Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Parenting

For free parenting resources please check out the Early Years Alliance's Family Corner.

Flip

Original poster

Two children in a two bedroom house

19 replies

Deaconwood · 16/08/2010 20:04

Ok - I need a bit of reassurance that we'll manage once our second child is born in our two-bedroom house.

Current plan is that the new baby will be in with us at the beginning, but after that it all feels a bit hazy...

Would really appreciate any advice from other mumsnetters about when two siblings can go in the same room together and how others found it.

DS1 (currently 17 months) will be 21 months when the baby is born. He sleeps in a cot in his own room. Currently he is pretty good about bedtimes - sometimes takes a bit of time to get to sleep, but generally goes 12 hours a night.

DS1 went in his own room when he stopped night feeds (about 6 months) - but is this too soon for the new baby to realistically share with his older brother? DS1 in a bed and baby in a cot?

I know it will be hard work but would just want to know is possible to manage in a small house!

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

zapostrophe · 16/08/2010 20:09

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

clouddragon · 16/08/2010 20:11

my three will share, ds1 & 2 are 18 months apart amoved in at 6 months. no probs they love it.

dd1 will join them when she is around 6/7 months

thisisyesterday · 16/08/2010 20:19

wel i have 3 in a 3 bed house, and one of our bedrooms is currently a study!

first 2 shared fine, tho ds2 was in with us til he was at least a year anyway
ds3 is still with us now, at 14 months, but then he is still feeding at night

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

Families General parenting

Original poster

Deaconwood · 16/08/2010 20:27

Thanks for the replies so far - very reassuring!

OP posts:

polkadottytotty · 16/08/2010 20:41

My two DS are together and have been since DS2 was about 4-5months old. They have a similar gap (22 months) as your two will. Very similar arrangement to zapostrope they go to bed at same time, play together in the mornings etc.

We did get DS1 into a toddler bed before DS2 was born which helped I think - didn't want him to feel he was bing pushed out of his cot.

They have bunk beds now (ages are 4 and nearly 6 now) and are fine together - we are actually expecting DC3 and still in 2-bedroomed house so there is a possibility that DC3 will be in the room too although the plan is to have moved somewhere bigger or extended by then.

Hope this helps - it always amazes me how well children adapt to different situations/routines.

LutyensCBA · 16/08/2010 20:50

I have a 4 year old and expecting dd2 very soon - I know it's a bigger age gap than mentioned on this thread (m/c in between).

The girls will be sharing a room, no choice really as we have 2-bed house too.

Question for others doing this - what's the furniture arrangement in the dc's room? We can fit 2 single beds (when dd2 goes into bed, obviously) and 2 decent wardrobes but no more. Where do you all fit in a study-desk? Or do your kids study/do homework on the kitchen table? Sorry for hijack

HLaurens · 16/08/2010 21:08

Lutyens - High sleeper beds so you can get a desk etc. underneath. DD has one and she loves it.

PrettyCandles · 16/08/2010 22:19

Ds1 was 27m when dd was born. She was with us until 12 because she was a crack-of-dawn waker and ds was a good sleeper and also would play happily in his cot until we went to him, so we didn't want to compromise it. Turns out we need not have worried - ddnever woke him. Not even when she screamed for ages - we had to do a lot of shush-pat with her.

When ds was 3.5 he moved into a mid-high-sleeper, which provIded extra play- and storage- space underneath.

Two years later, when dd was 3.5yo, we added a lower bunk at right-angles to the top bunk. Having right-angled bunks meant that an adult could sit on the bottom bunk for bedtime stories, comforting a poorly child, etc.

I think an important part of sharing peacefully was that they each had their own Special Drawer for their most precious things (even if they were, in any bodyelse's opinion, tat). Nobody, not even mum or dad, was allowed into the SD without permission.

The arrangement worked very well.

PrettyCandles · 16/08/2010 23:49

I prefer homework at the kitchen table. That way it's easier to supervise/help both dc at the same time.

Oldjolyon · 17/08/2010 18:37

We have two girls that share a room, and it is perfectly fine. In fact, when we moved house - we gave them the option of bedroom each, but no playroom or share a room and have a playroom. They chose to share.

Bunk beds take up no more floor space than any other type of bed, and if you're careful about the other furniture you have in the room, then it doesn't take up any more space (we have wardrobe in our room for example).

It really can work out fine. Good luck.

Oldjolyon · 17/08/2010 18:39

Also, agree with the special thing. Each girl has their own shelf on their beds and that is their special shelf where they put things that are special to them. No-one else is allowed to touch or play with these. It works well for is.

WhereTheWildThingsWere · 17/08/2010 18:41

We are all still in one room, us, ds (6), dd (2.5) and now a puppy too.

The 'other' room is for visitors.

EdgarAllenPop · 17/08/2010 18:44

mine sleep in the same room - 3 yo and 18 mo - stairgate toseparate them for peace.

BrittanyBeers · 17/08/2010 18:48

Has anyone had the problem of a toddler "feeding" their baby sibling, say, a small toy?
I was woken up this morning by DS1(2) shoving a GoGo into DS2's face. Luckily the baby was in bed with me.

PositiveVibes · 17/08/2010 19:00

You'll be fine! Honestly, from some other threads you'd think everyone lived in 6-bed mansions! DS1 was 20months when DS2 was born. DS2 joined him in the same room probably about 6 months. Their room is really tiny - basically a single room. They have bunk beds now (shorty ones - full sized won't fit!) and apart from that there's just about room for a chair and a chest of drawers. When they were smaller we had two cot beds in there with a little gap between! . We are finally moving soon - they are now 6 and 8, and I'm worrying how they will both cope with their own rooms cos they are so used to being together .

Just wanted to add to Brittany's point - because their room was so small they really didn't have any toys in it and I def always kept DS1's small things like gogos and magnets out of their room.

EdgarAllenPop · 17/08/2010 20:38

agree that any potentially harmful objects shouldn't be in the room. My toddler did keep on attacking her brother and not leting him sleep, so there is a sufficient physical barrier...

they have fun though, 'talking' to each other and passing toys

teameric · 17/08/2010 20:45

My 11 year old DS and 3 year old DD share a room, not great cos of the age gap and will become a real issue soon, but if they were closer in age there wouldn't be a problem.

cfc · 17/08/2010 21:07

Really useful thread, thanks everyone.

titferbrains · 18/08/2010 17:22

great thread. we are trying for a baby atm and dd will be about 3 or nearly when baby is born if all goes to plan.

DD1 was a bad sleeper, and still occasionally wakes for a cuddle/milk. She's quick to go down again but I am worried about having a baby with similar sleep issues... do they generally sleep thru the cries of the sibling?

We put DD into her own room at 5 mo because she was noisy and didn't like the moses basket... so it was when she still needed a feed at night, I think. (they seemed to go on for quite a long time). How did you find doing the night feeds with another child in the room?

Flip