experiences of your children sharing a bedroom?

[steph1512]

hi i have two girls currently aged 3.5yr and 20mth and i am expecting or third child in april my first two will then be 3yr9mth and 24mths.

they will need to share as we only have 3beds

just wondered if anyone had any advise??
should i put them in together b4new arrival or after?

my plan was to keep them seperate until 3rd needs to move from our rm 6mth ish.

then ther is the sleeping arrangement i would worry bout bunkbeds with my youngest but twins would leave little space.

the other option could be to put the youngest 2 in together?? but that would mean moving my eldest out of her much loved room to a box room...think that could be a bit upsetting for her???

decisions decisions eh?!!?think im starting to panic at the thought of having 3under4 esp after one of those bad days today

ne ideas much appreciated

hiya

I have 5yo DD1 nearly 4yo DD2 and 17mo DD3 (oh and no4 due in May)

Like you we have 3 bedrooms, DD3 stayed in with us for a year then went into the boxroom vacated by DD2.

We made a big thing of buying the bunk beds, they chose their bedding for them, they were so excited, DD2 helped move her toys into the room and we got a new plaque for the door that had her name on it too.

DD2 moved in with DD1 a few months before DD3 moved into the box room so that she wouldn't feel like she had been kicked out, we also said the box room was the baby's room and the bigger room, the big girls room.

DD1 was 4.9mo and DD2 3.3mo when they got their bunks, they utterly love them and have been no bother sharing a room.

We are now planning to extend but I think DD1 and 2 will always share now (at least until teenagers)

3 under 4 is hard no bones about it but manageable and great fun too.

I had 3 under 3, its hard but don't panic its also great fun (ds3 is 5 months now)
We also have 3 bed and put ds1 and ds2 in same room last easter when they were about 2.10yrs and 16months. We decided to do it before baby arrived as we knew we needed the 3rd bedroom for change table and all the extra baby stuff that just wouldn't fit in our room, plus we couldn't fit a chair in our room for night feeding and I found it way easier to breastfeed in comfort.
They got on fine, few rough nights of them waking each other (ds2 moved into ds1's room so he needed extra reassurance in night - just hand on his back - as I think he felt disorientated) and now they love it. ds1 on longer climbs into bed with us at 6am we just find them playing together at 7am when their light comes on on a timer. I'm planning on putting all three in same room next year as I think its been really settling for ds1 to share his room. (have the plans for triple bunks!)
We have cot bed and toddler bed in boys room rather than full singles, they have the biggest room so still enough spce to get around. I didn't think they'd be ready for bunks till ds2 is about 3yrs, I'm not worried about them sleeping in them but playing around on ladders and top bunk during the day.
Hope that helps - written in rush as late for dream feed but hope it makes sense!

I kept my in cots as long as possible because they take up less room, once they got older I just took the side off to convert it into a bed.

When my youngest was born she went into the box room so we had 3 sharing the largest bedroom - 2 in bunkbeds one in a cot. DH & I share the middle room very cosy!

We have 3 DC's and 3 beds too - DS1 (7) and DS2 (5) share a room and absolutely love sharing a room.
DD (18 months) has the box room.

However - we are running out of space very quickly with all their toys/clothes/coats/shoes so we are thinking very seriously about an extension.

We moved in here from a 2 bed flat (no children then) - couldn't imagine how we'd fill the house. Little did we know...

arh thanks for all the feed back im hoping they enjoy sharing to they both sleep well most of the time so hoping that wont change!

think like mentinoed morning could have there positives as yesterday morning they both went into my eldests bedroom n played happily for half and hr while i came round hehe.

Def no what you mean re space that what im just figuring out now...where to put all their clothes etc.

we to hope to extend as previous owners did single storey extention and we would like to go above which our neighbour has done n theirs is now 5beds.

But this is def a far off plan as far as money goes but i would like to think they will have their own rooms by teenagers

ps verybusyspider i have a friend whos best friend was one of three girls and the all shared a room by choice up till 20ish because they were very close...so i did wonder if in yrs to come if this little one is a girl. if they might like the triple bunk thing..then our third bed could become toy/storage

pps just why we are one the subject of close siblingss how did you all go about transporting them?
im hoping to try the sling option with my 2nd in buggy not sure how well this will go just know i bought double last time n used it very few times then sold it cos my eldest just walked but it was a side by side which didnt help i like the phil n ted for convenience but its soo expensive!
althou my youngest does walk to a certain extent the thought of keeping and eye on two out of pushchair and pushing a pushchair on top of also walking the dog is somewhat daunting!

apologise i do waffle hehe

Yes we're hoping to reclaim or 3rd bed for a couple of years as a spare room/storage. Unfortunently there is no way we can extend our house so we'll either lose it to one of them or we'll try and more in a few years time.

