6 year old and baby sharing bedroom - workable ? Advice needed

[beingniceiscool11]

I am pregnant with my 2nd child - my daughter is 6 and sleeps through the night - only wakes if she is far too hot or cold, or needs toilet. Very occasional nightmares now. Rare for her to wake up - once she's down (and she falls asleep fast and easily) she is out cold until morning and even walking in her room and moving things around wouldn't wake her up.

Baby due in March but we have to move house as cannot really afford a 3 bed after COVID stuff .... we are looking at a 2 bed with a massive landing area next to master bedroom which landlord said previous tenants actually used as baby cot area once they decided it was time for baby to move out of their room. The other double bedroom is downstairs... with ensuite so thought this downstairs double bedroom would be good for my 6 year old as if she needs loo in the night it's attached to her bedroom.
But at a certain point the baby will need to be in a proper bedroom - when can it share with it's sister... Can anyone let me know if this has worked for them or any potential issues or problems that may arise during sleeping challenges with baby..... eek. Will we regret downsizing ? Tips to make it work? pros and cons?

Thanks so much !

I realise this isn’t what you asked but I wouldn’t be keen on my DC being in a bedroom downstairs while I was upstairs unless it’s a 3 storey house so they weren’t on the ground floor? Maybe that’s just me though.
Realistically you wouldn’t want the baby sharing with your DD until it is sleeping through the night especially if you’re on a different floor so it may be that the baby is in with you for longer than you might have thought. We tried it with DD and DSD but while DD was still waking in the night it wasn’t practical.

Should be fine, baby will be with you to start with buying you loads of time to think about how it can work. My DD is a light sleeper and wakes at any opportunity but she slept through a screaming younger sister waking up regularly in the same room when they shared.

Don't rush to get baby out of your room. I'd want to wait until baby is robust enough so that if your six year old decided to pick them up or anything it wouldn't be a disaster. I have 3, youngest is 7 months and mine have all stayed with me until just over a year as I've never been in a rush to get them into their own room, even though they have the space.

Also sorry but I have to say I'd not be comfortable with the downstairs bedroom for the children :(

Ours have shared for a year since 6 and 1 and they seem really happy and we are in no rush to change it (and can’t as two bed house). My now 7 year old said she prefers having him in the same room.

Thanks for replies... good insights..

Yes I wasn't sure about the downstairs bedroom... What are people's reasonings on why this wouldn't be ok?

My thought was we are in a rural area very secure and safe in middle of nowhere... but it's an annexe to a big house so we are attached to the big family house, another family live there and all the houses in this little hamlet are all like a little community, families etc, up on a hill, which is accessed by a little lane and no other houses nearby or shops... nowhere near a town.
She would go to sleep with the sounds of the house which she would like (the bedroom is off the study, not off the main living room so not super loud) and as I said she falls asleep quickly and has solid bedtime routine so I don't think it'd be an issue with her coming out of her room or her being disturbed. Also perhaps we could use baby monitor for her in her room?? We would be downstairs most of the evening until say 10pm/11pm and then she'd be directly below us as well.

It does feel a bit odd though I must say somehow... Also we already thought some nights my partner would sleep downstairs on sofa bed in early days if baby was keeping him awake and he had to get up early for work and he said he wouldn't mind doing this at all. Living room is cosy with woodturner he likes that & likes the cat sleeping on him. Also I could leave DD's bedroom door open when I go up to bed so the cat can go sleep with her which she loves. Some nights it may just be me and the baby on the first floor ... Then perhaps when it's both children in one room we might swap rooms and have the children upstairs?
I don't know I guess I felt like DD would prefer to be downstairs somehow also ...