second ensuite?

131 replies

Camdina · 14/10/2020 22:29

Yes, another first world problem...anyway...

DH and I have 4 DCs - DTs11, DS8, DD5. Currently in a 5-bed house with 1 ensuite and 1 family bathroom.

Need to move house for DHs job. Found a house we like and are proceeding with. 5 bedrooms again so all kiddos still get their own room. Great. Master bedroom with ensuite for DH and I. Lovely. Then 4 more bedrooms. Bedroom 2 is the largest of those and also has it's own ensuite. Bedrooms 3 and 4 are similar sized to each other, and bedroom 5 is pretty tiny. And then a very small family bathroom.

So who goes where? Who gets the large 'premium room' with it's own ensuite?! Can't even take the easy option and just give it to the oldest, since they are twins (unless you start counting the 2 minute difference in birth time..)

So what would you do and who would you put in which room?!

OP posts:
AlwaysLatte · 14/10/2020 22:53

I'd make them take turns in the room, maybe a year each?
God no, constant redecorating and uprooting them.

nothingcanhurtmewithmyeyesshut · 14/10/2020 22:56

I'd give the option for two children (any two) to have the big room and ensuite and leave the box room as an office or guest room. If no takers then see if any of them are more bothered about it than the others. If all else fails rock paper scissors.

Smellbellina · 14/10/2020 22:56

8yr old in the en-suite (has to be some perks to being the middle child), twins in the 2 similar rooms, youngest in the tiny one.
Or, twins share en-suite room.

unmarkedbythat · 14/10/2020 22:58

I'd say whoever has the ensuite should share. Given ages and sexes it makes most sense for the twin boys to share. And if there was no agreement re sharing would pull names out of a hat to assign rooms.

TokyoSushi · 14/10/2020 22:59

5 year old in the ensuite, I'd try really hard not to make a 'thing' out of the ensuite and just class it as another bathroom for now. DD is not old enough to realise that it should actually just be hers!

Jojobythesea · 14/10/2020 22:59

@Smellbellina

8yr old in the en-suite (has to be some perks to being the middle child), twins in the 2 similar rooms, youngest in the tiny one. Or, twins share en-suite room.
I agree with this. I am also a middle child 🤣🤣💪🏽
goalpostmover · 14/10/2020 23:00

Your DD, the boys can all share the family bathroom.

goalpostmover · 14/10/2020 23:01

I'm assuming she probably has more toys too being younger.

user1495884620 · 14/10/2020 23:01

@sunshinerays

I think the oldest child should have it
Bit harsh on twin 2!
scrivette · 14/10/2020 23:03

I would out DD in there so all the boys share a bathroom, plus she is likely to have larger/more toys.

Although I would say to her that the shower/bath needs to be shared if the other bathroom gets busy.

qate · 14/10/2020 23:05

I'd ask the twins first what they'd prefer - share with the en-suite (which might be handy if they're just about to hit teenage years) or go into separate rooms - the only hesitation would be that they're unlikely to want to share in a couple of years as they get older so are you going to have to move everyone around? (but again, private bathroom may outweigh that disadvantage to them!). Do you have any need for a guest room? If so, I'd probably put the youngest in the bigger room but have it partially convertible into a guest room (sofa/day bed in the corner) so she can move in with you if you have people coming to stay.

MiddleClassProblem · 14/10/2020 23:07

I think it’s a bit shit that twins get seen as one person almost. Unless they are the inseparable kind, I wouldn’t make them share.

I agree that the younger kids have more toys and so need more physical room. Who ever gets the smallest room, I would think about how to make this extra cool and possibly den like.

I think with the youngest you can also use parts of the room for other storage too without any complaint.

LadyLoungeALot · 14/10/2020 23:08

Rotation sounds most fair, but would be a PITA to implement.

Bringonspring · 14/10/2020 23:12

We actually had the same dilemma, we actually got a builder in to slightly reconfigure the floor so both our children got their own bathrooms. Clearly not possible with so many but I wonder if you couldn’t look at the floor plan and try and make it fairer

Smellbellina · 14/10/2020 23:13

@Jojobythesea I’m actually the youngest! But I appreciate middle DC can get a tough deal as I am often told by Dsis and middle DD.
Plus I felt sorry for the poor lad, he was the only DC without a post voting for him!
OP, give it to your middle child, you’ll reap the rewards later!

JellyBabiesSaveLives · 14/10/2020 23:16

Youngest in the room with the en-suite, treat it as another bathroom for everyone

Remind kids regularly that bedrooms aren’t set in stone and swap around every so often so no one gets the tiny room for too long

SoloMummy · 14/10/2020 23:25

@Camdina

Yes, another first world problem...anyway...

DH and I have 4 DCs - DTs11, DS8, DD5. Currently in a 5-bed house with 1 ensuite and 1 family bathroom.

Need to move house for DHs job. Found a house we like and are proceeding with. 5 bedrooms again so all kiddos still get their own room. Great. Master bedroom with ensuite for DH and I. Lovely. Then 4 more bedrooms. Bedroom 2 is the largest of those and also has it's own ensuite. Bedrooms 3 and 4 are similar sized to each other, and bedroom 5 is pretty tiny. And then a very small family bathroom.

So who goes where? Who gets the large 'premium room' with it's own ensuite?! Can't even take the easy option and just give it to the oldest, since they are twins (unless you start counting the 2 minute difference in birth time..)

So what would you do and who would you put in which room?!

DTs11, DS8, DD5 I'd have the twins in en siute. They're at an age when they will have less "stuff" and getting close to using the bathroom more. I wouldn't want the youngest 2 to have a bathroom to their selves. So they'd have the 2 rooms of similar size. The smallest box room is unfair to expect 1 of them to have, so unless a twin refuses to share and they have that, I'd have it as a study/quiet room/guest room.
lentilsforlunch · 14/10/2020 23:25

The bathroom is not really the issue, the tiny box room is

LadyLoungeALot · 14/10/2020 23:28

I'd have loved a tiny box room as a child! Much cosier. You should ask if anyone wants it, OP- maybe one of your kids is as weird as me!

yikesanotherbooboo · 14/10/2020 23:29

I, too, would probably go for the youngest but I would also expect them to move out if visitors were expected

PickAChew · 14/10/2020 23:35

Give the twins both the big room and the ensuite with options for sharing, whether that's both sleep in the big room and use the box room as a den so they both get privacy, or else they sleep in a room each but must share the en suite and must swap sleeping rooms once a year. Whichever way, both get to use the big room for storage of stuff.

JacobReesMogadishu · 14/10/2020 23:39

Numbers in a hat. Whoever draws No1 chooses first, etc, etc.

AgeLikeWine · 14/10/2020 23:40

I agree with @qate. Talk to the twins and ask them what they want to do, share the big room with the en-suite or each have their own rooms & use the family bathroom. Then your problem is solved, whatever they decide.

Hopingtobeamum · 14/10/2020 23:45

We have one ensuite and gave it to eldest DSD, we have the largest bedroom which isn't an ensuite (we're happy with that), youngest gets the smallest room but she's sooo untidy and everyone is happy (or we think they are) so this works for us. Good luck x

HeddaGarbled · 14/10/2020 23:46

Agree with many PPs: twins share en-suite room; set up box-room as a study so they can escape from each other if they need to.