Suggestions for Room Arrangements for 2 Children

We have basically the same split in age for my youngest 2 (boy/girl). We had the boy (older one) go to a twin bed and then converted the toddler bed back to a crib. He sleeps along one wall and she sleeps along a shorter wall. They are now older 5 & 3 and he is still in his twin bed and she is in the (crib converted back) toddler bed now. We don't have the extra space to let each one have their own room but we know that we can only have them room together for only so long. So we need to think of a new solution within the next year to year & 1/2. By age 7 of the boy, they should be split--but that is just my opinion.

Good luck!

Can you combine the study and guest room, and give the baby his/her own room? This is just my personal opinion, but since you have so many bedrooms, why not let each child have their own room? Avoids a lot of problems and issues!

We had a similar situation when our 2nd was born. We combined our study and spare bedroom and gave each of our boys their own room.

if you have the space, then I highly recommend separate bedrooms for the children.....ensuring a good night's sleep for both of them. Later, if they should wish to share a room, then you'd be able to do so.

By combining the study into the guest room, you will be able to still utilize both needs. Lots of good ideas on HGTV for incorporating these two spaces. Good Luck!

Is there a way for the study to be a guestroom? They have some very cool convertible furniture now that would work great. I would say unless you have a LOT of guests staying over frequently, why waste the guest room on people that aren't there all the time.

My two kids share a room--they are almost exactly 3 years apart, now 8 mos and 3 years 8 mos (birthdays are one day apart!). It works great. Youngest was in a bassinet in our room, then in my husband's office, for first 11 weeks. She started sleeping through the night most nights (blissfully!) at 10 weeks. We were going to wait longer to move her in with her sister, but older sister REALLY wanted the baby in with her, kept asking, so we said we'd try it, and it has worked great! Now that baby is teething, she's up in the night about 1/2 the time. Last night there was real screaming around midnight--woke up DH in the next room, but big sister barely stirred. She's only woken up to the baby crying twice, both times when the crying went on and on (like 20+ minutes). They do wake each other up in the morning sometimes, but the usually get up around the same time anyway, so no biggie. It is a big room that they share, so there is plenty of room for both. I have some concerns about once little sister becomes mobile (she rolls but doesn't yet crawl), since big sister sometimes leaves toys on the floor that are not okay for the baby, but we'll just need to be stricter about segregating the big kid toys, maybe to the living room.

My daughter was 2 when my son was born. He slept in a bassinet in our room for 4 months and then we moved him to his crib in her room. We had one other room but it was occupied by our teenage foster son at the time. They shared a room until my son was 2 1/2 and we moved him into the other now empty room (foster son moved out at 18 and joined the air force) The only reason we separated them was 2 twin beds would not fit in either room since they are both pretty small. I think room sharing is fine as long as it doesn't interrupt either ones sleep.

Unless you have a steady stream of frequent guests here is what I would do. Get rid of the guest room and put the new kid in there. We have 4 bedrooms - one of which is my husband's office - he works from home (in sales) so it's a necessity. My girls each have their own room, but the older one has 2 twin beds in her room while the younger one has a full size bed. My younger one sleeps with the older one every single night, just b/c they want to be together (they're 9 and 7 now, and best buddies) So really, the full sized bed is always unoccupied. When we have guests they sleep there. Of course, they have to put their suitcases in a room filled with stuffed animals and things like that, so it's not perfect. But it has worked so well for us. And we didn't even really plan it to be this way - all of our furniture has been handed down to us - so it just worked out. Some of our guests prefer to sleep in my other daughter's twin beds (like my parents b/c my Dad is big and they're used to sleeping in their king sized bed) so on those occasions we have the girls sleep in the full sized bed in my ounger daughter's room. I just didn't like the idea of having a guest room for the MAYBE once a month visitor. Just a thought!

Keep baby's crib in your room, if possible, for the first several months. Then put your 2-1/2-year-old's bed and crib in the same room for a couple years. The different sides of the room could be decorated differently to give each child the feeling of his own space. I really think most 2-3 year olds sleep very soundly. The baby probably won't wake him up. It would be nice if they could have separate rooms by the time your son starts school.

My son was 3 months from being 3 yrs old when my daughter was born. If she'd slept the way he did, I'd have liked them in the same room. They even started out that way. But then my girl didn't sleep at all through the night. I can't remember if it woke my son up, or if it just bothered me that it might wake him up, but we moved her into her own room. Is there any way you could put the guest room and the study together? I know my parents had it like that and it worked well for them. The closet was empty and there was a small dresser, but then also a desk and a wall lined with bookshelves. I think part of if that works for you depends on the size of the rooms and furniture. Good luck with whatever you do!

I abolutely wouldn't put the kids together unless there was no other choice...and it sounds like you have more than enough space to give them each a bedroom. Why would you want to deal with the problems involved in doubling them up unless you absolutely have to?

I'm considering putting my four and five year old into the same room because we're moving into a 3 bedroom home and will soon be adding to our family. Even THEN, I'm hesitating because I know it will be a headache. But putting a baby in with an older child (who you know will be woken up many times) just seems unfair to me.

EDIT: I totally disagree that different genders need different rooms. My brother and I shared a room out of sheer necessity for many years. It really isn't a big deal until closer to puberty.

I don't think it matters the gender of the kids. However, if you are going to bunk them, do it as soon as the infant gets out of his crib. then it is second nature to them. We are trying to have our 7 yo and 4 yo share a room now and the 4 yo cannot understand why he can't wake her and everyone else up whenever he gets up. I would say no to bunk beds until they are older. A child shouldn't be on the top until they are at least 6.

Different genders do need different rooms. If you have the space, seperate rooms on the boy girl for sure. I am not sure about the baby because in our family the baby starts out in the room where she will be sleeping.

I would not do bunkbeds because the injuries are so frequent and often include broken bones.

I got a trundle bed that rolls out and pops up even with the standard twin bed. I ordered it online, but I found out chain stores carry them much cheaper. You can roll the other bed across the room if you choose at night. It was not perfect and kind of a pain to pop it up, so I don't recommend this..

My boys are 4 years apart. My little guy was in a crib in our room for the first 6 months then he went upstairs to his room. At 2 he started sleeping in his toddler bed. As soon as that happened my 6 y/o (who has his very own room across the hall) started sleeping in the twin bed in my little guys room so they could be close :)
I assumed they'd want separate rooms, but for now they want to share. So I let them. If and when the oldest decides to go back to his own room we'll let him.

I would some how combine the study and guest room and give the new baby their own room.

I would not get bunk beds at this time. I would make a little nursery for the baby and keep the children separate. What you're trying to do is foster independence and one way to do this is by training the children to sleep in their own rooms. If you will be buying the almost 3 yr old a new bed-I would get a queen size or at least a double-so when he is sick-you can sleep with him comfortably!

Can you combine the guest room with the study so they can have their own rooms? I personally do not like having my kids share a room. My 2 oldest share a room and right now they have bunk beds with the younger of the 2 going to bed earlier than the oldest. They are 7 1/2 & 10 right now.

1st year baby slept in our walk in closet (yes with a crib)

2nd year baby and older sib shared a room.

We are actually doing the same thing with our 3rd child now.

1st year in our walk in (we have 2 closets the walk in happens to be my craft closet so no big deal) and then in another month or 2 we will be having all 3 in 1 room.