Transporting wise. We got a Phil and Teds when we had ds1, I was hedging my bets that I'd have my children close its been fantastic, ds1 has to walk everywhere but he's getting better at it. When he's at preschool I can take out umbrella folding buggy with buggy board, it just about keeps ds2 contained and lot easier to put in car than phil and teds. ds2 is 2 at christmas and does walk to school and back (about a 10 min walk) but it is useful to have the extra seat for containing him in shops or if in rush to get to nursery (often running late!)

not a waffle - tis all the stuff I worried about before ds3 arrived!

No personal experiences but my friend has 1 boy, 4 girls followed by another boy. When baby number 5 came along she had the eldest in the box room and the other 5 all in one room. She had 2 sets of bunk beds and a cot. When the youngest out grew the cot he went into the box room in a bunk bed with the eldest. She hasn't had any problems at all and thinks sharing improves socialisation, sharing, compromise and immunity

I have 4 dd's(8,4,27mo,14mo) dd's 1 and 2 have bunk beds and dd3 has a single all together in room 1. DD4 cosleeps with us freeing up the box room as a play room, when dd4 goes into a bed we will decide if to swap dd3's single for bunks or put some in the box room.

Not experienced it as a parent, but my sister and I used to share a room. It was great and we have a lovely friendship now I really wanted more space when I got to about 13 or so but before then it was all perfect - and it still wasn't that bad to share as a teenager.

I remember that my mum got fed up of us chatting and keeping each other awake, so she used to put me to bed in her bed and my sister to bed in our room and carry me through when we were both asleep. Once I was older and got too heavy I was allowed to read sitting on her bed while my sister went to sleep and then I would go in later. So I wasn't staying up downstairs for my sister to get jealous of It worked quite well.

Oh also, a few ideas on bed arrangements:

Bunk beds which also work as 2 singles. Have them as singles and convert into bunk beds when ready.

Have DD2 on bottom bunk of bunk beds in case she falls out and promise that they can swap when she gets to X age (keep letting them swap every year or 6 months or so if they fight over the top bunk)

One single bed, and a cot bed or toddler bed. Sleep DD2 in the toddler bed for now and then when DC3 outgrows the cot, move him/her into the toddler bed and DD2 into a single bed, or DDs 1&2 into bunk beds then.

In fact IKEA do a cot (can't remember name but it's bright red or blue) which is cot size but one side comes off and it is very low to the floor so suitable as a toddler bed. Not sure how long a 2 year old would fit in it though.

we have 4 double rooms and 2 dds
they share and they will always share as I think it's the best way
i know that that is old fashioned

they love being together but are both under 3

We're the same as Ronaldinhio: we have 2 dc (3.3 and 21 months) and 4 bedrooms but the dc share a room. Because I didn't want them to be lonely, and DH and I both enjoyed sharing rooms with our siblings as children.

When we first moved them in together there was a week or so of high jinks at night, but that's very rare now.

They're in a cot and cotbed just now, so still plenty of space in the bedroom. DC3 due in May and all 3 may even share a room once the baby moves out of our room as I wouldn't want to choose which child had to be on their own. DH suggests having a 4th to resolve the issue...

thanks again for all the responses i think i have decided to leave things as they r for now. then a bit b4new baby goes into his or hers own room i will move no2 in with my first. perhaps could be better to do all the moving around now..but im so tired in the evenings at the mo with a partner working shifts so sometimes out that i cant face rocking the boat yet.

as far as the sleeping goes someone has offered me a cot which is great as i can now move my second in with my first still keeping her in a cot then when she is ready i will take sides off so i will have a single and cotbed in that room until they are old enough for bunk beds. really hoping the sharing is as successful as you have all said..only downside is that one of them at least always sleeps in fairly late but once in together i think the first2wake will automatically wake the sleeping one

poguemahone..my dh has also suggested we go4 a 4th...from experiences of mums i know with 4althou not many..they say its great as they pair off no one left out! but not sure i could cope with 4 no it doesnt matter really but with our house not sure where everything wud go, but i mainly couldnt even think of being preg again..maybe if the stork delivered a 4th hehe

Yes I think that joint early waking is likely - never mind though, maybe she will then go to bed earlier or have an extra nap? Wishful thinking

Our boys were slightly younger when we put them into share and it wasn't out of necessity, we just thought it was a good idea for them (they were 3.7 and 8 months I think). They loved it from the start, both excited about it and over 2 years later still happy. We couldn't separate them now anyway because dt's have the other bedroom! They love playing games at bedtime (the run around & get dressed game for example) and listening to each other's stories. If you're positive about it then they will be too.

The problems I've come across are 1) space for all their stuff, it's not a v.big room, floor space pretty important for boys. Have added shelves above ds2's cot and moved stuff elsewhere but still not enough. Other thing to look out for is drawers/section of room etc which only belongs to each child. Labelled preferably even if neither can read (or use a colour for each). I try hard to separate their toys and books as much as possible, even if they're sharing a room they need some things that are their own.

