Pregnant with Baby Number 3 and We Have No Room.

There's nothing illegal about having same sex siblings share a room. Small spaces are pretty cozy sometimes. A baby is like Jello. "There's always room for Jello" :)

I would have the baby with you for a while, then put all three in the master bedroom if that is larger.

my best friend has 4 kids ages 3, 5, 7 and 9. 2 are boys and 2 are girls. They live in a 2 bedroom apartment. They can't afford anything else. Yes, she would love a 3 bedroom, but right now it's not an option for them. In the room she has 1 bunk bed for the girls. The older boy sleeps on a twin bed and the youngest boy sleeps in his toddler bed, but they will soon be getting another bunk for the boys instead of all those beds in the room. She has had no problems with them sharing.

You could buy 2 loft beds and put the crib under 1 and then still have open floor for play.

I would put the baby in your room for awhile. By the time the baby is 1, you will have had time to either save money to add on, or figure out a good solution. 3 kids seems like a lot in a room, but I'm sure it's been done before and those kids are fine.

Don't listen to anyone! You're fine and you're doing great!! I grew up with 4 of us in a very small bedroom. Two bunk beds barely fit. Then we lived for 3 1/2 years in a studio apartment with 2 kids for starters, then we had #3 and #4 while there. A studio where our livingroom/bedroom/kitchen were the same. We did fine! I think the trend is becoming that people aren't content with what they have (not saying you at all just those making comments and people in general) and can't make due. All three kids in a room isn't the end of the world even if they or anyone else makes it an issue. They'll do fine because they have a family who loves them and a family who can pay their bills and a top notch school. You're doing a great job. Keep it in the right perspective. Good luck and congratulations!!

I agree with Jaimee K, you will be fine. Don't listen to anyone else. Do what works for your family. I too had a surprise pregnancy and baby #3 is now 7 weeks old. Everyone wanted to know if we were moving since we live in a small 3 bedroom apartment. The kids rooms are tiny but we make it work. My two boys share a room and it is literally wall to wall furniture with a bed, a crib and two dressers. You do what works for your family. Sharing rooms with many kids is not a bad thing. It is only in more recent years that people think each kid needs their own room.

Oh, how ridiculous to suggest that having a boy and girl share a room is illegal!! I would have laughed out loud at her! Wow, I know people who had to share a room with a sibling of the opposite sex until they left for college. We make do with what we have. Where in the world we got the idea that each kid needs their own room...

I know two families who have three kids sharing a room. Both are families of five in small two-bedroom houses. At first, I would have the baby sleep in your room and then eventually, the solution is to have two in the bunk beds and then put a mattress on the floor for the third. During the day, that mattress slides under the bunk beds to clear up the floor space.

The one family I know eventually set up a "room" in their basement and the mom/dad moved down there. This was because their oldest became a teen-ager and the younger two are quite a bit younger. They wanted the teen to have his own space. Their entire house is about 750 sq. feet. for five people and a dog!

The other family I know is my stepson, his wife, and their three kids. They do just fine in their small 2 bedroom house, since that is all they can afford as both of them are in college at the moment. As the kids get older, if they are still there, they may do the makeshift "room" in the basement, too. But for now, the kids are young and they want them to be close.

I share a 1 bedroom with my 9 year-old daughter. We have a bunk bed with a dble on the bottom and twin on the top. If we stay here and she wants her own space, I'll move my sleeping space to the living room with some type of convertible bed.

Your great neighborhood and good school can make up for slightly cramped spaces. Well, that and a priceless new baby!

