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Parenting

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Original poster

Three children sharing a room?!!

33 replies

Roca · 19/12/2007 14:08

Hi, I have a son 3yrs, daughter 22 mos and have just discovered I am 5 weeks pg! After initial shock I am excited and very much one for just getting on with it and fitting kids in with life and life with kids etc.

Problem is - we only have a very small(and cute) 2 bedroom cottage. Already my 2 children share - I am happy to have baby in with us for a year or so but then what? Since losing my salary I can't see how we could afford to move - should I just not worry about it for now, get on and enjoy a full household or should I never have gotten in this situation? (I did always want three though)?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

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gibberish · 19/12/2007 14:15

Goodness, don't worry about it yet! They won't mind all sharing until they are a lot older. You can then look at moving again.

Congratulations!

MellowChristmasEveryone · 19/12/2007 14:17

I shared with my 2 borthers right up until I was teenager and we had an extra bedroom,we liked sharing. The extra bedroom was a playroom.

I would forget about just now. Could you expand upwards [ie attic space]?

Anna8888 · 19/12/2007 14:19

Congratulations and don't worry about three in a room - I actually believe it is much better and healthier for children to share a bedroom when they are little (having first of all slept with Mummy and Daddy). How odd when you think about it to spend all those dark hours at night alone...

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Kathyate6mincepies · 19/12/2007 14:20

Congratulations!
There is a bit of an obsession at the moment with personal space - the other week I was visiting a massive great National Trust house that had a day nursery and a night nursery - ie they had hundreds of rooms but they still used to put all the children in together because that's what people did in those days.

3 children sharing a room will be fine!

Original poster

Roca · 19/12/2007 14:22

Thanks MellowChristmasEveryone we have had someone round about the attic but unless we can have a full dorma it's not worth it and the council may not let us blah blah - I really want to get someone in to look around the house and see if there is anything we can do extension wise but not sure who to contact?

We already had a single story at the back for kitchen and bathroom when we moved in and can't go above this due to blocking neighbours views. I guess challenges are what makes life exciting?!!!

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Original poster

Roca · 19/12/2007 14:24

Thanks all- it just seems that most of my friends seem to move to accommodate a bedroom per child AND a guest room - which is just not an option for us! I don't ask what they think about us all squished in!

OP posts:

harpsichordcarrier · 19/12/2007 14:24

hello, when I was a little girl I shared a room with all four of my sisters, it was fine. later we got an extra bedroom and there were only four of us in one room
when they get older and need space to do homework, you need to think about it but that is years away. even then homework doesn't have to be in the bedroom

ChubbyStuckForAFestiveNameBurd · 19/12/2007 14:26

"challenges are what makes life exciting"

What a great attitude.

Congratulations!

Original poster

Roca · 19/12/2007 14:26

I don't know why but for some reason there seems to be more of a taboo about kids sharing these days?

OP posts:

MellowChristmasEveryone · 19/12/2007 14:29

Oh don't worry about your friends. My DS had friend round and he asked where our playroom was, everyone is different

As for expanding your attic or getting an extension built [££££££] your council would most likely be fine about but charge you rent for a 3 bedrooms house, still plenty of years to save for that.

I think I would secretly, somewhere deep down, possibly love a third child and I have a little section in our dc's room where we could squeeze a cot.

mynameis · 19/12/2007 14:31

Congrats Roca! I know what you mean about the taboo. My eldest Ds & dd (11 & 9) share and the bubba has his own room, mainly because he obviously has earlier bedtimes. Its amazing how many friends frown upon the sharing & keep asking us when we are moving into a bigger house . When a money tree sprouts in our back garden then it might be an option!

largevirginbirthandtonic · 19/12/2007 14:33

Congratulations Roca! Stack em and rack em, tis the only way. The kids will love it, worry not

imdreamingofawhiteKITTYmas · 19/12/2007 14:39

I agree theres an obsession right now that each child must have their own room, when I told people I was pregnant with number 3, some said "well you will have to move house now!" erm why? Baby will be in for us for a year then it will have smaller bedroom, DD1 and 2 will share a room. I think they will love it TBH.

