Having 2 children in a 2 bed house?

[stompinthewoods]

I hope this is the right topic for this thread. DH and I have recently moved into a new house with our 3 year old DD. It's a 2 bed, with a spare room which is internal with no window so can't be classed as a bedroom. We really struggled to find a 3 bed house within our budget, where we live is very pricey and we were lucky to find the house we did as it was affordable, in a nice area, and has a garden so ticks all of our boxes apart from the 3 bedrooms we wanted.

We had been discussing TTC for another child for a long time, we wanted to wait until DD was a bit older and ideally until we found a better family home but with local house prices I fear this is the best we'll get (unless we win the lottery!)

Our concern is that our daughter's bedroom is probably not big enough or suitable for two children, unless they had bunk beds (which would have to be a few years down the line). I know a baby would be in our room for at least 6 months, which would be fine, but I've been trying to visualise putting a cot in DD's room and just can't find a way to fit it in unless we take out her larger furniture like wardrobe or drawers. Our only potential solution is the box room which is an internal room with no window which I really don't think is a good idea. It's actually an OK single bedroom size but it's the lack of window that bothers me.

Am I crazy to be thinking about moving again after we spent over a year house hunting and have only just moved? I've been scouring rightmove for 3 bed homes locally and they are all about 50k more than the house we have just bought so realistically not in our price range.

I know lots of families have more than one child in a 2 bed house. I just don't know if that could be a long term solution. I'd be grateful for any insight from other mums in similar houses/bedroom situations with kids!

Put the wardrobes in the box room.

But I don't know what you would do longterm if you have a girl and a boy...can they really share as teens?

Can you put the larger furniture into the internal room - make it some kind of communal dressing / toy storage area?

We are in a two bed with two kids. I made it work without bunk beds but there’s been a degree of storage sacrifice in that they share a wardrobe and chest of drawers. We’re really running out of space and will be moving at some point soon but they are now 8 and 4 so it worked really well for us for a long time. We kept youngest in our room until 14 months and then did a lot of planning and research for furniture that would work.

Can you put the wardrobes and drawers in the spare room? So almost like a walk-in wardrobe for them? That way they can both sleep in the room with windows.

Problems might arise if #2 is a boy. There will come a time.when they won't be able to share .

We had 2 in a 2 bed. It was awful. We did fit the cot in by moving DC1's furniture into our room and having the thinnest single wardrobe known to Ikea. But the problem is, they're only in a cot until they're about 2. We extended it to 2.5 by taking the side off the cot to make a bed DC2 could get in/out of safely. But when she outgrew that, we couldn't fit the kids in the 1 room.
I turned to MN and got "idea" after "idea" of bunk beds, but both children were far too young for that to be safe (min age is 6). I've seen that all over other threads as well (be warned). None of these bunk bed posters seem to think about the bloody obvious fact that you can say the top bunk is the oldest's bed all you like, but two, three and four-year olds won't give a shit, they will climb up constantly anyway, and that means you literally would have to supervise every minute they were in the room, night or day, to avoid any serious injuries.

We ended up moving in the end, BTW, OP. Out of area. There just was no good solution to the problem in the house we had.

Can you share a floorplan of the upstairs to see if anyone of us can come up with any alternatives? Eg. Incorporating the room into another one. Any scope for a loft room?

If I’m getting this right - I think you have two options

Either: 2 kids in the largest room, you take DD’s room if it will fit your bed, use small internal room as a dressing room.

or: keep your room, two kids in DD’s room - used for sleeping only, and internal room used for playing, kids toy etc storage.

I actually think the idea of bedroom is only for sleeping could be great in terms of sleep hygiene for the kids.

Can you post a floor plan? There might be a solution you haven't thought of, like knocking through the internal room into one of the bedrooms to make a room big enough for two beds? Or something else?

Honestly, most parents spent hours and ££ blackout blinding their young children’s windows! I would have no issue using the box room as the bedroom and just ensure daytime play space elsewhere. Maybe put some nice bright artwork on the walls, so it looks more cheerful.

I shared with my brother until I was about 6? I don’t think it’s their sex that will be an issue but the age difference. DD will be 4/5 when they are born. When she’s 7, she might not be pleased shading with a 2 year old.
Have you got a long term plan, will you earn more money. Can the internal layout be changed in your house, can you go into the loft?
Maybe you could put a pic of the layout of your upstairs, you might be able to change it. Is it a terrace?

I would also try to put the furniture in the internal room. Make it a walk in storage - it could still be nice. Our house is a new build and the rooms are very small, we use the landing cupboards as our wardrobes as I don’t think we could fit wardrobes in the kids rooms. Utilise things like Ikea Billy bookcases and cupboards which are narrow and come in different heights and space saving beds, pull out storage under the beds for soft toys. You could use a kallax as a room divider (space permitting….

then just try go minimal with the toys and everything else

Could you knock a door through to the internal room and either use it as the sleeping place for DC or a large walk in storage?