Oh brother, your SIL needs to shut her trap, they are siblings. I shared with two of my siblings for years, so yes, 3 of us in one room. It was tight, but it was home. Some ideas to try:

Convert a walk in closet to a baby room (if you have a walk in closet) and find storage containers to house clothing under your bed.
Get the bunk beds that have a queen on the bottom and a single on top.
Call Nate Berkus and tell him your design dilemma, he'll figure something out in tight spaces, that seems to be his specialty.
Let baby sleep in your room for awhile. I did this with my second child as my first is special needs and the sharing room didn't work at all. My hubby and I didn't "get it on" in our bedroom, we'd find another quiet corner of the house (shhh, don't tell the neighbors, LOL!). I also had her tucked in the corner and a tall accordian picture frame thing I had acted as a room divider.

the only thing about having boy/girl share a room is if one is adopted or foster. You can't foster or adopt a child who you plan on sharing a room with an opposite sex. My 2 cents, keep the kids how they are for now, put the baby in your room and then later on after a year or so, you can put the baby in with the kids, maybe give them the master BR so they can spread out a bit? Its not like you are living in a bad area, they are safe, well taken care of etc. Eventually you will have more space :)

We have three kids and live in a 2-bedroom apartment. The baby is in our room, which is an easy solution for at least a year. If your bedroom is tight, move your dressers out or re arrange closets so you can use them. If your closets are not well used, take the doors off and make alcoves for dressers or part of a crib or bassinet.

Our boys share a bedroom and they are 3 years old and almost 5 years old. We figure that in the worst case scenario we can trade bedrooms with the kids and the boys can all share our larger room and we can squeeze into their smaller room. I also know families where space was tight and the parents slept on a pull-out couch in the living room and the children had the bedrooms. It is not "traditional" and it is far from ideal, but it is DOABLE. Anything else is nobody's business. :)

I keep getting frustrated with friends and family telling us we have to move soon. We have an awesome landlord, rent in a good school district (oldest starts next year), have very affordable rent, and the kids are happy and healthy. I wish we had more space, but we are not in a financial position to buy a house just now. Good luck and you can be creative and make it work! :)

[You are getting some great responses here, and I love the reminders that kids having their own rooms is a completely modern concept, even for non-"Little House" days. My kids love the Disney Peter Pan, but even just reading the books, children spent time sharing "The Nursery," which was one room or a small set of rooms set aside only for their use. Sharing rooms allows children to also form better bonds and learn to share. I shared rooms with my sisters and my boys love sharing their room so much they think they'll get the baby in there with them and they will want to share even if/when we buy a larger house. Share away!!!]

Keep in mind there are places in this world where the whole family lives in one room and that is the standard. In fact even in wealthier parts of the world where space is a premium many families share space or have someone sleeping on a couch! What is an acceptable amount of space is completely subjective. Don't take into account the judgments of others. They don't get to decide for your family - you do! And your children aren't suffering at all. You can easily keep the baby in a crib in your own room until it is older. If the space really becomes an issue maybe consider renting your house out and renting a three bedroom somewhere affordable. The last option I would consider is borrowing from family. Especially if they are already judgy. Do you really want to be under their thumb? I would sell everything, live in a trailer and ride a bike before I would borrow anything from my inlaws!! :) Whatever you do you need to do it for yourself. Your the grownups now! I recommend you Dave Ramsey's book "Financial Peace." Great advice!

First, it is not illegal for brother and sister to share a room. When we got pregnant with our third we had to find space. We cleared out one wall of our bedroom so we coud fit a dresser/changing table combo, a crib and a wardrobe from Ikea so we had somewhere to put her clothes. Our room is packed to the gills as it's also my husband's work office there is a U shapped path around the bed to get to everything. She's a bit over 2 and we're still doing it that way. We're trying to figure out how we can buy a bigger house but we're in the same boat as you with the housing market. Things just aren't selling. We're beginning to figure out how we can keep this as a rental and buy another place. My daughter is tall so she's going to outgrow her bed sooner rather than later.
I would put the baby in your room for a while and you can put all 3 in one bedroom if need be if you've not been able to move yet.

I like the supportive answers you've gotten here. There are a lot of great responses to making room for baby in your current home. As hard as it is, turn a deaf ear to the complaining ILs.

As for another option on the house, if you can make a profit for renting it (as you said), why not rent it out and wait one year for the income on the rental to become profit and buy another one? In the meantime, you could probably get a great deal on renting a larger home with better space, if that's what you want. Either way, you do have options, just remember that. Congrats on the new baby!

