Share room or convert study?

[Sophie4113]

I know this is a personal decision but I'm just wondering if there are any factors to consider which I've missed.

I have DS1 (nearly 5) and DS2 (nearly 2) and DD due in February. We have a four bedroom house. Bedroom 1 is ours. Bedroom 2 is quite big and has DS1 in it, in a double bed which we want to keep. Bedroom 3 is medium with DS2's cot in it. Bedroom 4 is a box room, currently used as a study / dumping ground.

We could convert the study to a bedroom for DD. I'd miss it because I work from home regularly and there is nowhere else obvious to put things like the printer, shredder, stationery and filing cabinet. I could get around it though by decluttering and having a pull down desk in our bedroom.

Or we could put DS1 and DS2 in together. It would just about fit DS1's double bed, a single bed for DS2 and a small wardrobe. I'm not sure whether they'd disturb each other though or whether DS1 would want/need privacy from his siblings. DS1 seemed excited about the idea when I suggested it.

Putting DS2 and DD in together is not a great option because neither of our current children were good sleepers as babies and I expect this baby to be the same.

We plan to move house in 5-10 years' time. A loft conversion or extension is not an option with our house.

Any thoughts? X

I'd have your two DS's sharing a double bed I think, if you can't put the double in the med size room.

Or put the double in storage if you want to keep it, and put bunk beds in the bigger room.

Putting a double bed in storage for 5+ years is unlikely to be cost effective...

I'd have your DSs share, my kids love sharing. In fact, while they are quite small, they would probably enjoy one room for all three (this might involve the double bed moving to the middle sized room for guests and potentially also having kids clothes in there. Once the biggest wants his own space he can move into the middle room, and you may well be moving by then anyway.

I meant in the loft or garage! No cost involved

I’d have the two boys sharing - bunk beds might work well! I’d definitely have my two boys sharing but I feel the gap is too big with my two (eldest ds is 6 and baby ds is 6 months) my middle is a girl and only a year younger than eldest ds but they would never sleep if they shared 🙈

Get rid of the double bed and get bunk beds.

We have 4 beds and 3 DC - 1 bedroom for us, DS1 has his own and DS2 and 3 share. We changed it about 12 months ago - when he was little, DS 3 was in by himself and 1 and 2 shared.

We keep a spare room so there’s somewhere for parents to stay / somewhere for us to decamp to in the middle of the night if needed!

If bedroom 1 is biggest why not have the boys share that?

You move into the next biggest bedroom.

Wishing to keep the double bed is making decision more complicated. Maybe take that out of the equation and see what happens then.

I would do baby in my bedroom for the first year plus. Then I would either a) once baby is sleeping through the night have them share a bigger room.
Or b) give up your office and create an office space in your bedroom.
Ask the child you plan to have share rooms if they want to share! Maybe it’ll help you decide.

If boys are okay sharing together then have them share

I wouldn't work from home on a desk in your bedroom, v bad sleep hygiene. Keep work and sleep spaces separate where poss!

What's so special about the double that you want to keep it? I'd have baby in with you for quite a while, or else squeeze a basic cot into study without de-studying it, babies don't need anything but a cot for a year or two and by then it might be clearer who should share.

Boys in single beds in bedroom 2. Double in bedroom 3 if there's space.

I'd give each child their own room as it's so much easier for keeping clothes and toys organised, then set up your home working area in a reception room/hallway/landing/understairs space or corner of your bedroom.

When we had dc3 we had our home office in our bedroom and it worked well as it meant we only y had to keep the kids out of one space!

We have 3 dc. All have their own rooms but every single night dc1&2 choose to share a double bed. So I don't think I'd bother converting the study!

We had pretty much exactly the same decision. We moved DD2 in with DS4 and kept the study. So far it has worked really well, they love sharing and actually if anything sleep better having someone else in the room with them. Young children don't value their own space in the way adults do, I had a room by myself for a while when I was about 7 and I didn't appreciate it at all - instead I was jealous of my younger DSis who got to share. It was only from.about age 10 I started wanting my own room.

We made the move well before DC3's birth so they didn't associate it with having to make space for the baby.

Do you want a double for guests to use? If so can it fit in bedroom 3 with a cot for dd? If not what about getting one of those bunks with double on the bottom and single above.

We put our 2 in together when the youngest was about 10 months, and kept a travel cot in our room so they could nap separately in the day. The baby was fine with having daytime naps in one room and night time sleep in the other. Don't change anything now. Leave the boys where they are and have the baby in with you at first. When you want to move the baby out, decide whether to move them into a cot in the office for a few months, or to put 2 children in together, and redecorate then for both of them. Personally I'd be inclined to put the 2 youngest in together while gender doesn't matter, as your girl will probably end up having to share less in the long run even if that's just on holidays. But I've leave the boys where they are for at least another year.

Why do you want to keep the double bed? If it's for guests, and I were a guest, I wouldn't want to sleep in a child's bedroom but would prefer a sofa bed elsewhere.
I'd make the biggest bedroom into the boys room with bunks and plenty of play space. Then baby has next biggest room, therefore leaving no the smallest as your study.

My advice is (one bedroom) bunks with double on the bottom and single above; and sofa bed in sitting room.