We are moving and are most likely looking at getting a 2 br apartment. We've been living in a huge single family home for the past three years and I know it will be an adjustment, but I am just wondering if anyone else makes this work?
I'm thinking either the kids will share a room or we will put our one year old in our room and just sneak in to bed each night so we don't wake him.
How do you make it work?
apricot / 358 posts
We live in 800 square feet with 2 kids (3 and 3 months) and a dog! You can totally make it work. One huge advantage is that it's very easy to supervise your kids when you're all hanging out pretty close together. We make sure to get out a lot, not collect too much stuff, and keep things tidy so it doesn't feel too chaotic.
grapefruit / 4006 posts
We do. 1100 sq ft. One of the girls is in with us at night and we sneak in (although not really because she is a deep sleeper) and the other is in the other bedroom. Plans are to have them share a room but haven't been able to take the leap yet. We are tight on space and the apartment is a constant mess with toys everywhere but it's ok. But we have always been in small apartments so I think we are used to it and we throw things out quickly if we don't use them. I think the adjustment from a big house to a small apartment will be hard, but you'll get used to it. I really like the fact that there isn't a lot to clean and I always see/hear my kids and know where they are.
squash / 13764 posts
@SleepyMonkey: same! We have the baby in our room still and we just sneak around after she is sleeping. I'd like to move the kids together, but I want to get her down to fewer night wakings first.
I would just try to find a master that is big enough for the baby to have his own space, like a little nook would be great. Or something where you can create some sort of separation. That would make our situation much easier.
grapefruit / 4006 posts
@hilsy85: we actually have the older one with us. The younger cut her night wakings as soon as we moved her to her own bedroom! I just need to rip the band aid off and move the older one back but I am too nervous it'll be a disaster.
squash / 13764 posts
@SleepyMonkey: oh wow! that's an interesting way to do it...I don't think L would fall asleep in our room. Is she in your bed or on a mattress?
pomelo / 5678 posts
We do have 3 beds, but use the downstairs master for a play room. We plan to have baby in our room until they can share (are sleeping well).
grapefruit / 4006 posts
@hilsy85: she is on a floor mattress. We turn out the lights, leave the door open a crack, and she lays there until she falls asleep. We told her it was temporary but it's been 3 months and it's working pretty well. Sometimes she gets up in the middle of the night and tries to come into bed but we usually walk her back to her bed and she falls back asleep. I wouldn't have done it but dd2 would wake up 2-3x a night when she was in our room.m and want to nurse. Literally the first night we moved her, she slept through.
grapefruit / 4731 posts
We have a 4 bedroom but 3 stories in 1500 sqft - lots of bedrooms but small bedrooms. One is on the bottom story and one is in the middle story and 2 are on top story. We only use the top two as bedrooms. So I feel like we really only have 2 bedrooms.
We do the same as @SleepyMonkey: the younger one is in his own bedroom because he sleeps better that way and the older one is with us.
We have a bunk bed and a crib in their room but the little one doesn't like the crib so he is on the bottom bunk with a pool noodles on the sides to keep him from rolling off.
We want to put the oldest on the top bunk but it's not recommended to have kids in the top bunk till they are 6 which isn't for a few more years. (oldest is 4 and the youngest is 1) It's working for us right now... we may have both of them sleep on the bottom bunk eventually.
We plan to keep them there in the same room till they complain which we hope isn't till early teens because we don't really want them on a separate floor.
pomegranate / 3983 posts
We are in a one bedroom 
so yeah...everything pp said- constant decluttering, keep things tidy etc. For me personally a bigger living room is important so all the playing goes on there and the bedroom is just for sleeping.
papaya / 10560 posts
We have a 2 bedroom and 2 kids. Our 3 and 2 year old share a room but sleeping lately has been a cluster. Our oldest one won't go to sleep, so we end up putting him in our room, and then I fall asleep in there and my DH sleeps in the twin bed where my son would sleep.
We have a great sq. footage and layout of our home but we desparately need a 3rd bedroom. It's just not really working!
wonderful cherry / 21504 posts
We are in a 2 bed, about 1000 sq ft, with a 2.5 yo and 2 month old. It's tight! Admittedly we are not great about de cluttering and being minimalist. The baby is in our room, toddler just moved to the big bed in her room. We plan to have the baby in our room until she is sleeping more or less through the night or we move. We are planning to move for a number of reasons but space is a big one. We don't have much storage space which makes it hard. That said I agree that it's nice that it's easy to keep an eye on everyone. Our living room looks like a playroom though- we don't keep any toys in the toddlers room. Not sure how sharing will go!
watermelon / 14467 posts
I haven't done it with kids but My family lived in a 2/1 apt. for several years. My sister and I shared a room for about 10 years, from when we were 4 and 2 until we were 14 and 12. I really liked t and it can definitely work. I know we shared while she was still in a crib, but I was too young to remember.
nectarine / 2152 posts
We live in a 750 sq ft two-bedroom and you just make it work! We get rid of anything we don't need or use often, and spend much of our time outside our apartment (we live in NYC and so the small living space is compensated by all the awesomeness that is outside!).
It's not so bad, really. Our kids share a room, and have since they were born (twins) and it's fine. It's just...what we have always known as a family so it just is what it is, ya know?
pomegranate / 3003 posts
We are in a two bedroom, now, and are trying to add a second child to the tribe. We'll eventually seek out a three bedroom home, but we plan to just get creative with space, and practice minimalism! We'll eventually loft DD's bed to give the bedroom more room for play. I plan to make a reading nook in our living room, and move DD's teepee, there. Yeah, it may make the house look less mature, but hey, that's life with kids.
Also, assuming our second enjoys bed sharing as much as our first, we might just sell our crib and room in, indefinitely.
honeydew / 7303 posts
Mthank you for sharing! I am hoping it will work for us.... Well it has to because we have no choice!! Lol
I was telling Dd when we move our new apartment will be really small compared to our house and she will probably share a room with her brother. She was less than keen on the idea. I definitely need to find a way to make it easier and fun for her. Maybe a special bed.
eggplant / 11716 posts
We live in a 2 bedroom. Right now, the baby is in our room but eventually we'll be moving her to big sister's room. I think I'll wait to move her until she's 1 and then just put her in the big bed with LO1.
grapefruit / 4997 posts
Before we had kids of our own, my niece and nephew lived with us for almost 5 years in our 2 bedroom condo. They shared a room and loved it. Their mom was a bit crazy and had exposed them early on to ghost and murder movies so at 3 and 4 years old, they were always scared of the dark, death, and ghosts. They were scared to sleep alone and needed to share a room. They were thrilled to share a room so it actually worked out great for us. They are very close and are each other's BFF. They live with their dad (my BIL) and his fiancée now but our 2 girls will be sharing a room also if we still live here.
persimmon / 1270 posts
I shared a room with my 3 younger siblings until I was 14. We had bunk beds and I turned mine into a little cave room. It worked really well. Being the oldest I would sometimes tuck the younger ones back in if they woke up. But I never really minded until 14 when I was ready to stay up later in my own space.
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