You need to tell your SIL to mind her own business. That they where basicly given the means to afort their house that you where not and you need to do what works for your family. While the baby is little I would keep it in your room if you can. I agree with the one that said to give the kids the master bedroom when you have to put them all together. Unless its like my house and the boys already have the room with two closets. And about the same sq footage. I think the only time you could have issues with that many sharing is if you are renting. Not all landlords will let you have more than a certain amount. My friend had four kids and right now they all share a room. The oldest is 9 and the youngest is 3. The kids enjoy sharing a room. My son slept in a pack and play after he was 7 months old. He did not like his crib at all. So I would not buy a crib right away till you decide what to do.

Good luck and God Bless!!!

Hi L..
First of all. mazal tov! congratulations.
We let our little one sleep on our room for the first two years. I never thought I would do that, but it just worked out that way. It was easier to bfeed and to calm and comfort at nite.

at some point, he can nap in the 'kids' room and start carving out a space there.

Friends of ours with 4 kids even had one of the kid's bed's in a corner in the hallway. I share this, as I have learned via friends with large families...it is the love that counts, not how you divide up the rooms. If there is lots of love and fun times, the other stuff does not matter.

Hope this helps.
jilly

A standard house, until the 1960s, came with 2 bedrooms - one for parents, one for kids. I know families with 6 and 7 kids who grew up in such houses. The house I grew up in had 3 bedrooms, but for a short while we had 3 of us in one room (until one moved out to go to college).

Try to find old "getting ready for baby" books from the 1970s. They have actual how-to instructions on making a baby bed in a laundry basket or bottom drawer of a bureau, and discouraged parents from buying a bassinet. "It's an unnecessary expense, and you'll only use it for a few months."

A bassinet or crib can go pretty much anywhere. When the child is too big for a crib, get a trundle to go under the lower bunk, and tell people to stay out of your business.

Congrats! :)

You will find the room! Yes you can have three kids in a room without a
problem. It is not illegal to have your son and daughter share a room! You
do what you have to do. Don't worry about it. However, I would put the
new baby in with you for a while. Congratulations!

My son and his wife lived in 1100 sq. feet with four kids! I think it was great.
If six people could live in that space they could do anything. When the time
was right they bought a bigger house.

It's not illegal for a brother and sister to share a bedroom, but if you are renting an apartment- most apartments have rules that there can be no more than 2 per room and only siblings of the same gender can share a room. We bought our 3 bedroom house when we had 4 kids- not expecting to have any more. Well, now we have 6 kids! :) We have the 2 girls in one room(it is pretty small) and the 4 boys in the other room. We have the bunk with a twin on top and full on the bottom and then a crib. (one sleep on top and the other two on the bottom- they are small enough that they fit fine). We just have beds and clothes in the rooms. Our garage was turned into a room by the previous owners, but it's never been really functional as a bed room- we use it as a play room and keep all the toys in there. We also spend a lot of time outside because there is more room out there! It gets cozy- our family doesn't fit in the dining room very well- but we won't be moving any time soon and my kids get along great(for the most part!)
I would not ask the inlaws to assist with another house- it will only put strain on your relationship with them.
One thing we did with both of the little ones, is we had a bassinet in our bedroom for the first 6 months and they slept in there.
~C.

No - its not horrible to have 3 kids in one bedroom. Look at the Brady Bunch - didnt they do it?! I think your plan of having the baby with you until the first year - and then moving in to the other bedroom is a good plan. Three kids in the same bedroom will be fine. A little toddler bed does not take up much room, and it will be like a slumber party, every night!

Dont ask the inlaws to assist in getting another home.

I'm not sure why your SIL thinks its illegal for your kids to share a room. Weird.

Also - Ditto on IKEA

There is nothing wrong with living within your means. You are paying your bills, living in a good neighborhood, and sending your kids to a good school.

Enjoy the new baby! He/she will be a wonderful new addition!

Why is it illegal to have them share a room? My oldest 3 share a room-2 girls and a boy. It is not illegal. Some wil say improper as they enter puberty etc but not illegal. They are 12. We have no where else to put them. We have a bunk bed and a trundle that goes under the bunk during the day. My youngest is in my room and with this one on the way, don't know how things will work out if we cannot get rid of our tenant. We are also a 5 yr turned to 10+. Do what you have to do to make things work for your family.

