1 bedroom & 1 playroom, or 2 bedrooms?

[mran]

If you had 4+ kids, what would you do? Put all the kids in 1 room for sleeping and clothes storage, and use the other room as a playroom, or split the kids into 2 bedrooms and store toys in the bedrooms? This is assuming that the kids can "handle" sharing a bedroom, and that there is enough space to fit the beds & dressers for each child comfortably in the one room.

[mran]

I should add that right now, there are 3 boys sharing a room, it's just a matter of where does the 1 girl go. She's not even 1 yet, so it seems kinda silly to give her this massive space all to herself, when there are 3 boys packed into the other room w/ alllll of the toys. There is another baby who is co-sleeping in the master bedroom, and his things will stay in there.

[pianojazzgirl]

Hmmm.. I think I might tend towards 2 bedrooms. Mostly what makes me think that that might work better is that at some point the baby will (presumably) be in a room with the other kids as well, and 5 in one bedroom seems like a recipe for no sleep.

I don't think there's a right or wrong answer here though. IMO it mostly depends on the kids' personalities and how well they'd be able to all share a room.

Is there room in the main living space (livingroom?) for some of the communal toys to live? Is there a possibility of renovating an attic or basement to create a playroom?

[weezix]

you might have to just try a few things. we have 5. we used to have all three girls in one room and the 2 boys in the other, but having the 3 girls together wasn't working, so the boys still share and have the "boys toys" in their bedroom. Then my 2 girls share and have the "girls toys" in that room. DSD is here half time so she sleeps on a little toddler bed in our piano room. The piano room also has the joint toys ie: Mega Blocks, Race Car mats, Little People etc. So in a way, it's her room...but in another way it's everyone's playroom and because of space issues at night time its her bedroom.

If I only had 2 bedrooms to work with and 4 kids - if there wasn't a problem getting them to go to sleep and stay asleep all together and the bedroom was big enough I'd totally keep them all together regardless of gender (until they were older) so we could have a playroom, but if the room was small or the kids weren't getting enough sleep, I'd split them up 2x2 which ever ones got along the best. Gender imo doesn't become an issue until they are older - and even sometimes then given space issues it might not be. I shared with my brother when I was a teenager because we didn't have space.

[Marissamom]

I was raised in a family of four girls, and no way could we have all shared the same room, certain pairings of two couldn't go together. also, I don't know how old the oldest is, but most kids reach a point where they want to be able to go off on their own sometimes, and you need a setup where that can happen. I personally would lean toward splitting them (not 3 and 1, but 2 and 2) but it may work better for your family to put all in the same room for now. the nice thing about rooming arrangements, they're not set in stone, so it's not like you have to find the perfect arrangement that will last for years right now.

[ErinYay]

We're only planning on 2, but they'll share a room whether they like it or not! We have a 3 bedroom house, and 1 room is ours, 1 is my husband's recording studio, and 1 is the kid's room. We're fortunate that we have a dedicated space on the main floor for a playroom (a large part of why we bought this particular house).

I like the concept that bedrooms are for sleeping only, so I wouldn't have a problem having a dorm-style room for multiple kids and a grand playroom for all of them, though ideally there would be 2+ bathrooms! 1 bedroom and 1 bath for 4+ kids would be a toughie, though!

[MJB]

If I had 3 (4?) boys and 1 girl, I'd try really hard to "find"/make an extra bedroom or move to a bigger house. I don't think it's fair for 1 kid to get her own room and 3+ kids to share. For the time being I'd split them, 2 in each room.
Four kids in one bedroom is just too Duggars-y for me. It is outside of my sensibilities.
Right now we have 2 boys sharing a room (7.5 and 4.5) and a cosleeping 3 mo. old but the boys are starting to have issues sharing a room. We also have play space in the attic but no one will sleep up there, and a futon in our sunroom for guests but it's not a good kid's bedroom since it's so close to the living room where we hang out after they go to bed. A 4 BR is definitely in our future in another year or two.

[2lilsweetfoxes]

It really depends on the age span of the children, both chronologically and developmentally. If they are all pretty young--and can and will sleep all in one room, I'd vote to put all 4 kids into one bedroom, and make the other into a playroom. As the older kids reach adolescence or what have you, then you may re-think it and divide them up.

We have 3 kids--girl (9), boy (7, autistic, developmentally, more like a 3-4 year old) and girl (18 months)--and a 3 bedroom house. We tried the one bedroom thing. No go. The older girl would get upset and cry for literally hours if her sleep was disturbed, therefore, no one got any sleep. So, she has her own room and the other 2 share. Except for a few "dangerous" toys--small parts and such, which are kept in DD1's room, the toys are in a walk-in closet off the living room.

