Toddler + newborn + small house=???

[csa12]

Is it possible for a toddler and a newborn to share a room? We have a small house with 3 bedrooms and I am thinking about where to have the new baby sleep when he/she arrives in October. DS #1 will be 33 months when the baby is born. He will probably be transitioned to a bed by then so I wonder if their sharing a room could work with all the nightfeedings/wakings the newborn is bound to have. Anyone else have their children share a room? I guess the newborn can cosleep with us at first, but Dh works at weird hours and I would not want him to wake up the kids! I can get pretty grumpy about that!! :)

Thanks in advance,
Cheryl

[toomanystrollers]

I wouldn't have a toddler & newborn share a room for safety purposes (accidental smothering,..). My kids didn't share a room until DS was 2 (and his new sister got his old room).

And congratulations!!

[csa12]

Thanks Pam! it will be a fun move to MA with 2 kids, 2 dogs etc...:)

Oh I didn't even think about that--yikes, shows you how prepared I am to be a mom to even more kids. Sigh . . .

I wonder what arrangement I can work out since the third bedroom is kind of our much needed office space? What arrangements have pthers worked in in cramped quarters?

Thanks,
Cheryl :)

[emilyf]

I plan to have my 2 in a room together-maybe not for the first few months but pretty soon. DS is not in his crib anymore either. I don't have any real life experience yet, but that is my plan.
Emily \r\nmom of Charlie born 11/02

[luvbeinmama]

Is it possible? Absolutely. Is it easy? That is another question. I have a friend down the street that has to have both her kids (ages 4.5 & 1.5) in the same room and has made it work. Her house is probably about 1000 sq ft, 3 + 1 and her brother lives with them (thus the need to have the kids in the same room). So my answer is that it can work if you need it to and if you make it work. I don't think it's the easiest way to do things, but I'm sure there can be advantages to it as well. HTH!

[mary b]

Hi Cheryl,
I just saw this now, SORRY!! My 3 1/2 and 1 1/2 DDs have shared a room since Lindsey was 3 months old. Overall, it's worked out great and we have not had any issues with Noelle 'bugging' her at all. I would be happy to answer any specific questions that you have.

Our only major problem was with the night feedings and I think i rushed to get the baby too much so she wouldn't wake Noelle up instead of giving her a minute or so to see if she would go back herself. Noelle has learned to just go back to sleep and she doesn't wake up anymore if Lindsey does. Again, it was a phase and we got over it and now it's fine. It was trying at times but not enough to move! We have a 4 bedroom house but 2 up and 2 down so it's plenty big enough for us, just not the ideal layout! Noelle was in a bed and it didn't bother her at all that Lindsey was in her crib, but it had been several months since it was 'hers'.

HTH,
Mary