Living Arrangements in a 2 Bedroom Apartment

I didn't read the other posts, but just wanted to mention my problem with a 3 year old and a baby sharing a room.. it wasn't the waking up, my toddler would sleep through anything. My problem was my 2 1/2 year old picking up my newborn and bringing her to me. I had my newborn sleeping buckled in her carseat with the carseat in the crib and somehow my daughter managed to unbuckle her and get her out of there and bring her to me because she thought she was hungry. So now I have 4 kids (including a newborn) in really a 3 br house and the newborn is in a bassinet in my room for the time being because I don't trust anyone with her (they are now 5, 3, and 1 and still always trying to be "helpful")! From that day, I have always had my babies in separate rooms or in my room for their safety. Just something to think about.

I don't know about putting the two kids together and how that might work, but I would advise against the toddler bed. just by a regular twin bed for the 3 year old. the child will sleep much better with the bigger space.

What about a pack-n-play? They have ones that have the bassinett and then once baby is too big for that, you can lay child down in the pack-n-play for sleeping? THey have nice pads for the mattresses for them, and comfy sheets too so that might be a great, space-saving option for you. Good luck!

Hi,
Why don't you look into a toddler bed. They mattress is about the same size as a crib mattress and they make some really cute little princess ones. I think little tikes makes it, It would be a better solution for your space problem, and special for your daughter with the transition going into a bed. When we had our second child - 2 years apart - we had a 2 bedroom flat and it worked out fne. After about a week or two my son didn't even flinch at night when our dughter would wake up for her feedings. (The only problem this caused is I'd always have to call him numerous times to get up for school - he'd always sleep thru his alarm - at college now and making it up for classes so he did adjust!!!!)My ped told me after our son was born that if you have total silence when we put our son down that he would always need it that way. I always tried having noise of some sort @ radio, tv when rocking to sleep etc. - and did the same for our daughter and they both are solid sleepers and normal noise never woke them. So don't over fret on keeping your daughter quite when the new baby's sleeping - they'll adjust. It's wonderful having 2 so close, except start saving now for college - we'll have both in college next year and ouch! Sign up for Upromise college savings, a little bit sure adds up over the years!I started it too late, but some friends did it 10 years ago and they've got the cost of books covered for all 4 years!
Have a wonderful day,
P.

I haven't read any of the other responses as I have a sick child right now... but we currently live in a 2 bedroom apartment and I have 2 kids (3 and almost 2) and am expecting our third. Both of my kids are in a day bed type bed. We moved our oldest about 4 months before our youngest was due (so she wouldn't feel the baby stole her bed) and we moved my youngest when he started climbing out of his crib. they share the 2nd bedroom and it works out ok. The daybed type bed also seems to help save some room. All that being said.. with #3 we are setting up our pack n play in our room for the first few months. If you don't have one of those I would highly recommend getting one (if finances are available for one.) Ours has a bassinet type insert which is very good for newborns, but can be taken out to use the playpen part as the child gets older.

Check Craigslist for a cheap (or free!) bassinet and have the baby in your room until you are ready to put him or her in your daughter's room... You are co-sleep or even just use a pack-n-play next to your bed.

Children this young can share without the boy-girl thing being an issue at all! Lots of siblings share from very early childhood and though yes, the baby will sometimes wake your daughter, it is only temporary and she will easily go back to sleep. I know a family that has three boys together in one room by necessity, ages 9, 6 and 1. They do just fine! They learn to sleep through just about anything, which is a total plus for you!

Your daughter can be phased out of her crib over the next few months and then you can move the baby into it. If you get your daughter a convertible crib that can be a toddler bed and a full sized bed, you will not be "wasting" furniture... she will be able to use it for many years, even into adulthood! Best Wishes!

I was in a similar situation. I kept my second son in our bedroom until he was 7 months. Instead of using a basinett, I would consider a cradle. They are usually bigger than a basinett so the baby will use it longer. Check craigslist.org or resale shops for cheaper prices.

Hi A.. When my brother was born (I was 23 months old), my parents lived in a 2-bedroom apt in a 3-flat. I was put in a twin bed (positioned up against a wall) and his crib was in the room too. We only lived that way for about a year and a half, until my parents moved to a 3-bedroom house, but I do have some memories of sleeping in the room with my baby brother in his crib. None of these memories include noise from the baby bothering me! (Of course, that was a very, very, very long time ago!!)

You can always try your local freecycle.com group to see if anyone has a bassinet they are giving away.

I had three children in a 2 bedroom condo.... three boys --my third I only lived in the condo until he was 4 months old -- but it can be done. Mine have always stayed in the same room, in fact even now that we live in a 4 bedroom house all three boys are in one room. The one waking the other up was never a problem. I can only remember once or twice when baby woke up the toddler woke up too. I would start now acclamating the 3 year old to a toddler bed. A three year gap in ages might bring you some jealousy issues; once the baby arrives any new adjustments for your 3 year old might come with added resistance. Small quarters for a 4 member family will just require you to be more organized with what you need and avoid what you don't. I also kept the toys all in check -- quality versus quantity. Good luck and be assured you don't need to move -- not yet anyway :)

Do you have a pack n play? The new baby could sleep in there. Your 3 year old could stay in the crib....take the rail off if she is ready for a change. My 3 year old is still in the crib and I do not see us moving her for awhile...she is happy and not climbed out...knock on wood.

