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D.C. Area Babies
anyone done two kids in a 2BR?
That's the issue we're struggling with right now. I'm definitely ready to TTC #2, and DH would get on board but he's concerned about space. Well, more than concerned than me--I think my baby fever might be crowding out rational thought a little.
We're in a 2BR condo right now, and want to move. The hold up is we're underwater on our mortgage, but we're making headway and should be breaking even in about a year. But who knows what the market will look like in a year . . . so.
Has anyone had two kids in a 2 BR? How did you do it (both kids together, baby with you)? Any recommendations on keeping sane? Or is it too crazy and we should wait until we know we'll be in a bigger place?
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Re: anyone done two kids in a 2BR?
My parents did it. My sister and I are 18 months apart, and we lived in a 2-bedroom until I was 5. Even when we moved to a 3-bedroom, I still shared a room with my sister, because my parents used the 3rd bedroom as an office. I finally got my own room when I was in 7th grade. It's definitely doable. I don't think young kids need their own bedroom.
people do it all the time, in even smaller spaces!
baby can sleep in your room until (s)he starts STTN and then you can put both in the same room and by then you might be able to move. There is never a perfect time, IMO.
My dad was 1 of 4 boys raised in a ONE bedroom apt. My grandparents slept on a pullout sofa and the boys slept on bunk beds. My grandparents grew up in an even more crowded apt - 2 bedrooms, 7 kids, one of my great uncles slept on two chairs pushed together. (New York City living, it's glamorous when you are poor).
Until I was in 5th grade (and hit puberty), I shared a room with all 3 of my brothers. My grandmother lived with us and the house only had 3 bedrooms and well my parents coming from NYC thought that was very luxurious. It was actually kind of fun sharing. I remember the inconveniences but it fostered a lot of togetherness as well.
We have DS and DD sharing a room even though we have an extra one for that reason. When we have a third, the odd gender out will get their own room. DS still quasi sleeps in our room. He goes down in his bed and when he wakes up to feed in middle of the night, I take him into my bed to finish the night out.
We did 2 kids in a 3 bedroom, 1200 sq ft condo, but the 3rd bedroom was an office, so the girls shared a room. Definitely doable, though I was thankful to have that third bedroom to dump stuff at times;) But as others have noted, the first couple of months, the baby is in your room anyway...and after that I found that even when the youngest wasn't sleeping through the night, the older one gets used to having the little one in the room and generally sleeps through the middle of the night wakings. One of the challenges for us was managing the smaller pieces of the older one's toys, but really you'll have that issue even if the kids aren't sharing a room;) Bedtime routines take a little bit of management, but again, it worked for us. I think it becomes more of an issue when the kids get closer to school age. We moved into a SFH this summer and with DD#1 in kindergarten this fall, it has been really nice for each of the girls to have her own space. I say go for it...:)
We have four bedrooms, but with two upstairs and two downstairs, our plan for the first three years or so is to have the kids share a bedroom upstairs so that we're all on the same floor. If we're still in this house down the road, we'll then move them into separate rooms upstairs, and we'll move downstairs. We do plan to have me sleep downstairs in the guest room with the baby for the first couple of months, and then we'll figure out where to go from there, depending on how the baby is sleeping.
I know a lot of people who live in Fairlington with two (or even three) kids, and nearly all of those units are two bedroom. I have been told that the first few weeks of the two sharing a room are hard, even when you wait until the baby is sleeping better, but I have also been told that, after the first few weeks, the older child learned to sleep through the baby waking up occasionally.
We're in a 1BR apartment with a baby and ended up converting the dining area into the baby's area. They don't need that much room and depending on the space between the two and gender I think they would be fine in a room together especially just for a year or two. People thought we were crazy to stay in a 1BR with a baby but people seem to manage in less space! (I always think about families in NYC)
Good luck!
We lived in a trailer park in a 2-br trailer until I was almost 5. I shared a room with my brother.
We then moved to a 3-br (1-ba) small house, and my sister came along. In that house (my parents still live there), my sister and I shared a 9.5 X 9.5 room.
It can be done. It will be cozy, but you can do it!
we live in a 3 level, 2BR townhouse. it helps significantly that we have that extra level and a full second bathroom.
we had planned to be in our house 5yrs, but then the market crashed and now we are stuck. we aren't under water, but we also don't have the equity we thought we'd have, so our options are either to leave the neighborhood or buy a similar sized house, neither of which we want to do, so we are still here.
the kids currently share a room. DD stayed in our room until she was 4mos. we have had some issues. we had to eliminate DS's nap time, although he could probably still benefit from a nap. he disturbed DD's nap and she wouldn't get a good nap while he was in there playing. so that was a bummer for us (b/c WE weren't ready for his napping period to be over!). also, DS frequently gets nighttime nose bleeds, which wakes the baby (b/c he's dying, of course, or at least that's how he behaves). and when the baby has a bad night, DS wakes up.
we are now planning to put the house on the market in the spring and i am dreading keeping the house in show ready condition with two children and two cats. ugh. because we need to squeeze every ounce of value we can, it really does need to be in perfect condition.
in your situation, i would probably see if you can increase your mortgage payments so that you reach even more quickly, so that you could make a move before next year.