Put the baby in your room if you are worried about it, but you have to do what you have to do. Unreal that your family acts like that. We have neighbors that have a 4 bedroom house and she is due with her 7th any day now. They have twins (girl/boy) age 8, then a 7 (boy), 5 (boy), 3 (boy), 1 (girl), and the one coming is another girl.The 4 boys share a room. I can only assume they have 2 setsof bunkbeds in there, but I can't imagine putting 4 kids in one room. Their bedrooms are smaller than my kids rooms, and they have their own. The older girl has her own room, and the two baby girls will share a room.

I think everyone is looking at the wrong thing here. Back in Little House on the Prairie days, they all shared a one room house that had two small rooms for bedrooms and no bathroom and no running water. They had tons of kids and NO money. Irresponsible? I think not.

We have so many luxuries in today's world that we take for granted. I think your focus needs to be on your kids and what is best for them. My girlfriend and her husband wanted a house SO bad but just could not find the money to pull it off. Finally they moved themselves and their 4 kids into a SUPER-tiny, one-bedroom apartment. The kitchen was smaller than my bathroom (and I have a small bathroom). Needless to say they lived there for 2 years taking the extra money they were saving and putting it away to get their home. Finally they were able to move into their beautiful 2400 sq.ft. 5 bedroom home with no debt and no car payments! Doesn't sound irresponsible to me.

In short, you need to stay focused on your kids. When my friend was living in the tiny little one-bedroom apartment we would ask her how she was doing it, she said, it is the same if we had more space, the kids would be all around us any ways so what is the difference?

Your kids have the opportunity to go to great schools, get an education that can help them grow in life, they are blessed to be in a tight nit family where they can enjoy and learn to share.

I say you move forward focused on the fact that you will have three beautiful children that will be closer than the typical siblings. They will not not be caught up on what they have because they will know what it is all about and that is each other.

That being said, we have four kids and they all are crammed into a sharing situation. We are perfect and have no issues with our space. In fact, I think it is easier to keep everything in order and picked up because we need to be mindful of each other.

I wouldn't on your life ask for help getting a bigger place. Just focus on what you need and even want then get there yourself.

Good luck!

There are NO laws prohibiting your children from sharing a room. I am actually so angry that your SIL would threaten such things (and if your smarty-pants SIL wants to comment on your living situation and is doing so well for herself, she could buy your current home for a fair price so that you are free to move into something new with more bedrooms). It is assumed that you, as the parent, will take whatever appropriate actions are required to maintain the safety and privacy of the minor children in your care.

My aunt and uncle had a 2 bedroom house and they had FOUR children. Three of them shared a room (2 girls, 1 boy) and the youngest boy shared a bedroom with his parents (he had his own corner of the room) until he was 3 or 4 and his oldest sister went off to college. Then he moved into the kids' bedroom and the oldest would sleep on the couch when she periodically came home for weekends. They had the room sectioned with curtains for added privacy. The close quarters didn't necessarily benefit the relationship between the kids, but I don't think they're overly scarred for life (any more than anything else would scar kids).

You are doing the best you can for your family and as soon as the housing market improves, perhaps you can look into upgrading your house so that your kids have more room to spread out.

One last thing to consider is that banks ARE lending for mortgages and rates are at the lowest levels ever! These days, too many people assume that they can't get a mortgage, so they don't try. And with home prices as low as they are, you very well may be able to get a better house than you previously thought possible. At the very least, it's worth a look to make sure all your options have been thoroughly checked out.

The thing is that if child welfare is ever called to your home on a complaint, be it made up or based on anything does not matter, they will make you move the kids, it is not allowed to have same sex kids together, or that many kids in a room together. They require so many square feet per child in the home and bedrooms to even allow them to room together. For example, if they say each child needs XXX square feet in the bedroom and you only have XX then they may say you can only have one child in that room no matter what sex they are.