We also have a 2 bedroom condo and my second baby just turned 4 months. I co-sleep with the baby and my toddler is in a toddler bed in his room. Our goal is to put our baby in a mini crib in our room soon and then when he sleeps through the night or only wakes up once to transition the mini crib into my son's room and they will share. Mini cribs are a great option for space sharing or small spaces.

We currently live in a two bedroom home with two children....My son is 23 months old and my daughter is 11 months old. For the first 9 months of my daughters life she slept in a bassinet in our room, once she started to sit up on her own we knew it was time to move her to a crib in the other bedroom with my son. Since he was still under two years old we knew he wasn't ready to give up his crib. Our friends gave us their old crib and we used that for our daughter. Yes....It does take up more space, but it's not that bad..... There is still plenty of room for the necessities. I also worried about them waking each other up, but to my surprise that has not been an issue at all! They actually keep each other company and are there to comfort eash other.
So....My suggestion to you is that maybe you should try and transition your 3 year old into a toddler/twin bed now so it won't be an issue when the baby comes. I would also suggest that you do get a bassinet or pack n play to have the new baby sleep in until he/she sleeps thru the night, and then move to the crib. That way waking each other up will be less of an issue.

Hope I helped!

S.

We lived in a 2BR Condo with our first two and here is what we did. I had a bassinet (one that was a pack n play too) in our BR for the first couple months then we put the 2 together one in a bed and the other in the crib. Good Luck!!

Hi A.,

We also lived in a 2-bedroom when our daughter was born (but w/ only 1 child). We had her in the Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper bassinet for the first 6 mos (until she could climb out of it). It attaches to the bed, but can also be used as a free-standing bassinet. It also folds up like a "Pack-n-Play." We used the "mini" because we were short on space. I think you can probably room your kids together (no matter what gender your baby is) once the baby sleeps through the night. My younger sibs (a boy and a girl) shared a room until about age 7. My other sister slept on a mattress on the floor (maybe even a crib mattress) at age 3. This might be a good option rather than a toddler bed. A bed with a rail is good, too.

Best,
R.

My boys shared a bedroom in a previous two bedroom condo. My oldest was in a crib when the little one was born ( he was 20 months). I borrowed a pack and play with a bassinet that went on the top from my sister-in-law. I used that for three months and then transitioned my oldest out of the crib into a toddler bed and the youngest into the crib. Maybe you could as around if anyone you know has a bassinet since you will be using it for such a short time. So the younger one wouldn't wait the older child I actually had him sleep in our room for a month or two and then when he started sleeping longer stretches I moved him in with his older brother. I did wake the first few times the baby did but then started sleeping through it- incidentaly he is now a very heavy sleeper!

A., I would go with a toddler bed. Kids can sleep inthem till they are about 5 or 6. If your only going to stay in this smaller apartment for a year or so it will be perfect and when you move the baby will be ready for it. My kids loved the toddler beds. we bought the white metal ones that had the side pc so the boys didn't fall out of them. the really great thing is that crib sheets still fit them. and she can take all of her bedding with her. so no jealousy aobut baby getting her stuff. put them in the same room. we did our boys. they in fact stayed in same rooms till we moved when they were 11 and 12. good luck
S.

I lived in a 2 bedroom apartment until a month ago, my kids were 23 mo apart. We moved my son right to a twin bed, we felt there was no need to bother with the wastefulness of a toddler bed. We put it up against a wall and since we knew we were having a second we bought bunk beds that could also be individual beds. Our son slept in the top bunk (it wasn't bunked, we didn't build the other ed) so he had rails all
around.

I kept my daughter in my room (since I was breastfeeding) for the first few months, in a bassinet that I already had. Once she was sleeping enough, only getting up once or twice a night we put them in a room together. They still share a room today. My son can sleep through anything. We had a little trouble in the beginning with him waking her up int he mornings but we worked through it. We just moved and were going to separate them but they can't sleep without each either now!

We lived in a 2 bedroom apartment when our daughter was almost three and our son was about to arrive. Before his birth, we moved our daughter to a toddler bed and then our son went into the crib. We did have our son in a bassinet or pack and play when he was newborn (we've lent/borrowed these from friends in the past which could be a solution for you). Anyway, it all worked out fine, both slept fine and were in the same room for 2-3 years. They've had their own rooms for over 6 years now since we moved and in spite of sibling stuff (daughter is in full pre-teen mode at 12 and son is 9), they are very close and get along really well. Once we bought a real bed for our daughter, our son was ready for the toddler bed, so we got a lot of use out of that, but I think if you went straight to a twin bed, that would work too.

Congrats on the baby!

