Do I NEED a bedroom?

[Lou2120]

Ok so I live in a 3 bedroom house and me and my husband have 3 children. 2 boys and 1 girl and age gaps of 4 and 5 years.

I'm now thinking should we give them all a room of their own each and me and my husband get a good quality sofa bed and just sleep downstairs and not have a bedroom?

The kids play in their rooms however we only sleep in our bedroom. I'd keep our wardrobes and clothes in the largest room still as it is. Has anyone ever done this?

I think it's better for your well being to have a separate space to sleep from everyday family life. Could you just let one of the kids play on your room rather than giving it to them as their bedroom. I often do this and sometimes let one of them sleep in my bed of they are mucking about with their son then move them back to their room when they are asleep. It does depend a bit on their ages though. I think it's lovely that you want to give your children each their own space but you also need to consider your own health and well being. Sharing a room with a sib is a pretty standard for kids growing up so nothing to feel guilty about there xx

Why do you have 2 threads?

I'm on a sofa bed at the moment, with clothes etc stored in ds's room. It's not ideal. Even the most comfortable sofa bed is not as nice as an actual bed. It's also a massive pain putting the bedding away every morning, although I have a big wicker basket with a lid that I keep next to the sofa and use as a coffee table.

Could you put whichever kids have to share in the largest bedroom and give yourself the smallest room?

That is a crazy idea. You need a bed and bedroom. Your children can share.

I'd have the boys sharing.

Couldn't be doing with the faff of setting up a sofa bed every night and it will never be as comfortable as an actual bed.

I would give the boys the biggest bedroom, then you & Dh the next biggest room, and your girl the smallest room. You do still really need you own space.

What would happen when you or DP is in and needs to stay in bed?

I don’t think it’s good for your wellbeing to sleep long term on a sofa bed and have no space for just you and your husband. Could you fit a divider/screen/curtains in the boys room that can be put up if they decide they need more privacy?

What ages? How long term?

Could be a bit of a pita when they're off the age where they want to stay up later than you (or want to get up earlier than you).

I couldn't sleep long term in the living room. If you want to give them all a room could you move or extend?

I don't know why it's seen as a thing that kids should have their own rooms. I shared with two brothers til they left home and then my sister, we had a spare room too, we liked the company of each other. My kids, although they do have their own rooms, often bunk up together or make dens and sleep in there instead of their own separate bedrooms. Keep a room for yourselves, kids are fine sharing

A 3 bed is plenty for a family of 5. Parents get the largest room, boys share the middle room and girl gets the small room. It's a very modern concept for children to have their own room, and the wants of children to be prioritised over the needs of adults.

Why would you do this? Children are smaller and have fewer clothes. Also, they don’t pay the bills.

My mum did this for a while and it wasn't a great long-term plan. Kids are fine sharing, and sleeping in the living room isn't great for relaxation/switching off at night. There are also logistical issues -- where would you store your clothes? If it's in one of the kids rooms, it won't really feel like "their" room. If you or your partner fall ill and need quiet rest in bed, how will that work if your bed is also the sofa?

I wouldn't I've got my sons sharing and theres a 7 year age gap. My youngest son takes over my bedroom in the day.
It works well for us.
It is hard as they are getting older and want privacy but theres the bathroom to dress and if they want some peace and quiet in their own room its give and take.

What is the age gap between the boys?
Is the largest bedroom big enough to split?

Sofa beds are not designed for sleeping on long term. They're uncomfortable and the mattresses are usually very thin so bad for your back. I would definitely look at getting the kids to share for as long as possible

I think as you don’t need to do this you shouldn’t, it’s not going to be beneficial. The cons out weigh the pros.

I think its really important for tons of reasons that you have your own bedroom.

I'd make the smallest room your bedroom, if you can just fit a bed and wardrobe in there or the middle room if need be. Then have two kids sharing the largest room and the other in the small/middle room.

You need a decent bed and a sofa bed doesn't make the grade imo.

We're a family of 5 in a 3 bedroom house. It'd never occur to me to give up our room. The boys (14 and 12) share the biggest room. My and dh have the middle one with dd in the box room. My brother was in the same situation and partitioned off his biggest room to make 2 small rooms. They are tiny spaces but with clever storage. It works for them as their boys argued endlessly and is just a stud wall so can be removed when/if they sell up.

It's a slippery slope op. You and DH in the master then the boys need to share the biggest bedroom. When you said large family I was expecting a thread about the logistics of squeezing 5 or 6 kids into a 2 bed, not 3 kids into a 3 bed. Surely that's pretty standard?

Seems madness to me, you won't have any privacy, you'll never be able to have sex without keeping an ear out, presumably the older ones will be wanting to stay up later soon.

Do you have a separate downstairs space you could turn into a bedroom? This is what my mum and dad did when my brother and I needed separate rooms (two bed terrace). They turned the front room into a bedroom, and it worked well for us.

You can't sleep in the living room. It may be fine now, but when your eldest gets old enough to not go to bed at a reasonable time, what are they going to do? If they don't want to be in their room and maybe want friends to come over - are you going to sit up all night?