In my opinion, it's time to think about starting to look for a different house of remodel the house so the garage is an extra bedroom or the office is made a bedroom.

You'll have to do it sometime, my vote is look for a house while the prices are still so incredibly low. Here in OK houses that were selling for $300K are now selling, if at all, for abut $125K. You could rent your house if it is that kind of house and then you'd have the original house payment each month.

Your SIL is a freak, but you probably already know that. It is in no way illegal for siblings to share a room. My husband and I lived in a 1 room apartment with a kitchen and a bathroom. The baby slept in a cradle by the bed. We were moving a bit when he was young, so co-sleeping happened as well. Your baby does not care about anything you are worried about - it'll just need love, food, and a small place to sleep. They have cribs you can butt up to the bed so you can just roll over and nurse. Mitzi has some great ideas. There are also some awesome loft/bunkbeds that might work for your kiddos if you want to create more floor space/storage space in their room.

If you know you can rent it, perhaps you could move into a 3 bedroom apartment in your area. But you can't guarantee a positive rental experience either.

Hi L.! Congratulations on #3! Next time your SIL complains, feel free to laugh in her face. And you are NOT irresponsible!!!

I think you SHOULD call Nate Berkus! :) There is nothing wrong with 3 kids sharing a room, especially if it's big enough to divide in some way. I, personally, would never ask inlaws for help. Only do this if you are CERTAIN they won't hold it over your head or use it to manipulate you.

I absolutely loved Grandma T's response. :)

If you think you need more space, you can always rent out your house and rent another bigger house. That's if you don't want to add on or go ahead with the construction. Just an idea! Good luck - we all have little issues that seems huge, but if you stop and think it's not that bad!

Our Baby lived in the living room for a year...we had a three bedroom and didn't want to worry about the baby waking the kids up till they adjusted to the added noise. We have a three bedroom. girls share a room and our son has his own room. Small rooms but they are there. As far as sleeping at night we all sleep with the doors open so almost like one room. They all sleep just fine together...Our house is only 1200 square feet plus some "some" room downstairs and we do just fine!!

Please - there is nothing "illegal" about a brother and sister in the same room. That's for things like foster care and DSS placement. My son and step-daughter are 13 and share a room.

You do what you have to do. When my husband and I first got married, we lived in a 2-bedroom, <900 sq ft house. It was comfortable for us and my 5-year-old son, plus we had a trundle bed for his daughter (also 5) for her weekend visits. We planned on being there 3-5 years, then moving and having one more child. Man plans, God laughs. Within a year of our wedding, my SD moved in with us full-time (a little cozy but OK) and then we had a baby. So we had an infant and two school-age kids in a 10x10 room with sloped ceilings that couldn't accommodate a bunk bed. THEN I got pregnant again! At that point there was literally no room in their room for another bed - the bed, trundle and crib took up all of the floor space. The baby stayed with us until we moved about 6 months later. But if it hadn't been for the 4th child, we would have stayed there another year or two.

I think that you'll be fine if you have the baby in your room at first and then move him or her into the other room. If there is any way to free up more space in your house for playing, I would try to do that. In our current house, we have the two little boys in a tiny room and the two big kids in a bigger room, but the saving grace is that we were able to partially finish part of the basement on the cheap last year. It's not good enough for a bedroom, but for a playroom it's fine. We basically painted the walls and the ceiling (exposed beams, pipes, wires and all), had carpeting installed and some lighting and electrical outlets put in. The paint, carpet and lights really brighten up the place and it give the kids plenty of space to play so their rooms are just for sleeping and storing clothes.

Congrats on your pregnancy and best of luck! Don't worry about having too many kids in one place. My mom grew up dirt poor and she and her 3 siblings slept two to a bed in the living room. My dad is one of 7 and they had 3 boys in what is now the dining room, a girl in what is now the den, another girl in a space that is a little larger than a closet and 2 more boys in the attic. They made it work!

Sure its easy for your SIL to judge . She has been handed her easy life. Please don't listen to her. You are doing the best you can . Don't worry it will work out. Question. Why did the grandfather leave the house to one child . Didn't he leave anything to your husband? Kind of thoughtless.