You may hate this idea cuz it's not for everybody, but are you familiar with Dr. Sears' method of the Family Bed and co-sleeping? You could put the baby in your bed with you. It's awesome for my family. Research says that co-sleeping is best for the baby anyhow, it's certainly easier for you to nurse, reduces the risk of SIDS, and it takes up no space. If you're concerned about rolling over on the baby, you could either put some swaddlers in a dresser drawer to soften it and put the baby in a drawer between you and your husband, or you could there are little baby beds you can buy to put the baby in between you. I don't know what they're called but they have little walls so you can't roll over on the baby and they're soft but fairly firm and won't smother him.

Personally, I'd move your daughter into a twin bed now and plan on putting the baby in the crib. If there is a problem with them waking each other, is it possible to put the crib in your room? You have to be up anyway, so at least maybe your daughter wouldn't hear you. If that's not possible, have you considered buying a pack 'n play with a bassinet? They work very nice and you could fold it up when you needed and move it where ever you needed to in and out of the apartment. Plus when the baby out grows the bassinet portion, you could still use it for nap times in a separate room so your daughter could still play in her room. And there is always the needed safe haven for baby in case you need to turn your back for a second and don't want your daughter to carry baby off! (Only noting this, because I had this problem with my third child!)

I am in the same situation-except 4 kids. My first 3 have always been in the same room since they were born together. I know people who have an older child and an infant in the same room as well. They do tend to eventually get in sinc with one another so putting them both in the same room should be fine. Since you are looking for a temporary setup that can be changed in the next year or so, if the room is big enough, get a twin sized bed that can later be added to a bedroom set that you may buy her (mattress and frame would do it). You can paint the wall or put up pictures for a headboard. Then you could use the crib for the new arrival. You will definitely need somewhere to put the baby's clothes. Toys can be stored under the twin bed in underbed bins. My kids are currently in a bunk bed with trundle and 3 dressers in their room. The baby sleeps with us and we had used a bassinet for the first few months at the foot of our bed. The first thing to do is look at the size of the room.

A pack and play may work best for the baby and can be used a lot longer than a few months. I had the graco travel crib that I used for my daughter to sleep in for probably 4 months and then as a playpen up to a year old.
It would also work just fine to transition your daughter into a twin sized bed and use the crib for the new baby. Many cultures sleep with all the family in the same room so they will get used to each other. Good luck!

If you're going to put your toddler into a bed, I would do so long before the baby arrives. I would be afraid of "taking her bed away" to give to the new baby and "forcing" her to sleep somewhere new and scary. But if she is in a bed before the baby comes, just use the crib for the baby. If you can fit it into your room for the first month or two, that would be great for you (waking up all night long) but I don't see any problems with the two sharing a room. Try a noise machine and she might not even notice a crying baby. I have a 3 year old boy and a 1 1/2 year old girl and they share a room now. My daughter wakes up crying all night long and my son never even flinches.

One more thing, as far as space saving goes, I would completely skip the changing table. I did not have one for my second two and I didn't miss it at all. I bought a $7 basket at target for wipes, diapers, and cream, and bring it with me when I changed them on the floor or my bed or the couch, etc.

Congratulations and good luck!

I do not have experience with kids sharing rooms, but have a suggestion about getting cheap furniture (FREE). Do you belong to Freecycle on Yahoo Groups? I highly recommend it. You post what you need and people reply. You just have to go pick it up. When you are done with items you post items to give away and then people respond and pick up your unwanted items. Just make sure to join a group in your area to make for a short drive to pick up items. Good luck!

HTH

S.

Hi A.,
We have 2 kids, 7 and 4, and are in a 2-bedroom place as well. When Samara, our youngest came, she roomed with us in our room and Jerimiah, our oldest, stayed in his room alone. We are family bed people, so that wasn't a problem for us. Once Samara was out of our bed (around 8 months), we tried to room her with her brother, but they kept waking each other up. So, we moved her crib back in with us. We had a corner crib, which is a great space-saver, as it tucks into the corner.

When Samara was about 1 1/2, we bought bunk beds and put the two in the same room (we actually switched rooms with them at that point, so that they would have more space). Samara was on the bottom, and instead of using the bed, we set up a mattress on the floor, b/c she wasn't ready to be elevated. She started really using the bottom bunk when she was about 2 1/2. They have shared a room now for 3 years now, and it's been great. I think it has really helped them understand that most things that they have are for both of them and that sharing is important.

Good luck!
S.
Mom of a 7 y.o. and 4 y.o.

My oldest was nearly 3 when my second was born. We put him in a twin bed with guard rails several months before I had the baby. Then they were both in the same room. I owned a bassinet though and my newborns were always in that for awhile, at least a month, when I first had them to make it easier for me to get to them for feedings.

Something I've discovered when it comes to noise and small children, is that yes, at times they wake up, but they're better off for being around some noise than having things too quiet. The benefits of this has been displayed for my two oldest (22 & 19) in college as they can sleep through most anything and when you live in a residence hall, that's a necessary skill in order to function the next day.

So if you put both your kids in the same room the only thing I could see being an issue is if your daughter has always had it very quiet in the house when she sleeps. Then the noise of a newborn might bother her, but she will get used to it and I truly believe, be better off for learning how to sleep around it.