Single mom with 7 year old - 1 bedroom apt?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's not impossible.

My one-bedroom with my much younger (at the time) child had an office space that for some reason didn't count as a bedroom. It was tiny, but perfect for a toddler. It fit a bed, a dresser, and a box of toys. That's about it.

It just depends on how you can set up the space. Get creative!

Me again. Also, like some of the posters above, he slept with me anyway most of the time.

[Anonymous]

Daughter or son? If it's a daughter (same gender as you), you can absolutely share a room. my daughter comes into my room 90% of the time anyway. If you have a son, sure, you can still share but you'd probably want to change clothes in the closet or bathroom. An ex had a toddler bed in his bedroom for his daughter of about the same age.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Daughter or son? If it's a daughter (same gender as you), you can absolutely share a room. my daughter comes into my room 90% of the time anyway. If you have a son, sure, you can still share but you'd probably want to change clothes in the closet or bathroom. An ex had a toddler bed in his bedroom for his daughter of about the same age.

A 7 year old on a toddler bed?

OP, we did this for a while. When he was under about 10 it was fine, but then he started wanting more privacy. For us it was a way to stay in a neighborhood where he felt connected. Moving out on our own was hard on him, and staying close to school and friends made it easier. When he got to the transition for middle school he was used to it being the two of us and he was changing schools anyway, so we moved to a bigger place in a cheaper neighborhood with a middle school that I liked.

[Anonymous]

My friend did this. His son got the bedroom and he slept in the living room on a mattress he kept in his son's room during the day (on end) and brought into the living room to sleep. I guess both of their clothes were in the bedroom.

[Anonymous]

Thanks all -the 7 yr old is a girl, and I think she would like the whole room sharing thing at this point. And hopefully this is just a year or so while I figure out the best next steps.

I'm trying to keep her in our elementary school boundaries, so we aren't adding yet another transition in the mix. And we can stay in the SACC program so I don't have to start over on the wait list.

[Anonymous]

Depending on the apartment, I'd get curtains (Ikea makes cord as curtain rods) or a room divider/shelving unit for private and storage. Its not a big deal. You could also try to find income based housing. It is near impossible but I know people who managed to do it.

[Anonymous]

Use the dining room as a bedroom for your self. For you since you're likely to stay-up later and will want access to the kitchen/living room. Give your child the bedroom but make it comfortable so you both can spend time there together.

[Anonymous]

Get some legal advice first because if you move out of your house you may not be able to move back in

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Use the dining room as a bedroom for your self. For you since you're likely to stay-up later and will want access to the kitchen/living room. Give your child the bedroom but make it comfortable so you both can spend time there together.

I have never seen a 1 BR apartment with a dining room.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Use the dining room as a bedroom for your self. For you since you're likely to stay-up later and will want access to the kitchen/living room. Give your child the bedroom but make it comfortable so you both can spend time there together.

I have never seen a 1 BR apartment with a dining room.

All the big pre-1980s buildings along Connecticut Ave have one bedrooms with dining room ells off the living room.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get some legal advice first because if you move out of your house you may not be able to move back in

OP here, this is true. I've been advised to stay in the house at this point, but I'm trying to think ahead to when it's okay to move on. I'm not in a position to buy out my husband and refinance to stay here permanently.

[Anonymous]

Maybe you could get one of those bunkbeds with the double bed on the bottom (for you) and a single bed on the top bunk (for child)? Kind of juvenile, but would be a spacesaver. Otherwise, you could do a full bed and a twin bed if you had the room. Or you could put the kiddo in the bedroom and sleep in the living room, or find a 1 bedroom with den.

[Anonymous]

I had a friend in MS with the same arrangement. The living room had a bunk bed and was her territory and the bedroom was for her mom. We had sleepovers with no issue. She didn't resent her mom and the mom even had a serious BF at the time.

[Anonymous]

I shared a room with my DD from
Ages 7-13. Wonderful memories. It's absolutely fine.
It was a fun time in our lives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I shared a room with my DD from
Ages 7-13. Wonderful memories. It's absolutely fine.
It was a fun time in our lives.

Thank you for this. One of my biggest stresses is that she will likely have a much nicer setup when she's with her dad. So I really want to make this fun for both of us, so she's happy with the time she spends with me too.