Would you consider a 3rd child if you lived in a 2 bed house?

[Onedropbeat]

You live in a 2 bed house. It’s fine as it is but will be a squeeze even with the two children when they grow up.
DH and I ideally wanted a 3rd. I’m late 30’s

There’s no chance of us affording anything bigger anytime soon due to the way house prices have increased in our area. We have solidly been priced out just in the last year because of people relocating but wanting to still be accessible to London

Pre Covid we thought that our salaries would continue increasing at the rate they had been and we’d be able to afford the next rung on our tiny ladder

We can’t really now. Wages have dropped rather than increasing and obviously won’t be increasing again for a long while if at all now

Would you have a much desired 3rd in the circumstances or just suck it up to Covid

I'm on the fence as on the one hand I wonder if it is really necessary for each child to have their own room. On the other hand it would mean at least one of the other children having to share which could be difficult for them depending on their age and you need to think of them not just you wanting another child.

@Lemonsyellow

Yes. We had three in a two-bed house. It was fine. They shared (all the same sex) until they left home/went to university. But not if you are struggling for money. We had enough but we didn’t want to move somewhere bigger/ more expensive. As it was, we had money to go round and have a nice life without scrimping.

Just trying to imagine 3 mid to late teenagers sharing one bedroom and... I shudder!

No, I wouldn’t. I’d either rent elsewhere, convert/extend or move to ensure at least a three bed.

No, definitely not! But then I wouldn’t consider a 3rd even in a 5 bed!

No. I'd wait for a few years and then try if you're in a better financial situation to move.

I had dd when I was 36. I then waited until i was 42 to ttc again, as we were not in a financial situation to have another child until then. I knew it was a risk we wouldn't conceive, but I would rather have had only 1 child than 2 I couldn't afford.

If I was you, I'd rather have 2 children than 3 in an overcrowded house.

For so many reasons including the lack of space and the environmental impact, no. But mostly just because once the DC outnumber you, they have won! Stick with two!

It would depend.

How are are the existing kids and what sex? Of same sex so could keep sharing forever then you have to only find room for one younger child. A year to conceive / give birth and a couple of years in your room. Is there room to split a room / could you look at moving then?

Could you move into the living room reasonably and have the 3 kids upstairs?

What if it's twins?

No. i would also consider it selfish to do so in those circumstances.

@Chewingle
Ah, it was fine. They are still late teens/early 20s now, so not so long ago. They’re really close. Two are students and still come back in the holidays. They all shared the bigger bedroom. If one had been a different sex, we might have had to rethink. But the advantages of where we lived outplayed everything else. We did have a second reception room/dining room that we could have used as another bedroom, but that was used more as a playroom/hang-out room, or if one of them was having a sleepover.

Definitely not, i wouldn't have 2 children in a 2 bed either.

No, I grew up in that situation and it was very tough. No privacy, no quiet to study, nowhere that I couldn't put money/ prized possessions safely, couldn't have friends over as no space, books/ paper/ stuff stacked everywhere as so little space for storage. I know others will say they lived that way and had a wonderful childhood, but it was miserable for me.

I would totally have a third child if I could fit the beds in. But I grew up in a tiny tiny house and thus have a very different concept of the space necessary to live than many people on here.
Yes op it's worth remembering that some people on here will be horrified that you have two in atwo bee because they'll have to share and how will they ever study or develop their sense of self if they share,. The horror 🤣🤣🤣

No

No way, and I have 3 kids. Your children need some privacy and space to be alone as they grow up.
You can’t afford 3 if you can’t afford a bigger house

No, I don’t think it’s fair for 3 children or teenagers to be sharing a room. Also, your third might be a different sex which makes the sharing even more problematic. And you could have twins.

Ground floor extension for an extra bedroom if going into the loft is prohibitive? Sounds like it's be an investment anyway when you come to sell if prices are booming.
If your heart is saying go for a third, then do it. Just embrace the chaos

No. I have 5 DC and 5 bedrooms, DC5 was not planned and will definitely be our last! The youngest two will have to share at least until the eldest (11) moves out and no longer needs his bedroom. It’s not the end of the world but we wanted them all to have their own room really.

You already have two sharing with no prospect of moving anytime soon, I wouldn’t add another to the mix personally.

Nope.

I personally wouldn’t.

However, my parents had three kids in a one bed flat.

My in laws had three kids in a two bed home.

My parents eventually moved to a bigger home.

My in laws never did, they simply swapped to a sofa bed in the living room for the adults, and the kids had the bedrooms until they left home.

Basically, they made it work.

Absolutely not. We didn't consider a second until we had more than two bedrooms.

No I wouldn't. We have 3 in a 3 bed with 2 small bedrooms. Maybe if you have extra living space downstairs it would work? We feel cramped and I feel guilty for my middle one sleeping in the top bunk of a bunk bed. It obviously wasn't planned like this but life happens and we are like this for a couple of years until we move.

No way. Imagine teenager trying to study GCSEs in the same room as a teenager trying to chat to friends and then a child too?!? Why would anyone choose to do that?

In any given area, there generally are larger properties available somewhere nearby that just maybe aren't exactly to Mumsnet's exacting specifications, but which do exist. In your position I would give real, sincere thought to what compromises you might be prepared to make on the housing front in order to get more space. Not a next rung on the ladder property, but a 'what's the largest home we can get for the same kind of money and also feel okay about living in?' kind of property. There will be options, the question is more whether they're palatable options.

No I have teenagers and see how important their own space and privacy is to them. Teens need their own room.

No.