Logistical WWYD?

MrMrsandBaby · June 2013

DH and I are most likely going to be in our current house when we have #2. Here is the problem. I can't figure out, logistically, where to put a baby!

We have a three bedroom, two story house with no basement. The downstairs is basically an L shape. The long part is the living room and the short part is the kitchen/dining room. Right now, the living room is sort of split into a living room and a play room. All of Allisons toys are in the back 1/3 of the room. Very little floor space left for a swing/bouncy seat/etc.

Upstairs are the bedrooms (no loft or spare space). The MB is big, we can totally put a PnP in there and still be comfortable. The other two rooms are 10x12. One is Allison's room and between her crib, dresser, bookcase and rocking chair the room is FULL. The third bedroom is my office. I need an office because I WFH regularly. It also has a small pull out couch for visitors.

Where the heck do we put a baby when s/he is too big to sleep in the PnP? There is no way we can fit a second crib or bed in Allison's room. Do we give up the guest room/office and move the office downstairs? And if we do that, where does the "playroom" go?

I know some of you have the space issue, what do you do/have you done/are you doing?

See where my mind goes when I have too much free time at work?!

n8swife · June 2013

What about switching your room with Allison's room and having the two kids share a room?

Otherwise, I'd move your office into the living room/dining room and change that into #2's room. It might be a little cramped for space but you don't have many options.

MrMrsandBaby · June 2013

n8swife:

What about switching your room with Allison's room and having the two kids share a room?

Otherwise, I'd move your office into the living room/dining room and change that into #2's room. It might be a little cramped for space but you don't have many options.

GASP! Give up the BIG bedroom! I hadn't considered that, I wonder if the bed would fit in the small rooms? We have a king size bed so...

Good call though! (BTW - I totally expected you to say something like, "Ditch the motorcycle idea and buy a bigger house!")

n8swife · June 2013

MrMrsandBaby:
n8swife:

What about switching your room with Allison's room and having the two kids share a room?

Otherwise, I'd move your office into the living room/dining room and change that into #2's room. It might be a little cramped for space but you don't have many options.

GASP! Give up the BIG bedroom! I hadn't considered that, I wonder if the bed would fit in the small rooms? We have a king size bed so...

Good call though! (BTW - I totally expected you to say something like, "Ditch the motorcycle idea and buy a bigger house!")

Or do that!!!

I feel your pain though. We have a 3 bedroom ranch and the third bedroom is my office/guest room. We'll be switching that into #2's room at some point so we'll no longer have a bed for guests..which may not be a bad thing!

DaizyMay22 · June 2013

Could you maybe cut back on office furniture and have the crib on your office? Or could you have your office in your MB?

jmccall79 · June 2013

I too was going to suggest putting your office in the MB or dining room. I don't think you'd have to give up the MB for the kids, or give up playroom space either. If you cut down on office furniture, sharing the downstairs with the kids may not be a bad idea as they would need to be occupied while you work and you can still see them. My sister had to cut wayyyyyy back on 'stuff' when #2 came. They only have a 3BR house, with an eat in kitchen(no real dining room). She got rid of their desktop computer, went to laptop with wifi. That way she can work from the table and they just have a small side table and small filing cabinet underneath it. They own their own business so an "office" was a must, but like you there was no way they could put both boys in the same room.

Lena122 · June 2013

Would a crib fit in the MB? That way LO 2 could stay in your room longer. Not ideal, but I'm not sure having a toddler and baby share would work out so well.

jk382 · June 2013

n8swife:
MrMrsandBaby:
n8swife:

What about switching your room with Allison's room and having the two kids share a room?

Otherwise, I'd move your office into the living room/dining room and change that into #2's room. It might be a little cramped for space but you don't have many options.

GASP! Give up the BIG bedroom! I hadn't considered that, I wonder if the bed would fit in the small rooms? We have a king size bed so...

Good call though! (BTW - I totally expected you to say something like, "Ditch the motorcycle idea and buy a bigger house!")
Or do that!!!
I feel your pain though. We have a 3 bedroom ranch and the third bedroom is my office/guest room. We'll be switching that into #2's room at some point so we'll no longer have a bed for guests..which may not be a bad thing!

We have a 3 bedroom home and I am looking forward to no longer having a room for guests!!! LOL!

karleegirl · June 2013

Maybe downsize some of the office. Leave your desk but add a mini crib or a pnp and a small dresser. My kids sleeping in the same room has not worked out.
We don't have a playroom but we use the dining room for that and eat at a table in the kitchen.

MrMrsandBaby · June 2013

I guess we could move the sofa or the desk out of the office into the MBR. That might work...we would just have one kid's room with a couch! May come in handy if we need to sleep with the baby...

Of course that means Matt needs to give up his dresser!

KatelynEA90 · June 2013

How long will you be in the house after #2 is born?

My DD is still sleeping in a PNP. She isn't getting a crib until August because of space issues.

MrMrsandBaby · June 2013

KatelynEA90:
How long will you be in the house after 2 is born?My DD is still sleeping in a PNP. She isn't getting a crib until August because of space issues.nbsp;

We have 3.5 years until we have enough for 20% down...so potentially 2 years

karleegirl · June 2013

So by that time 1 will probably be in a toddler bed. My fiends kids both slept in pnp's until age 2. They did fine.

firewife9278 · June 2013

When DD was born, we were living in a 2 bedroom condo with no basement. We converted our office/guest room into her bedroom, and the office moved to the dining room table. We really never have overnight guests, and the one time my mom watched DD overnight, she slept on the couch.

Is it feasible to move your computer/work-space to the dining room table?

I don't really like the idea of moving your office into your bedroom, only because work = stress and that can affect your sleep.

2chatter · June 2013

We have a three bedroom, three kids full time and two who come every other weekend and I work from home full time. Here is how it has worked at various stages....

When we had two children, my office was in the older's child's bedroom. I was working while she was at school, so there was no conflict over the space. If I wanted to work late at night and was feeling supremely lazy (ie did not want to move my note pad and laptop) I just put her to bed in my bed. We then added a loft bed to that room, and my desk went into the master. I hate working in the master - the bed is RIGHT THERE and it's crowded with our bed. With DS arrival and the crib in our room too it's toooo crowded for me to spend all day in there.

I now work at the kitchen table and we eat only in the dining room. That way I can leave my stuff out.

We also saved 25% down and waited to move. The prequal (and underwriting approval) only required 5% down - the lending standards are not as stringent as we thought. I would have totally moved 10% ago, from a logistical and financial perspective. Cross your fingers this house happens, I am DESPERATE to move.

MrMrsandBaby · June 2013

Working downstairs isn't an option, DH is home with Allison until around 2:00 every day when he leaves for work so it would be distracting for both of us. Maybe the easy solution is baby in crib/pnp in our room until we need to move 2.0 out and just downsize the desk (DH will freak out!) and have the office and 2.0 in the same room.

Or a screen or something in the MBR so the "office" is its own space?

I guess we will have to figure this out!

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