 |
| There were 5 in the bed and the little one said... |
Hmm. I thought bed hopping might get your attention!
But this is a family blog and I refer to the nightly maneuvers of squeezing 5 people and a dog into a 3 bedroom house.
Fortunately for me the dog has long since been banished to the kitchen in her indoor kennel. It doesn't quite stop her hopping through to the sitting room and getting nice and comfortable on the sofa, even to the point of resting her tired weary head on a perfectly plumped cushion. Bless.
But back to the remaining 5 bodies that have to share 3 bedrooms.
Well me and the Mr are perfectly comfortable thankyou. Nuff said.
Although a standard double bed is sometimes required to accomodate 3 bodies when a nightmare or just sheer stubborness prevail. Clinging to the edge of the bed while a small person does a starfish impression in the middle does nothing for my bad back. Nor does the stupidly expensive and ineffective memory foam mattress. But I digress.
Two of my children have to share a bedroom, which is nothing unusual I know. The two who share are the boys, the Big one who is rapidly approaching 7 and the wee one who is 20 months old.
The difficulty I have is that if the Wee One is not asleep before the Big One gets into bed I have at least an hour of shouting, screaming, laughing and chatting from the Wee One which does nothing to aid the Big One to sleep.
What do I do?
The Big One is a grump when he doesn't get at least 11 hours sleep.
The Wee One is a grump if he doesn't get at least 12 hours sleep.
They are both grumpy!!
I need to let the Wee One settle himself or I know from bitter experience I will spend hours trying to settle him myself. If I let the Big One go to sleep in my bed and then move him later he still has a disturbed night. If I wait till the Wee One is asleep before the Big One goes to bed he will be knackered.
I know I need to ration the Wee One's afternoon kip which is being actioned forthwith.
But what worries me is what happens in years to come?
Big One has homework versus Wee One playing.
Wee One needs a nap but Big One wants to play in his room.
Big One wants to read in bed but Wee One can't.
I know the simple solution is to build an extension but while I whittle a few bricks from the quarry, what do I do in the meantime?
I would love to know how you have coped with room sharing, what problems have you had and how did you overcome them?
This post is joining in with PinkOddy's Blog Thursday's Thought Meme. Join the debate!
Indeed a challenge. Is there any merit in considering putting your daughter in with your elder son if their sleeping habits are more compatible?
ReplyDeleteSorry, it's the best I can offer.
Let the little one sleep in your bed and move them when you go to bed,or just get the big one to go to bed first.
ReplyDeleteOur 8, 4 & 2 yr old share a room.
Good luck & thanks for participating in Thursday's Thought.
Hope to see you again next week :)
Haha! I can beat you... We have 5 in a 2-bed. Although we have a slightly more flexible space in that we managed to keep small one (2) in with us up til now and lumpy one (18) is in the cellar! The cellar isn't the most pleasant of spaces, and the idea of the girls in together fills me with dread, so I'm very excited that we're moving in 6 weeks!
ReplyDeleteIn the short term, could Wee One settle in your bed, then be moved? Middle term, is the room big enough for a plasterboard room divider with a door? Might give some space and a little sound insulation. Honestly, I think even when they have their own rooms, little ones always want to "visit" their older siblings when they have friends over or homework to do... Hope you find a workable solution as I know from bitter experience that finding more space isn't always financially viable!