Last generation very few children would have had their own bedroom often 4 or 5 sharing a room. My friend who is one of six loved sharing with her sisters she says she would feel lonely if she was alone at night.

I think it's more of a big deal once they are teenagers and need to study for exams etc but thats years away.

julen · 19/12/2007 14:44

How wonderful.. congratulations! And yes, I agree with the others: don't worry about sharing. We're in the same situation, ds + 2 dds are sharing a room, and were most upset at the thought of having to miss each other when we were staying over somewhere else the other day. They love it. And so did I when I was sharing with my 2 dss at home..!

pollypumpkin · 19/12/2007 15:09

Hi there, all my 3 shared quite a small room and it worked ok! There was my oldest, at 3 yrs, the 18 month old, and the baby. Baby started in room with DH and me, but I moved her to bedroom with the other 2 at around 6 weeks. I felt pressure too about everyone else getting a bigger house etc. etc., but that will come in time. Don't worry about all 3 in the same room, I think it's more common that you think

cory · 19/12/2007 20:57

I agree with Polly; it isn't that uncommon these days either. My dd and ds shared until they were 10 and 6 respectively, and my ds's best friend shares with his brother, and yes, his other friend shares, too- I can think of lots of people.

hatrick · 19/12/2007 21:04

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Bluestocking · 19/12/2007 21:05

Congratulations on your happy news!
Three in a room is great, I shared with my two little sisters until I went to secondary school and was deemed to need somewhere to do my homework in peace. Needless to say I always did my homework on the kitchen table in the midst of the family bedlam! But I have many happy memories of raucous fun and games in our room, we had two sets of bunk beds and used to do assault-course leaps between them. And I am sure that I owe my fantastic presentation skills (no room for false modesty here!) at least in part to years of telling stories to my sisters.
I find this contemporary idea that you have to have a bedroom for each child really quite weird.

Flibbertinseljinglebells · 19/12/2007 21:11

Congratulations! My two share a box room and love it. Just room for a junior bed, a cot and a little chest of drawers. They entertain each other in the mornings now instead of when DS1 just used to come and wake us up.
I shared a room with 2 sisters for years, it was fab, we used to push the beds together to make trampolenes and honestly never thought our parents new a thing sitting directly underneath in the lounge!!
Then when there were 4 at first there were 3 beds plus cot, then we moved - me and big sis shared and the two younger sisters shared. It was great. I felt really lonely when big sis went to uni, we used to sing ourselves to sleep practising school choir songs...

mumeeee · 19/12/2007 23:03

My three girls shared a room until the eldest was 14.

discoverlife · 19/12/2007 23:14

I saw a programme once about a family with 3 boys, in a 1 bedroom maisonette. Yes 1 bedroomed and it was tiny, a starter home. They had it organised so that there were triple bunks hinged to the walls in the bedroom with a hinged table for homework. There was no diner, just a tiny kitchen off the lounge, so they had the dining table hinged to the lounge wall with a flay screen TV above it. The chairs folded up and were hung on the wall to keep them out of the way when not eating, and the parents slept on the sofabed in the lounge. The walls were totally covered in book shelves with runners at the front edge where framed pictures and mirrors were slid from side to side depending in which book you wanted to get at.
So I think your problem is just a problem in logistis in a year or two.

Original poster

Roca · 19/12/2007 23:47

Thanks for all your responses - I am now excited about organising things over the next 8 months for the new baby! Now, when was it I had time to get organised?!!

OP posts:

ALomonderfulLife · 19/12/2007 23:49

Congratulations! You will manage until they get much older. Don't worry ahead of yourself.

Original poster

Roca · 28/12/2007 16:01

Am gutted - I started bleeding on Christmas day can you believe and still am so 99% certain I have lost the baby - am actually doing ok but a bit sad today. I will be going for a scan next week to check everything has come away. Now I have gotten used to the idea of 3 in a room will definitely be trying again soon.

OP posts:

NAB3wishesfor2008 · 28/12/2007 16:07

Oh no!

Do let us know how you get on.

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