We have our 2 kids in the same room in order to preserve a guest / play room.

At the beginning, baby slept in our room. When kids aged out of that and into separate rooms we had a pop up air mattress in the basement family room (old house had a 3rd bedroom too small for anything but a nursery.)

Kids voluntarily started sharing a room shortly before we moved into a 2 bedroom temporary rental, and it has worked out really well over all, and I think helps with their closeness. Recently bought a 3 bedroom house, and girls will continue to share a bedroom. Long term we hope to add a bedroom onto the house, though may also add another kid, but figure we'll cross that housing bridge when we get to it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP -- are you interested in having guests?
Seriously -- some people do not like having guests...do not like being put out in any way...
Doesn't make you a bad person...just how you like things...if this is the case...just tell folks you do not have room and suggest some hotels.
Otherwise...it will not kill kids to move from their rooms for a day or 2 or 5...
let them bunk on your floor in a sleeping bag...they will think it is heaven...
otherwise...tell potential guests to go elsewhere

I don't love having guests in general, but it depends on who it is. And if I'm ok with my parents or sister visiting, I HAVE to be "ok" with MIL visiting (though I reserve the right to disallow her dirty, yappy dog). I believe in the grandparents relationship and I understand them wanting to stay over to spend time with the kid(s). Our sleeping arrangements at her house are uncomfortable, and I believe in being a decent host so I don't want to do the same thing to them. I'm now considering a high riser bed for DS even though it's not the look or price I'm going for. Every time someone visits I don't want to have to over think things, I want it to be easy on us and comfortable for them. That would be the easy solution to keep the peace.

I am the PP you quoted.
I stick to my original suggestion...let the gp's sleep in the kids' rooms...and kids sleep with you...
I grew up in a 2 bed apt....that is what we did when gp's came to visit...i gave up my room...
no need to overthink or overspend

Anonymous wrote:OP -- are you interested in having guests?
Seriously -- some people do not like having guests...do not like being put out in any way...
Doesn't make you a bad person...just how you like things...if this is the case...just tell folks you do not have room and suggest some hotels.
Otherwise...it will not kill kids to move from their rooms for a day or 2 or 5...
let them bunk on your floor in a sleeping bag...they will think it is heaven...
otherwise...tell potential guests to go elsewhere

I don't love having guests in general, but it depends on who it is. And if I'm ok with my parents or sister visiting, I HAVE to be "ok" with MIL visiting (though I reserve the right to disallow her dirty, yappy dog). I believe in the grandparents relationship and I understand them wanting to stay over to spend time with the kid(s). Our sleeping arrangements at her house are uncomfortable, and I believe in being a decent host so I don't want to do the same thing to them. I'm now considering a high riser bed for DS even though it's not the look or price I'm going for. Every time someone visits I don't want to have to over think things, I want it to be easy on us and comfortable for them. That would be the easy solution to keep the peace.

Anonymous wrote:We just put our guests in the guest room. There is a queen-sized bed in there. In addition, we have an air mattress.

If there are children as guests, they usually want to sleep with my children, who all have sleeping bags, and each child's bed is either a trundle or bunk.

It's like you read OP's post and then suggested EXACTLY what she said she couldn't do. Thanks so much for being

Today's Biggest Douchbag

OP -- are you interested in having guests?
Seriously -- some people do not like having guests...do not like being put out in any way...
Doesn't make you a bad person...just how you like things...if this is the case...just tell folks you do not have room and suggest some hotels.
Otherwise...it will not kill kids to move from their rooms for a day or 2 or 5...
let them bunk on your floor in a sleeping bag...they will think it is heaven...
otherwise...tell potential guests to go elsewhere

This is how we handle a similar situation:

ILs--we're really looking forward to your visit. As you know, we no longer have a guest room set up, and we're trying to get both kids settled in their new rooms, so we won't be able to offer a place for you to stay this weekend. Here are a few reasonably priced hotel rooms that are convenient to the house.
-me

We have offered to pay for the hotel costs (we figure we saved a huge mortgage payment by going with a smaller house so we can afford the cost every now and then) but are rarely taken up on it.

In the longer term, your kids will not be as disrupted by sharing a room for a few days and you can re-evaluate. IKEA also sells a very inexpensive roll out bed that can fit under a twin (so you'd have two twins, it doesn't pop up).
Sharing a room with my toddler doesn't work--she wakes up in the middle of the night and pelts anyone on the floor in there with stuffed animals.

OP here - I don't want a full in either kid's room. I just don't think that kids need a bigger bed, and would rather they have the extra floor space for playing. I'm looking into other foldable bed options now. Air mattresses just don't hold up well in my experience.

And the grandparents maaaaay be willing to help us buy the trundle bed if it means extra sleeping space for them. I hate asking for help, but the extra several hundred dollars isn't an option for us, and would save them hotel money in just a couple of trips.

Rather than a twin, would you be willing to get your child a full? We are preparing to move DD to her big girl room which is currently the guest room. We are keeping the queen bed, precisely so that we have room for guests.

Can you put a full size or queen size bed in the baby's room? They aren't really going to notice it for a few years anyway and you can move the baby to a pack n play in your room when someone needs the bed.

My 2 kids sleep with me in our bedroom, my husband sleeps on a single air mattress on the floor in our room. This frees up the other bedrooms for guests and my kids LOVE sleeping in our bed so it's exciting for them.

Anonymous wrote:We just put our guests in the guest room. There is a queen-sized bed in there. In addition, we have an air mattress.

If there are children as guests, they usually want to sleep with my children, who all have sleeping bags, and each child's bed is either a trundle or bunk.

OP stated she doesn't have a guest room, nor can she afford to buy trundles/bunk beds right now.

We just put our guests in the guest room. There is a queen-sized bed in there. In addition, we have an air mattress.

If there are children as guests, they usually want to sleep with my children, who all have sleeping bags, and each child's bed is either a trundle or bunk.

A toddler/preschooler doesn't care about being displaced from his bed, as long as you build up the new location as a "special treat".

Bunk the kids together in the baby room.

Get an air mattress for your son't rooms. Guests go in there. Young guests can even bunk on the couch, or in the case of other kids baby goes with you in a pack n play, all kids bunk in the baby's room on pallets or air mattresses.

If they are elderly guests or a grandparent couple, they sleep in your bed, you and your husband go on an air mattress in the baby's room or your son's room.

When family visits, what are the sleeping arrangements? We have 3 bedrooms, and LO2 on the way, so all the bedrooms will be occupied. No pull out couch, and not interested in buying a new couch.

We are about to get DS his "big boy bed". which we want to be a twin. Do we totally suck if we don't get a trundle or high riser to accommodate family? I can't find one I like that doesn't cost a fortune. And I'm not sure I'm comfortable displacing a toddler every time someone comes to visit, especially with a new baby and enough change in his life. Even my expensive air mattress didn't last more than couple of years, so I don't think that's a good solution either. Thoughts?