Who Should Share a Room?

I agree to let the 7 yr old have a bit of a say. Give her the pros and cons of each and see what she thinks.

If I didn't give her a say, I'd probably but the two 'middle of the night' wakers in the same room (baby/2 yr old). That way the 5 and 7 yr old can get a good night's rest.

Unless the older two fight all the time and want to switch rooms, I wouldn't change. I know at 7 years old I wouldn't want a 2 year old or a baby in my room.

why not ask the 7 year old?

How about asking your step daughter what her thoughts are? Personally I like the idea of teh 5 and 7 year old sharing and then younger 2 sharing.

I think that you should go with your idea. Keep the older two together and when the 7 yr old is not there the oldest child in the house has her own room. Another thought is that the 7yr old may feel jilted or unwanted if she is suddenly put in a room with the baby. She may feel that because she is not there all the time, that she is not wanted as much as the others and you are just "making a space" for her to "visit". Kids feelings get hurt very easily and a new baby is enough for her to handle. Change as little as needed. Good Luck

i agree with you.. the 5 and 7 yar old should share a room.. i doubt a 7 year old would wnat to share a room with a baby

I would give the 7 year old a vote and let that settle it.

We've got all four in one room and the other room is a designated playroom. One room for sleep, one room for play.

In general, room sharing seems to work best when it is based on a combination of needs and personalities, not age or gender.

I guess I would probably keep the 7 yo and 5 yo together, but I think your husband's plan would work fine too. It is always an adjustment when new people share a room, but I think eventually the girls will figure it out. Just remember, you could try it your way and switch to your husband's way if things don't work out. The decision doesn't need to be permanent. Good luck with whatever you decide!

I think he makes sense. Sleep trumps toys storage. 2yr olds are hard to get down. The last thing you need is a newborn waking up the toddler you fought to get to sleep. And developmentally? really how much time do they spend in thier rooms? It's sleep and storage. the 7yr old isnt there all the time, so, she would be the least affected by baby crying and may turn out to be very helpful. She can change a diaper and give a binky now and then. She's really the only one that would get a raw deal. I would want to change as little as possible for the youngetr 2. There is already alot of change in thier little lives, in welcoming this new baby. I would leave thier sleep situation as stable as possible.

I do like Jen's answer, but also I like your idea over your husband... only because right now the 7 & 5 are already sharing and they are both older. Even though the 7 year old isn't there all the time, majority of the time she is and it would be disturbing to me having a baby wake me up... plus she'll be getting older and not really wanting a infant/toddler stuff in her room...

I don't think that the 7 year old would like being put with the baby. I would keep things the way that they are. Think about it - what's it going to be like when your DSD is 9 and has little trinkety accessories like hair clips, jewelry, lip gloss etc. and has to keep them out of reach of a 2 year old? What'll it be like when she wants to have a friend sleepover and has to not mess with a pre-schooler's bedtime? It just makes no sense. Group the older kids and the younger kids.

I agree with you as well at this point.

I like your plan better for one simple reason: babies tend to wake at night. Even if the 7 year old is a heavy sleeper, her quality of sleep is likely affected by a waking baby and mommy coming in to help the little one settle. She needs her sleep just like all the other kids, but because she is in school during the weekday, there is no way she could nap to make it up. Poor sleep is one of the main causes for kids having trouble in school.
It shouldn't fall on a 7 year old to "help" with the baby, even though she might be excited about the idea and want to take responsibility for her little sis.

Let the youngest two room together, if they wake they will at least get a chance to make up for it during naptime ...

The toy issue would be the deal breaker for me.

A baby cannot be in a room with toys appropriate for a 7 year old or a 5 year old and in a few months a 2 turning 3 year old. In child care there is a huge long list of toys not allowed in the 2 yr. old rooms, toddler rooms, and baby rooms. A few are hot wheels cars, barbie shoes, hair barrettes, lego's, polly pockets, puzzles with small pieces, crayons, etc...any item that can go through a toilet paper roll is not allowed in those rooms.

Therefore your argument to your husband is that your new baby can choke to death on the older girls toys and that you are not making them give up all toys that are not baby rattles so they should share the room and have a baby gate that makes the room inaccessible for the little girls. The 2 year old should be out too. She is just too young for those toys too. If they have larger generic toys they can all play together in a family room for family interaction. We have lots of larger cars and baby dolls that can be used by girls of both age groups.

The sensible way to do it is 5 and 7 if they get along and the two younger ones when the time comes.
A baby and a seven year old is not a working relationship. In the meantime leave things as they are until it is time to make the switch. Tell the girls your plan.

Ask the older two what they want. Ask them seperate from each other in case they don't want to be together. Then take that into consideration and the answer will probably be pretty clear.

Do you think the seven year old would want to share a room with the newborn? I realize she's not there during every night, but that seems like a lot for the oldest to handle, but she might be super into babies. Some kids are. I'd keep the youngest together and the oldest together. I'd also keep the newborn in your room as long as possible, we made it 6 months with our youngest in a cradle in our room and that helped.

Growing up I was friends with a guy who had 3 brothers. They were doubled-up in rooms, but not according to age. The first born was with the third born and the second born with the fourth. The parents did this so they would all be close. And it worked. Now that they are all adults, they STILL live together and work together too. Not only are they brothers, but best friends too.

That said, with there being such an age difference between the second and third children, I'd probably put the older two together and the younger two together. Plus, this arrangement gives your 5 year old her 'own room' when the 7 year old isn't there.

It really depends on their personalities. I shared with my oldest sister (five years older) and my next older sister (two years older than me) shared with my younger sister (who is four years younger than me and six years younger than her), so it would have been like your two-year-old with the seven-year-old and the five-year-old with the baby. I'm not sure why my mom did that, but I'm guessing it was because my next older sister and I didn't get along because I grew taller than her by the age of four (she was six at the time) and everyone always thought I was older (among other reasons - btw, though, we are the closest sisters now!). My little sister actually had her own room until she was a toddler and I can't remember who I shared with, but I think my brother always had his own room... He's the oldest. Anyway, complicated, but that's the way my mom did it! :-)

I like hubby's idea....

although at some point the 7 year old will need her own room....that's MY opinion....

GOOD LUCK! CONGRATS on the new one!!! Oh my 4 girls!!!! YIKES!! (SMILES!!!!!! SMILES!!!)

Ask the 7 year old who she would rather "room" with.
She may turn out to be a great help with the baby and love the role of "big sister" sharing a room.