Recently I’ve been toying with the idea of the possibility of us having a third child, something that after the sheer hard work of having two so close together, I didn’t even consider a few months ago. Now we’ve got rid of nearly all our baby equipment, I’ve of course suddenly got broody again and decided that it might be an excellent time to think about having another baby *rolls eyes*. If we did take the plunge again, one of the main considerations would be space in our home and how to utilise it properly. Whilst we are planning on having a loft conversion sometime in the near future, having a 3rd little one would most likely mean that for a period of time, two of the children may have to share a room. This would most likely be Freddie and Sasha as they would be closest in age, and no one wants to be woken by a screaming babe if it can be helped (if only this applied to the parents too!). So mixed sex room sharing.
As someone with much older siblings who were boys, I never had to share a room, and I was lucky that I always had quite a large one, with space to play and to store all my toys. I would be worried about F & S having enough room for everything i.e. wardrobe space, but my main issue is this: How old can mixed-sex siblings be before sharing a room possibility becomes a bit weird and/or their interests and tastes become a problem? Of course, it might not be an issue at all, and hopefully the loft would be done by the time this point is reached, but it’s something to think about.
In true procrastinating style, I’ve spent time perusing Pintrest and have come across some excellent room sharing ideas for siblings, mixed sex or otherwise. I love the idea of mid-sleeper bunk beds as depicted in the first and third photos (above). I think these are Ikea, and I love the one that has been painted white! I like white furniture, so I can definitely see myself doing this. Bunk beds obviously are great space-savers, and if baby no 3 made an appearance, then Freddie at least should be old enough to go on the top bunk.
Gender-neutral decor also appeals to me as a nice change. Freddie currently has some fab vehicle wallpaper (you can see this HERE), and S has quite a girly room ( see HERE), so if they did share it would need to be something that would suit both well, especially as they get older and express their opinions more. I love the look of minimal ‘Scandi style’ rooms, but there is always a small part of me that wonders how much is for the parents and the sake of everything looking ‘cool’, as opposed to what the children really like/want.
Whilst bunk beds are probably the most practical room-sharing option for us, I love the idea of side-by-side beds (like the final photo), with the children talking to each other and giggling until it’s time for lights out. On second thoughts, bunk beds are definitely better for a more peaceful bedtime routine… 😉
What do you think about boys and girls room sharing? Did you share a bedroom as a child, or do your children share a room now?
Oh I love some of these bedroom ideas! Gorgeous! My girls shared a room, from when Annie was just out of her Moses basket, right up until we moved into our current house – almost three years in total. I was concerned about the baby/4 year old mix, but honestly they did brilliantly in together! So much so that Annie took a long time to settle in her own room when she got one! It also gave lots more space in the room, having a cot rather than two beds, which meant they could still have their toys up there and room to play. And Noah had his own boy space then too. Mind you, if I’d seen some of these ideas beforehand, I might have put E&N in together instead! Xxx
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Ooh that gives me hope though that if we did have no 3, then if it was a girl then S could share with her, and if a boy then Freddie still wouldn’t be too old too! It’s tricky when you have ‘one of each’, as it seems so easy to bung 2 girls in together or 2 boys, but has to be thought out a lot more I think with a boy and a girl! x
Love these tips Becky and love some of the room inspiration. We are in the process of starting to plan to put our two in together, obviously they are the same sex but it’s still an exciting project. Part of it is so we can have a study back and there is a small part that wonders whether one day it might become a nursery again and we have a third- that’s a long way off though! 😉
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Ooh definitely an exciting project! If Sasha had been another boy then I think they would probably be sharing anyway, as we might have kept the 3rd room as a spare room or study too. xx PS SO have another one!
We bought our current two-bed house thinking we’ll stay for 5/6 years and then buy the “forever” home, so if we have another baby (read: if Andrew allows me to have another baby 😉 ) the two of them would have to share a room. It’s a big room but because of the position of the window and radiator it actually makes it difficult to place furniture so that does worry me. I would just PRAY for another girl although I have just screenshot the 4th pic you shared as it’s pretty close to the decor in Gwenn’s room now so it’s nice to get ideas as to how I could tweak that to “boy” it up. xx
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I’m with you on furniture being tricky sometimes- Freddie’s room is a bit like this which does make the possibility of sharing a bit more complicated. The radiator and built in wardrobe mean that bunk beds would probably be the only way forward, despite it being a big room x
Arlo and Rory share (although Rory is still very much a part-time resident in my bed). They love it (recently asked Arlo if he would prefer his own room if we moved house or to continue sharing with Rory and he said he would want to share).
I thought they’d disturb each other, but they don’t at all. In fact, it’s made bedtimes a bit easier as Arlo feels more secure having someone else in the room with him. Only problem we’ve found is that it’s made it harder to ‘encourage’ Rory to fall asleep by himself and resettle throughout the night as it involves some crying and that wouldn’t be fair on Arlo. We are definitely going in for a third, and aren’t 100% suer if we will be able to upsize any time soon so for a long while have been making plans to have 3 kids in one room – probably sound crazy but I actually think they will find it fun.
I shared when I was little and it honestly never crossed my mind to be bothered about not having space for toys, etc. I think children just make play spaces wherever they can.
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So sorry for the late reply Chloe! Been crazy here with illness and allsorts, only catching up now! It’s so good that your boys share so well, that’s what I think would be nice with our two, to have a little buddy to chat away to at night before they fall asleep (I could be looking at this with rose-tinted glasses though!). You’re a brave lady having 3 in one room though- I’d worry about having space for all their stuff! Have you seen triple bunks though? They look AMAZING! x