I can put in for a 4 bedroom house next May, when DD1 turns 10. (live in military housing. When they gave us the house, I told them that I had a third child--was not preg. when I got onto the wait list. I was told that technically, the two girls could share a room.)

[proudmamanow]

This is a timely thread for us as we are about to move to a house where our 2 girls (ages 2 & 5) will have to share a bedroom. The 3rd room is in the attic and will be the playroom, as neither of them are ready to be up on their own on a different floor right now. I'm only expecting to be here for 1-2 years though, and hopefully our next place will have a room for each girl plus some playspace, as I think that works better for us...

[mran]

I don't expect this to be a permanent arrangment - probably for a year or less, until the baby is ready to move out of my bed and into his big boy bed... at that point, we should have some other space available to use as a playroom. Our living room doesn't have room for the smaller toys, as it's got the swing, bouncer, exersaucer and other baby things in it, plus a play kitchen and workshop.. it's the legos, the matchbox, the doll cradle, ninja turtles, light sabers, massive quantities of playmobil, etc that just won't fit in here.

[Smithie]

"I like the concept that bedrooms are for sleeping only, so I wouldn't have a problem having a dorm-style room for multiple kids and a grand playroom for all of them..."

This system works VERY WELL for us. I think it can work very well for many families until the onset of puberty, at which time I think it should be a #1 priority to assign a private sleeping space to the chronically masturbating child.

My kids are currently 6, 4 and 1, and they sleep in the same room. We have a separate bedroom for the boy, but it's a total waste of space. Their toys are kept downstairs in the playroom, and we only go upstairs for baths and sleep.

[justKate]

Vote for something completely OTHER here!

I would put a loft in the larger of the two rooms (if one is larger). You know the college-dorm style ones that you build with 2x4s? Then the older boys can sleep up there without sacrificing play space down below. I would use the other room for the girl and the new baby's things (and reclaim some space in your room!). And maybe DS3 if he's still too young to be climbing into a loft.

If you need more play space, maybe have a box or basket in the main living area for each child.

Just a thought! Good luck with whatever you decide. You're waay braver than me!

[greenemami]

We've considered this too. If there wasn't such a gap between dsd and dd ( dsd is 6 years older) we would probably stick them all in one room with a playroom/office in the other room. However, we feel like dsd needs her own space away from the little ones and the playroom would end up being mostly used for the little guys anyway, so the 3 year old and baby share a room for now.

Actually, this thread is making me reconsider again, lol!!!

[mran]

I cannot do a loft or a bunk bed, my children are all too young to be on an upper bunk.

[Cascadian]

I agree with the dorm-style room concept. Until the kids are older, I don't think there's a real need for privacy, and I love the idea of major bonding time. We have more rooms than we need in our house, but I put my 2 girls together for that very reason: they love it. They talk, giggle, bug each other, feel comfort when the other is around at night.

Also in your case, you can do one heck of a wonderful, well planned playroom instead of stepping over mountains of toys in two bedrooms. Kids love the space!

[sapphire_chan]

Keep the playroom if at all possible.

If there's a problem with the boys sharing with the toddler (I could see that happening), I'd put a toddler bed in the parent's room.

My SIL's family has 6 girls and they all have their own rooms because their dad framed out the basement to give each her own space when they got older. But that didn't start until the eldest was 12.

[mran]

Our plan is to give them each their own room when they are older - just have to find the house we can do it with. Dh is very handy. It wont be for atleast 4 yrs though.

The 3 "older boys" (there's a toddler and a preschooler in this bunch) have been sharing for a few years, since current toddler was 10-11 months, and he was already in a big boy bed. DD will be staying in her crib for awhile yet, so I think that would make it easier.

[pregnant@40]

Is this a permanent situation, or temporary (rental)? What are the ages of your boys?

You could eventually put bunk beds in each of the rooms (or one w/ bunks, the other w/ a loft & crib underneath), which would leave room for play & toys in each.

Or you could put 3 boys in one room, and make the other a toy/play room & temporary sleeping space for the girl. She could nap in your bedroom during the day, if the other kids need to play. Or you could move her into your room.

I don't think any of the boys would want to share their room w/ a napping baby, unless one of your boys is a toddler.

[pregnant@40]

You could also call a family meeting & see what the boys want to do.

[phathui5]

Four kids here.

Since your girl is so little, I would try out the one bedroom + playroom arrangement out for a while and see how it goes.