Family of 5 one bathroom

[MamaD2015]

Looking for advice. We currently live in a 4bed. Whilst the plot and downstairs is a great size the upstairs is awkward, we have 3 children 2,5,10 and envisage this getting harder as they get older. We have one small bathroom and it takes some hammer and causes lots of ques in the morning and evening already. Theres no scope to create another bathroom or any more space we’ve maxed the house out.
I’m looking for general chat, advice about how people have found 5 and one bathroom, I know it can obviously be done but if you could would you have moved to add the space?
We love where we are but just feel we’re outgrowing it the bigger the kids get. Money and the fact this house is where we have raised our children plays a huge part in whether we sell or stay.

OP you asked for advice. Were
you hoping for everyone to tell you to move so you could justify it in your mind? If so then you have your answer.
we only have one child and one bathroom and a downstairs toilet. We also have toothbrushes in the downstairs toilet and DS mainly uses that for washing his face and tooth brushing. I think it also depends on if you’re a family where everyone likes to shower before work? We tend to shower in the evenings/ during the day so it’s only DS who showers in the morning rush.

There’s me, dh, 23 year old ds, 18 year old, 11 year old and 5 years old.

4 bed house, one bathroom, one downstairs loo.

We’ve never had an issue.

OP no one is saying you’re wrong, we’re just pointing out that it doesn’t need to be a big concern. I was attempting to reassure you that it works for us. I’d have another bathroom if I could but fininaces won’t allow so we just get on with it for now.

Can you go up into the loft?

Can the younger kids wash their faces and brush their in the downstairs loo in the morning? If you aren’t already bath shower the younger 2 at night and the oldest can wash in the mornings.

We have more people than you in my house and we manage fine with 1 upstairs bathroom and 1 downstairs WC.

Family of 4 with one bathroom- my boys brush their teeth together on a school morning after we already have. We have put up shelves on the walls for extra storage, and the boys will have a quick shower before school each evening then I’ll shower in the morning so there is no clash. If someone needs the toilet whilst someone is in the shower/bath they can go it’s no biggie

Also one positive is less cleaning. One of my friends has five toilets and she says it’s never ending!

Are you sure you can't manage anything like a small extension on the back for a shower and toilet?

We are 5. Me DH and 3 girls (currently 16x2 and 20)
we managed with 1 full bathroom and a downstairs loo. Scheduling and planning is your friend. It did help that DH goes to work early and is in and out quickly. 😀

family of 7, 1 bathroom, nobody baths at busy times everyone gets showers on week nights. Baths at weekends for those who enjoy them. That cuts down on congestion significantly.

We had a five bedroom new build house with the downstairs toilet two ensuite and a main bathroom when the children were about 5 7 and nine and it was heaven
I thoroughly recommend

Iv teens and one bathroom/toilet.
We just have a routine. I get in first and sort myself, then eldest teen showers and teeth, then the other two depending who's up. Just means getting up a bit earlier and making sure no ones taking long showers
Dh gets up super early so he's out before any of us are up

You’ll probably need a rota when they’re older

But surely you could build a shower room onto the side of the house on the ground floor? Or at least a loo - that will really help.

And I thoroughly recommend winning the lottery but that doesn’t mean it’s going to happen?

Do you not think everyone would have a larger house if it was that simple.

There are 6 adults in my house with 1 bathroom never been a problem. As long as you have a toilet downstairs

At one point there was 6 of us with one toilet and one bathroom!

I think the saving grace has been there is a separate toilet, if we hadn’t had that we would have struggled. Our bathroom and toilet is downstairs.

Currently there is me and three teen/adult girls in the house. We make it work by sticking to our own routines - I shower before work, for example, the girls shower in the evening but come home at different times. It hasn’t been a huge problem and you adapt to what you have.

If you already have 2 toilets then surely the answer to the bathroom is everyone gets an allocated time slot for showering/bathing and if you miss your slot you miss your slot.

We also keep toothbrushes and toothpaste both upstairs and downstairs so we can at least brush our teeth if someone is in the bathroom when we need to get ready.

I suppose it is just what you are used to. I grew up in a family of five, living in a flat with only one bathroom, and we managed fine. In my house now, it's just me, DH, and DS14, and we each have our own bathroom/shower room, plus a downstairs guest toilet. I wouldn't want to go back to having to share a bathroom, it is really annoying when we go on holiday and there is only one between us.

Five people here too, with one bathroom (and a small downstairs loo). It's only started to be a problem now that DD has returned home after graduating and seems to have forgotten that it isn't her personal en suite, like she had at university!

We have four people and four bathrooms and both children still argue and want the same loo at the same time so think it doesn’t matter really 😂 maybe double up to do baths and teeth whilst they are young?

If you rushing in the evenings between kids pickup and bed, would it be cost effective to have a nanny? Can she collect littlest from childcare at 1 pm and stay until you get home? Then she can feed the ankle biters, do bath time, teeth etc?

(I don’t know how child care costs work ..,)

4 of us here and we manage.
I'm in first, at 6.
Dh in at 630.
Teens either before school or at night.
Dh tends to hog the toilet, so he can be a problem.
Kids tend to take the piss with showers, but they just need reminding. To be honest, it's being on a water meter that screws us the most.

I grew up in a family of 5, one bathroom. But separate loo - that’s a must. There was an outside loo too though only DF used it (a bit spidery). At some point when we were teenagers one of the bedrooms and later another had a sink fitted which reduced pressure on the bathroom in the morning.
but tbh it was baths not showers back then and no one did that daily.

Of course, this is completely normal.

It actually gets easier as they get older because one person in the bathroom at a time becomes the norm. You might need a bathroom schedule if there are a lot of people needing to shower in the morning - just as we did in my student houses years ago. Do make up in bedrooms. Keep toothbrushes in downstairs loo (or by kitchen sink?) if toothbrushing is a pinch point, but these days I think we're meant to be brushing before breakfast anyway