I know you have just said that you think you will leave it for now, but I would say that you might be best to make the effort and move them in together now. Firstly because no one likes being turfed out of their room by someone else (i.e. the baby), so if you do it now you won't have that issue (and for a while you will have a spare room!) and secondly because they'll love it, and once you get through the initial few weeks of adjustment so will you(initially you might find there is loads of playing and running around at bedtime with the excitement of it all but this wears off after a week or 2).

I have DD1 (4.11), DD2 (2.11) and DS (9 months). I moved the DDs in together when DD2 was about 11 months (small single and cot, without sides as cotbed from when DD2 was 18months). It wasn't necessity at that time, I moved them in as I remember how much I enjoyed sharing with my brother when I was little. They love sharing, in fact they both express pity for poor DS who is on his own! It is true that once one wakes up in the morning the other usually does too (not always the case though, sometimes I go in in the morning to find DD1 looking at books in bed and DD2 still asleep), but the great thing about them being in the same room is that it is not my problem. If they are both awake they potter about and play together so they don't tend to come and bother us.

No what you mean re boeing turfed out of her room but did wonder if dd2 wud still feel like that if the move was a bit before bays move to her old room!?

Im def torn with the best way to do it..think is doesnt help that they are generally good sleepers but the last wk or two they have both woken a fewtimes but at diff time throu the night but havent disturbed each other as not in together yet..cant help thinking if i was going into one of them that has woken even if the other has stayed asleep that once i go into the room they might both end up awake if in together. no its got to happen at sum point but thought it might be better once older and baby is settled n hopefully sleeping a bit. rather than the possiblilty of a three waking at all diff times.

we go away next wk so going to put gilrs in togther while away i think n see how it goes!

very glad to hear how well your children share and enjoy sharing to. im really hoping for the same success

Doing the move later sounds like a good plan!

How about a total shake up of sleeping arrangements. That should stop DD2 feeling turfed out and make the whole thing into a big adventure.

Is your bedroom the largest, by any chance? You could move to what is now DD1s room, DDs 1 & 2 too your old room and the baby to what is now DD2s room. Might that work?

I have 3 DC's,and am in a 4 bed house.My DD's shared at 2yrs 9 mths and 6 mths. Seemed to comfort and reassure each other.

Despite the 6 mth old waking at night,my 2.9 yr old slept through,they just tune out each others crying,but also have caught my 2.9 yr old saying "SShhhush",and "its alright I'm here".

Split them up when eldest was 4yrs,as they were waking each other up and playing,but have now put them back in Bunk Beds,as the youngest keeps waking with bad dreams,and the eldest says she's lonely!

The youngest isn't calling out to me anymore with Bad Dreams,and my eldest DD is very happy to have her Sister back again.{smile]

So overall,the good outweighs the bad IMO.

luckily two out of our 3beds r double so not alot in it size wise so dd1 is already in a room same size as our but one that is easier to fit more in due to ours having two walls with windows. so will be moving 2dd in there with her when time comes.

thats so sweet sawyer64 how your eldest talks to your youngest.

my eldest has patches of nightmares so hopefully the sharing might reassure her with that too fingers crossed

hi just thought i would give everone an update being as you took the time to respond to my questions.

we were away last wk at centre parks and althou we had a 3bed we decided to test run the room share..then i could say when moving in together that it would be just like on holiday.

as it goes apart from two first nights of a bit of waking from both girls (althou this may have just been being away etc) it all went well but as expected the first to wake woke the second althou it was sweet to listening to them chatting..have you had a lovely sleep n singing their favourite songs etc.

so i decided to just go for it n the day we got home (fri) moved my younger dds cot into my eldest dds room to carry on from the hol sharing!

so far so good we have put monitor in there just to enjoy the conversations they have at bedtime last night our youngest chatted away to eldest but when i went to spy the eldest was fast asleep dispite all the chatting and this am my youngest woke without disturbing eldest so an all round success ....so far, dont want to tempt fate thou.

the other positive to cum out of it is that my eldest previously hated the dark door closed etc but now insisted on all the light off and the door closed.

feel a sense of relief that all the moving has been done well in advance of new arrival so its one less thing to have to think about..and for now the now empty third room has become a bit of overspill n doubling up as a play room

Does anyone have DS and DD that share?

There is 5 of us dh and I, mother and 2 dc's in a 3 bed. So Mother has one room, dh & I have another and the dc's in the 3rd.

At the moment DD is 5 and DS is 3, they get on really well but I wondered whether anyone has any older children that share?
We can't afford to get another room, the house is old so the ceiling is only just under 6ft in height so can't fit in bunk beds.