Wardrobe for sharing siblings - what do i need to consider?

[FlouryBap]

Hello,

I have two DD under two and am going to move DD1 into the bigger spare room after Christmas, with teh intention that DD2 will go in with her when she is big enough. There is an alcove 160cm wide that I was planning on getting a wardrobe for. I want it to be able to do both of them and don't want to spend masses, but have been looking around and tying myself up in knots. So - if anyone has any advise it would be really appreciated.

I would like it to be white (but not essential) and to have drawers and/or shelves.

This one from the GLTC is perfect for one, but too expensive and pointless for two (unless we got a couple!)

So any wisdom about what I should be taking into consideration is hugely appreciated.

thanks

FB

I'll be very honest!

1. Don't even think of getting your DDs to share a wardrobe - it will never be tidy. It is hard enough to share a bedroom space and keep it tidy - sharing storage is beyond any child's capability, at any point in time. Don't go there.

1. Your DDs need to be able to physically use any storage you get for them by themselves by the time they are 3, at the latest. A big wardrobe is impossible for them to use plus you will have to screw it to the wall to avoid it crashing down as they climb up it and crushing them.

Get something smaller and intermediate, and think again when they are 5 or so. DD is just 5 and is having a big girl wardrobe (her first) for Christmas. She has managed just fine with a small rail with tiny hangers and a shelf in her toy cupboard up until now (and she has plenty of clothes!).

mine (3 and 5) share a room and have a chest of drawers each. they also both have a hanging rail in the double fitted wardrobe. The rest of the wardrobe is shelved for toy storage the total width is about 160cm.

is the alcove deep enough to put storage in?

this stuff is great and you can swap the layout around as they grow.

could you get a joiner to make it into a fitted cupboard?

Hiya, my dds share, they have a wardrobe and a large chest of draws. In the bottom of the wardrobe they have 2 sets of plastic draws( 3 draws high) which take up all of the space from the bottom of the wardrobe to the bottom of the hanging clothes. I only hang things which need to be hung because I find it much quicker to put clothes away folded iyswim.

lovely lovely helpful ladies!

My current thoughts are that that elfa stuff look amazing and could work if could figure out if we can put doors on and turn it into a cupboard. need to think it through and find a reasonable joiner.

Metatron - when you said you shelved the rest of the wardrobe was this using the elfa stuff?

as in interim solution i might look at getting something from ikea [[http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/categories/range/10389/12018/ trofast] system for hanging clothes up in. Or i might just continue hanging hangy stuff off pegs and work out the elfa thing.

thank you all so much, you were all really really really helpful

FB

Nope i crave elfa stuff but I have a handy hubby so he put up lots of conti board shelving and hanging rails and will re do it v cheaply when we need it done. You can use the elfa stuff for shelving. You basically just attach your uprights then you can put any combination of shelves/drawers/hangingvrails you want on it.

Lucky you, I am the handy one in our house.

Elfa stuff looks unbelievably great, thanks for pointing me in the direction of it

As you have mentioned Torfast (I have a whole playroom full of it, tis fab) how about 3 single Pax wardrobes from Ikea, one each and a toy storage one? Are you even looking at toy storage or just clothes?

Shelves are very cheap so you can stash toys etc.

I have Pax wardrobes with the plastic tubs inside as drawers, it means you can over-fill them if needed and pull them all the way out to get to the back.

Plus you shut the door and it is all tidy My sons have 2 single pax wardrobes, they have the tubs for underwear, vests etc with the fabric tubs inside to keep them neat and tidy, and a hanging rail is like £2! Plastic hangers from ikea. Shelves at the top for jigsaws and games which I get down for them.

My DCs (2 and 5) share and we also have a Pax system, made up of 1 double unit of 100cm, and a single one of 50cm. The smaller one has a rail which I find sufficient for DD's stuff that needs to be hung. Smaller kids don't need stuff hung really. The rail is low down so easy for DD to reach.

The rest is shelves and drawers, my 2 seem to have loads of clothes but 1 100cm and 1 50cm drawer each seem to be more than enough for them. Out of season clothes are stored in boxes out of the way on the top shelves.

The rest of the wardrobe holds bedding and towels for the rest of the house, luggage, spare duvets etc, as the DCs have the larger of our 2 bedrooms and storage is at a premium. You could use excess space for toys too, bearing in mind some of the shelves will be hard to reach for DCs.

The beauty of this system is it's very easy to change the components inside. The white Pax is very cheap, we customised ours with kid's doorhandles and wall stickers, and it looks great IMVHO. Plus, as Fizzy said, shut the doors and you have instant tidiness!