Yep this is what I was going to suggest.

We recently had a loft conversion and had the option of either having a bigger bedroom (with space for wardrobes, drawers etc) or smaller with an en-suite but no space for storage.

We went for the second option and so have to use our smaller spare bedroom as our "walk in wardrobe" (really just a room where all the clothes are kept 😂) but it works well.

Why did you buy it when you knew it was wasn't suitable?! Sorry, I don't get this at all.

Thank you for your suggestions everyone!

I have considered knocking through into the middle room, it has been like that previously in this house but the wall was rebuilt again. I suppose that could be an option if we think it’s not suitable as is for a second child’s room. But I also agree, I wonder if having a shared bedroom for children who would probably have an at least 4 year age gap is a good idea?

Alternatively I agree that having the middle room as a “dressing room” of sorts could work. We can’t go up into the loft as a bedroom as there’s no room for a staircase sadly and don’t fancy the idea of kids scrambling up a loft ladder!

To be honest we had agreed when we bought this house it wasn’t a forever home, we just really needed to find somewhere after selling our old house which was in a not very nice area for raising a child and a very damp house. We had said we would consider moving in 5 years when our mortgage fixed rate would be up - I’m just thinking if we do have another child we would probably have to move before then.

And also I have considered the fact that we may be taking for granted that we will be able to have another baby. DH is of the opinion that we will just have to make it work whatever happens but I am much more of a fretter!

I wouldn't be looking yet, settle in and get used to the space. Younger children can share for a good few years. You'll probably be in a different position financially in a few years and then you can reassess.
That internal room sounds ideal for wardrobes and a playroom and I wouldn't rule it out for a bedroom either, just because it can't be sold as one doesn't mean you can't use it as one when needed.

My children (opposite sex) were happy to share until they were 7. I would wait and see in your position. Your second child might not arrive, or might be twins. If your outgoings are lower in this house, it will make the nursery years easier.

The age gap is fine for under 10's sharing, whether a boy or a girl. I would have the baby in with you, then when they are ready to share, you and your husband get the smaller room and walk in wardrobe/dressing room and they get the bigger room. My kids have a 4 year age gap and bunk beds, but are the same sex.

Moving before you have even tried to conceive, or see if sharing causes problems, seems extreme.

We've just had our third and have a 2 bed home.

Oldest is 7 (girl) and shares with 2 year old (boy) , has no issues with the age difference and quite likes it at the moment, I think because she's not on her own. They have bunk beds but the bottom bunk is a floor bed and it's steps up to the top rather than a ladder. He did faff about trying to climb them in the beginning but doesn't anymore.

Baby is in with us obviously at the moment and hoping to keep it that way until she is 1.

We got trapped in the interest rate rise and had to remortgage as buying out exh so likelihood is we'll be stuck here for at least another 2-3 years before we can afford to sell and get a 3 bed. Planning on giving up our bedroom and converting it into a bedroom for the eldest with a walk in wardrobe area separated off for our clothes, putting the baby in with her brother (cot bed and we have a spare single bed packaged away) and then we're going to get a decent sofa bed for the lounge for us.

In your position I would just convert the box into a walk in wardrobe

I think it depends on whether or not your financial situation will change over the long term which I appreciate you may not have any idea about?

I would not have 2 children in a 2 bed house unless I knew I could comfortably afford a 3 bed later down the line.

I have two boys age 10 and 7 and they shared a room until 6 months ago. It’s so much easier now they have separate rooms because they simply have more room for their things and they so appreciate their own space.

I would say two under 10s are fine sharing but over that is not ideal, and will be stressful for everyone.

Perhaps a loft conversion would be possible?

We have three in a two bed. The boys share the biggest room, girl in the smallest and we sleep in the front room. It’s crowded but absolutely fine, warm and everyone has somewhere decent to sleep.

I shared a room with my sister and loved it until I was a teenager. Love my sister to pieces but I really, really needed my own space from 13 onwards. You could stay out for now and look at moving in ten years or so.

Would it be possible to have a skylight or vented lightwell from near lowest point of the roof that covers the internal room , with a light tunnel in the attic section?
It could be wired for a switch to open the window for air or just even use a long stick
They let in loads of light.

Sorry to hi-jack the thread but if you've got any good furniture finds I'd love to see them! We have 3DC in a (small) 3 bed. Our youngest is 14 months and still in our room but ideally I'd like them out by 2 and no idea what to do yet with the rooms.