AIBU youngest child gets the box room?

[nickEcave]

We will be moving soon and as we want to stay in the same area of south London the only houses we can afford are 3 bedrooms where two of the rooms are doubles and one is much smaller. We have 2 DDs, age 8 and 5 who currently share a room but a both very keen to have their own rooms. We will probably be able to convert the loft in 5 years or so, but in the meantime will have to assign one girl a smaller room. When I was a kid my younger brother always had the small room but not sure if assigning room based on age is altogether fair so I'm looking for your opinions. Both girls have friends over to play (and sometimes to sleepover). Younger one potentially has more large toys but older one is asking for a desk for homework so both have needs which could require a bigger room. What would you do/have you done?

I was the oldest and always shared because I was least likely to make a fuss. Not much fun being 16 and having to share with 9-year-old sister because 14-year-old sister was precious and child no. 4 a boy...

I was the oldest and always had the smallest room because I quite liked it.

The bigger rooms always ended up with the scruffy furniture whereas I got new stuff especially bought to fit.

The small rooms always faced south too which was lovely in a house that didn't have much heating.

I had this and gave DD (eldest) a choice. All the shared toys were going to have to go in the bigger room. She could have the bigger room on grounds of seniority but would then have to let her little brother play there. Or she could have the smaller room and have it all to herself. She chose the smaller room and privacy and a new cabin bed with desk.

We have a box room. It's currently half a study and half a baby's bedroom, but as she gets older I will move the study to another part of the house (I work from home) and it will become her bedroom. There are loads of things you can do with those high beds where the underneath is a desk (only when she's old enough). It'll be cosy! Someone has to have the smallest room and it seems only fair that it's the last child.

As youngest of two girls, I always had the box room and never thought anything of it. Would do the same if I had more than one child.

My oldest has the box room, he has way less things than dd.

I'm an older child and I always envied my brother's tiny room. It had a big built-in laundry box and there was just room for his divan bed long the rest of that wall, and a chest of drawers on the other side. We both liked to sit on top of the box, which seemed quite high when we were small. So when we moved house when I was 9, I specifically requested to have the smaller room this time. It wasn't as small as his original room but I was still happy with it.

Can you turn the boxoom into a guestroom that DDs can use when they have sleepovers. We have the youngest two children in the largest room of the house. The oldest two have the two smallest rooms (8 and 11) as they have less. A bed a wardrobe a desk and some toy storage is all my 8 year old DD has. IKEA bedroom we don't live in London anymore, hence the space. We juggled 4 kids in three bedrooms in London, which is why we now have so much IKEA kids storage solutions.
I always think age based on size too. I guess that's how most people work it. Doesn't have to be.

I'd give DD8 the smaller room... Its only a few years til she's hitting the "teenage phase" and at that point she will probably only have phone/ laptop/ etc rather than big toys like the younger may have.

If you have a tiny bay window in your box room like we have, you could have a built in desk.

My older children (teens) have always prefered the smaller rooms. They are now in the loft and have smaller rooms than dc3 who has the back bedroom. She has by far the most stuff.

Our boxroom iis now the study. If we ever have a room above the garage it will probably be the teen's playroom and guest room.

If my teens have more than one friend over for sleepover, they sleep in the living room.