2 Kids One Bedroom

My best friend has this...her kids 6 yr ol boy and 4 yr old(going on 5) yr old girl have separtate beds on the far side of the livingroom. It really depends on how you want to do ut. the moveable or hald wall are good ideas. Having the kids share the bedroom would give you the chance to be able to b=not have to worry about being extra quiet if you are all in the same room. I think that you will have to try different things until you find what works for you. Extra finicial strain...I think wouldn't be worth it. GOOD LUCK!!! Keep us posted!

I also have 2 kids myself and struggled with the same thing. What I would suggest is since your livingroom is so big, maybe you should give the bedroom to the children and take the livingroom for you & your husband. There are many ways that you can section off some space in the livingroom to give yourself some privacy. That will ultimately be what you are giving up is your privacy.

Maybe you can put a screen up or one of those sliding doors just to section off an area for you.

Good luck with your project & your pregnancy.
God bless!

hi S., im in a similar situation, i have my 4 year old son and my almost 2 year old daughter sharing a bedroom. its tight, but its definitely do-able for now. i just had another boy 3 weeks ago, he is in my bedroom for now. eventually the 2 boys will share a room, we will convert the office. we could have bought a bigger house, but we didnt and we are sooooo thankful that we didnt. everything costs more than you plan for, and we would really be in trouble now if we had gone up a step like lots of our friends did. i think its important to have at least a little bit of leeway. we are just making it too, if we had bought bigger we would be in debt, and who wants that kind of stress. besides, i dont know where this idea came from that every kid has to have their own room. especially when they are little. my sister and i shared a room, my husbands brothers did too, and our parents' generation was always sharing rooms, often more than 2! there are a lot of benefits to the kids, they learn a lot from sharing. its hard enough to make it, i wouldnt add to the stress by putting more of a financial hardship on yourself. imo, you dont want to live paycheck to paycheck, especially with little kids.
sh-t happens, you know? best of luck, D.

Hi S., I agree you should WAIT to get another bedroom to avoid the financial strain. My only thought/concern is the baby crying at night .. waking your 18 mo old (well by that time older).. and/or your husband! Then you'll have 2 children awake to deal with & a tired husband (& yourself?) waking up for work the next day.(hint: earplugs work; share nights w/your husband!) Tho IF you take on the extra ($185) expense when you're NOT ready -- you & your husband may just have sleepless nights ANYway.. up worrying about finances!! :} I've been there!!

Once your children reach a certain age, & you're ready to move into a bigger place, you may still want to continue your children sharing a room. If you have SAME-sex children; consider bunkbeds. I believe there are specific sibling rules (laws?) if the children are OPPOSITE-sex,only once they reach a certain age.. but you have plenty of time for that.

My boyfriend & I (both grew up in '60's)shared rooms w/siblings. I actually slept in the same bed w/my sister(s) until I left home; actually there were 5 of us .. we couldn't wait for one to leave home so we'd have more room!

Recently, this topic came up in my family concerning my 7&9yr old (orphaned) neices who went to live w/my sister; they WATNED their own room tho it wasn't practical ..my sister allowed it anyway!

Even tho I had researched (google) for info/help & found websites/studies on the topic. One quoted a 'Tufts Child-Development Study' which read: "Now-a-days each child having their own room is typical in US households but NOT always necessary OR the best choice".
The 'child-development expert' went on to say: "over the last 30 yrs the size of the average home in US has swelled by nearly 1,000 sq ft.. giving families plenty of room to spread out", "BUT giving kids too much space has some tradeoffs & NOT the best choice".

'Tufts- Mr. George Scarlett' told the Washington Post "sharing a room can help kids w/their sense of attachment & security". "It teahces them (valuable lessons) to cohabitate efficiently, tidly & peacefully for the future" (off to college room-mate). Studies have shown a strong bond between siblings who share a room.

Financial Advice: Now-a-days there may be 'at home' (on line?) work projects you may want to consider taking on for extra cash--working at your own convenience. Tho I realize being 3 mos pregant w/a 18mo at home (& especially if you work TOO?) is NOT easy!

Well here is some more Website (google)info: www.parenting.com had an article which read: "benefits of siblings sharing a room offers plenty of real-life opportunity for kids to learn the art of negotiation & problem solving".... "Spooky nights will seem less scary"... "children learn to respect other peoples differences"...

The 'Tufts Child development Study' had also found: "siblings who share a room tend to be closer as adults". . They say "siblings 2 to 4 yrs apart CAN tend to be angry w/each other & bicker" & thus the need for privacy & space within the room.

Hope this helps... Good luck & God Bless..

you can always built a half wall and put really nice shutters up with that so when you need it closed you can close them and when you want it open you can open it.. ikea also has come very nice ideas for small areas. you should go there and get some ideas. there is an ikea right in philadelphia. its a great place to think and get some ideas that might work. they even have a chilrens section upstairs.

Hi S., I am new to the group but not your situation. I am the middle child of 13 children and shared a room with 3 of my younger brothers -of course this was decades ago. I have 5 children (3 grown & out of the house, 1 off to college and 1 teenager left). We had a small 2 bedroom where the 3 oldest shared a room where we had a bunkbed with a trundle. Because there is a large span between the older ones and the 2 youngest it was like raising a family twice. With the 2 youngest, (boy and girl)they also shared a room. The youngest was in a craddle next to my bed for a few months then was transferred to a portable crib in the room with his 2 year old sister (still the same bunkbed from before). larger crib would not fit. The baby crying really was not a problem because everyone became familiar to each other and the noise we all make. Kids adjust very easy at this age and I found it was easier on the youngest having someone else in the room. We never tried to keep the house completely quiet when the baby slept. I did try to keep the noise down when the baby slept or napped (naptime for both at the same time)so my children were used to noise and soon cold sleep anywhere.
I am not knowledgeable of the regulations/laws (if there are any) of when biological siblings of different genders have to have separate rooms. I am a firm believer in my faith and I know our heavenly Father is taking care of your family-you have this group, right! I like the idea of the foldable wall as a partial divider that can be moved whenever needed.
You are in my prayers.
S.

Have you thought about moving your bedroom furniture into the big livingroom and using the Chinese screens to separate them two new rooms it will make? Then you can move the kids into your old bedroom. At night just move the screens and you'll have a window. Or you can make the kids room in the livingroom and leave your room as it. Your choice.

hello,
why dont u try some type of chinese wall or something to that extent......i wouldnt be a wall wall but it would give privacy.....just a thought......let me know how things work out...
A.

Hi S.,

I completely sympathize with your dilemma. Until 2 years ago, my husband and I slept on the living room floor of our very tiny condo, with our son and daughter sharing a bedroom with bunkbeds. It's not necessarily the most fun thing but it will work with a little creativity.

Separate your space using furniture or screens (please do not hang a sheet or other fabric as a divider, take it from me as someone who lived through a fire, you do not want to increase any hazards!)

Decide how things feel most comfortable for you and then go with it. We felt okay with having our children together until our daughter was almost 7 and our son almost 4. Then we found a huge mobile home where we all have our own rooms and I have an office! The right thing will come along when the time is right.

Hi. My name is angie. I have 4 kids. I was in your shoes when I had my first child and pregnant with number 2. I divided the living room with baby number 1. I put one of those decorative room dividers and made it look as nice as possible. You don't want to give up the privacy of your room. Your first born will be old enough to be in his/her own room. Good Luck.