Small bedroom big house, who gets it?

[3weecherubs]

looking for advice please. We’ve bought a new house, it’s a mistake, we only saw it once made a rash decision and now we are stuck. It is a great house, just a bit more work and cash than we planned and a bit smaller than we remember. But to get the point I have no idea who gets which room. I have Dd 12, DS 10and DS2 aged 7. There are 3 rooms for them but 2 are middle sized an one small. I feel DD should have it as she has less toys but she is so upset. Not in a spoiled, tantrum way but quietly teary and sad, saying its alright when I know it’s not. Any ideas, am I really just giving it to her cause she’s the oldest and I know she will suck it up? First world problems,,

Oldest = biggest room as they will spend more time in it than the younger ones in a year or two

Plus even though you don’t mean it you don’t want her to think boys are more important. The youngest - oldest thing makes sense to people

Your DD. Only girl, entering teenage years etc.

Youngest gets the smallest room. Toys get stored partly downstairs. Or get one of those bunk bed things that are bed on top with mass storage underneath. He will love that.

Could you give daughter the smallest bedroom AND a living room or part of a living room as 'her' downstairs space (and hopefully she'll interact more as nearer to the rest of you)?

Yep good decision OP.

If you have 2.5 sitting rooms it's a bit mean to say they must all be toy free and therefore DD1 must have smallest room just so that DS2's toys can stay upstairs.

Also if you're sad about DD1 staying squirrelled away in her room - what is going to happen if you insist DS2's toys stay upstairs? You won't see him much either...

I fully understand the appeal of toy free space (I have a 5 and 3 yr old) but one grown up sitting room is enough surely. Stick some toy storage in the other sitting room (and maybe put some teen friendly stuff in there too) and give DS2 the little room. He'll get DD's room in due course anyway.

Make one of the sittingrooms a playroom but decorate it so it's grown up enough to be a 'family room' that your DD is happy to use as a space to entertain her friends in. Don't make it aimed at the 7 year old because he'll grow out of it quickly and it gives him a big space above the others. So not loads of primary colours, just a practical but grownup floor (e.g. floorboards rather than lino), plain white or grey walls, maybe some decals that your daughter chooses (my kids are having trees) L-shaped sofabed (for sleepovers), beanbags (or a hanging chair), decent TV, maybe a computer desk, a good storage system that looks like proper furniture, not toy storage from a nursery. Make sure all toys can be stored in playroom then bedrooms for boys just for sleeping and 12 year old gets big bedroom for chilling away from rest of family.

What's your 0.5 sitting room? A snug? Also a good place for a teenager and her friends to chill out.

Youngest gets the smallest definitely. Also the middle seat in the car, the crap seat at the dining table, etc. And then when their big siblings leave home, the youngest gets spoilt rotten (I'm speaking from experience here 🙂)