Room arrangements - who sleeps where?

[Piglet]

I looked at other fourms and couldn't find the right place for this...

We are expecting DC3 in 4 months, so we have some time, but I am trying to get a jump start on room set-ups. We live in a 3 bedroom bungalow. DS1 is a great sleeper and can sleep through most anything. DS2 is a less than great sleepr and wakes easily if he is stirring (if he is really asleep nothing wakes him). DH and I are pretty light sleepers ever since we became parents. I have a few options, but none of them sounds great:

1) DS1 and DS2 share a room -
pros: they are the older sibs and will likely share a room down the
road anyway, so we might as well start now.
cons: DS2 is still in a crib and I am not sure if he will be ready to transition both into a new room and into a bed at the age of 26 months

2) DS1 and DS2 maintian status quo (i.e. each in their own room) and DC3 sleeps with us in a bassinet or the like -
pros: easier to get to baby quickly at night so DS2 won't easily wake from the crying and he can continue to have his crib for a little while longer
cons: baby noises tend to wake me and I would sleep poorly and I worry that when DH gets up for work he will wake the baby

3) DS2 has a room, DC3 has a room and DS1 sleeps in our room for a few months -
pros: DS1 will sleep through most anything and is pretty easy-going if we need to change things up for him
cons: DS1 is in our room and other activities would NOT happen

Either way, I see these as temporary solutions at best. I just need to get over the hump of the first few months and then I will re-think the set-up. Most likely, DS1 and DS2 will share a room once DS2 gets out of the crib and once the baby settles into a bot of a routine at night.

What has or hasn't worked for other people?

[o_mom]

Our plan is for DS1 and DS2 to share a room. Right now DS1 has moved out of the crib into a toddler bed, however we still have his crib in the room with him. At some point DS2 will move into that crib, vacating his crib for the baby. I am waiting as long as possible because DS1 still naps 3-4 days a week and I think that will go once they are in a room together. I would like the move done before the baby comes because I don't want to need something from the baby's room when DS2 is napping or sleeping or something. I also don't want to move all the clothes and supplies to our room - we have no where to put them.

Can you move DS2's crib into DS1's room instead of a bed? That way he can stay in the crib until he is really ready. The last thing you want with a newborn is to have to take an hour or so to get him in bed because he doesn't have the impulse control to stay in a bed. DS1 just moved out at 38 months and it has gone very smoothly. (All previous attempts were disasterous and quickly abandoned.)

[elaineandmichaelsmommy]

we have a 2 bdrm house and dd sleeps in her room and ds still sleeps in our room. sometimes in his crib sometimes w/ us. When it's time for him to be in his own big boy bed he can move to the other bdrm. That's the solution for now.
For you i'd say just let the baby sleep in your room. you'll be getting up a lot anyway. it saves on work and the baby goes back to sleep so much easier.

jen

[Tondi G]

Well things ended up different than we had originally planned! We have a 2 bdrm apt and originally we had planned to have the baby in with us and then eventually transition him to the room with his big bro! It started out that way but at 8 weeks we decided to put the baby in the crib in the boys room (his baby noises were keeping DH and I up) and brought DS#1 to our room. Well the little guy slept SOOO well in his own room so we stuck with it for a while. Now DS#2 is 19 months old and our now 5 year old is still sleeping in with us!!!! LOL

We figure that when Aidan is ready for a bed in the next 6 months to a year we will buy twin over full bunkbeds and then DS #1 will want to sleep in his new bed with his little bro on the bottom. Chances are they will end up sleeping in the full on the bottom together if I know my boys well enough! We'll see!

Oh and since DS is in our room the "other" activities find there way to the livingroom. Or when we have date night sometimes we race back home from dinner to enjoy some time in our own bed/room just the two of us!!!!!

Good Luck. I suppose it depends on the baby and what works when they arrive!

~Tondi
Mommy to Mason 7/8/01 and Aidan 5/4/05

[maestramommy]

Dora is like your DS2. She will sleep through most anything once she is deeply asleep, but if she is stirring she can be easily awakened. We are in a 2 bedroom apt, so once the moms go home (all 3 of us will be in our bedroom until then), we will keep dc2 with us for a few months, in a bassinet or cosleeper, then crib, then when he/she starts sleeping through the night, we'll move him/her into Dora's room. Since it took Dora almost 11 months to start sleeping through the night we realize that this could be a while, so ahem, other acitivites will have to take place elsewhere.

[C99]

I am in the same boat (3 bedrooms and 3 kids) and having the same ongoing conversation with myself about it. The new baby will sleep with us for the first 4 months anyway, so I am hoping that gives me enough time to formulate a plan and convince the kids to go along with it. My older 2 are of different sexes, so that complicates things.

1) DD and DS share a room. DS would have to move across the hall into what is now-DD's room. This lets baby #3 have time to learn to sleep in his/her own room without outside disturbances.

2) DD and new baby share a room. We have 2 cribs, so it wouldn't be an issue, but I worry about naps, etc. DS no longer naps and can sleep through anything, so he's the best candidate for sharing.

3) DS and new baby share a room. This necessitates a move across the hall for DS. He actually wants to share a room with the new baby, but he is very attached to his tiny little room (7x9 - no room for a crib and a twin-sized bed), so he doesn't understand that to share, he'd have to move across the hall.