Settling New Kitten/Own Room or Not?

[KittenMama]

We have a new 12 week old kitten. We brought him home on Saturday and he had a bit of a look around the living room before I took him into my office. I spent an hour in there before bed and left everything in there for him. Every time I went in to check on him the next morning he'd wedged himself behind his bed not wanting to be touched or handled. It's a box room to be fair so he only had the window to hide or behind his bed.

I thought he'd be so better downstairs that I tried to take him out for an hour to see how he was and he was much better. Inquisitive, running around like a boy full of beans, coming up for a stroke and cuddle and having naps on the windowsill, half perched over the chair.

I'd taken him up to the office to sleep for the night but opened the door this morning and he was down the stairs straight away. I've left the door open and he's tested going up and down the stairs to explore.

Occasionally he will go behind the sofa for a sleep if 4 year old is dancing around which I've asked her to try not to do so much at the moment but otherwise she's been great with him. He'll just run out of the way if he thinks she's moving towards him too quickly or loudly. However, as I write this, she's playing shop and he's come to play with her tea set and she's pretending to give him some tea and cake.

He was apparently handled a lot by the children of mum and dad cats' owner a lot and they were young children too. I have had my own cat before DD but it's obviously not the same getting them settled in.

Has anyone ever had this where kitten hasn't had their own room to get used to? Do these kittens ever regress in a negative way if so?

Our kitten was 11 weeks when we got him. Hes 4 months now. He sleeps in one room at night with the door closed, but during the day he has the run of the house - though we now keep the upstairs bedroom doors closed as we have the windows open all day. He just lies anywhere for a snooze - could be on the couch in office (where he is at night) or in the sitting room, or on the floor in sitting room or landing.

A new kitten will be missing his mum and siblings so needs as much contact from you as possible. I used to zip mine up in my fleece and carry her around. I did leave her downstairs to sleep at night initially, but she soon ended up sleeping on my bed. She seems to still think I am her mother now she is kind of grown up.

I slept with our kitten on the sofa night away from mum. And a couple of other nights too.

The advice is to only introduce them to one room when they first arrive. So we would settle her in the kitchen and play with her lots in there but tbf had her in the living room too but shut in. She had a little gift basket that had a fleece and the soft trousers I'd worn it meet and collect her so they smelt of her mum and brothers. She liked the place and would settle herself there happily. 2 months on ans age hasn't for ages.

We are all a similar stage to you OP. We have two 12 week old kittens but they have been with us for nearly 3 weeks. We kept them in their own room for the first few nights and let them out in the day but they really weren't happy in there and just wanted to be with us. They seem to have found their happy sleeping places on our sofa. No problems for us here, they are very confident around us and DC and spend their days alternately charge around the house then flopping down for a nap.
If you are happy to let them roam around the house, then I'd say be led by them and let them show you where they are happiest.