Hang in there. You are doing a great job :)

I have looked into room dividers before, and came up with a lot of good ideas, such as using bookshelves to divide rooms up - they divide and have the added benefit of storage. What you could do is divide your bedroom if it is bigger, and you have the kids room.
I live 4 of us in a 2 bed 1 bath 800 sq foot trailer - it is hard, and cramped. But for now, we can't afford anything else.
I forgot, you can buy a double bottom, and a single top bunk bed.

I wouldn't worry about it. Its yalls life not theirs. We was renting a 2 bedroom home and had 3 kids my husband and myself. We had one of the rooms a "play" room for all the kids. The other room we had our king size bed,a toddler bed, a baby bed,and a dresser in our bedroom. Our two older girls slept with us in our bed,while our son(was under 1) slept in his bed. I guess it work for us at the time b/c I had them all in the same room as us, and felt safer for them to be in the same room as us. Needless to say we got approved for a loan and brought our new home last October.(3 bedroom,2 bath)
We have our 2 girls sharing a room,our son has his room and me and my husband sharing our room.

Things will get better!! They are still little,and all its going to do is make them closer as siblings. :) (hopefully) lol.

My daughter's boyfriend's family has a mom and five kids (10-19) in a two bedroom apartment. That's all they have ever known (well, it has been worse). They have part of the living room partitioned off with curtains to make another bedroom.

I know of a nice family that had 6 kids in a 2 bedroom house during the life of their first child. They only recently got a bigger house and I think a couple of the kids have grown up and moved on.

Do you have a study or garage that can converted into a bedroom? Even a dining room maybe. Other than that, you are in a pickle :( Oh, and no where does it say it is 'illegal' for a brother & sister to share a room.

We have 2 boys almost 5 and almost 7 and a little girl who is almost one. Baby is still in our room in pack n play but when she sleeps better at night she will be in the same room with the boys(crib is already there, that's where she takes a nap).
Do you know that in most countries families live in 1 or 2 room apartments.......and I am not even talking about 3rd world countries.
Goodness, who cares.....stand your ground you are not doing anything wrong and the ones who say something negative tell them to ..........:)

Hi. Congrats on baby #3! Read some not all responses, but have you considered giving the kids your master bedroom and you taking the kids room? If there is more room in the master? Growing up we lived in a two bedroom apt for years... Lots of people do. One of my fondest memories growing up is sitting in our one bathroom with our feet up against heat vent (to get warm) and sharing our day with our mom. Didn't have much but we had what we needed, love, security, food, shelter, clothing. Sounds like you and your husband are focused on the right things with your kids!

Baby can sleep in your room with you and your husband until he is well past a year or even 2. When he or she is sleeping through the night, then you can move him/her in with his siblings. Don't try to buy a house you can't afford. Start saving now for the future when space will matter more. Be creative with what you have. IKEA has some wonderful ideas for utilizing small spaces. Congrats on #3!

Read your follow-up. Good for you! We had 3 kids in a 2-bedroom apartment (less sq footage than your house) until the baby was 7 months old. We know others who were/are in the same situation. We now have a 4 bedroom house, and all 3 of our boys share a room (probably still would even if we had a girl or two!) still. Like you said, it creates a special bond between the kids. And honestly, how many rooms in a house do you want to dedicate to sleeping? My kids sleep in the bedroom and play in the playroom :) Your family has a roof over your head, food to eat, clothes to wear, and love. You're doing just fine!

My brother and sister and I shared a room when I was little. It was great! My boys share a room now. I asked them where they wanted to sleep if we moved to a bigger house, and they said they still wanted to be in the same room.

I like the ideas you've had, such as swapping the master bedroom if it's bigger, and getting loft beds etc. I have a small house, but there's plenty of ways to make it work. Do some research for living in small spaces - there's a lot of good ideas about storage etc. Murphy beds are good too!

I wouldn't worry about it, you can make do. Babies do not take up much room, and don't have a concept of lacking it. If it were me, I would not feel comfortable having my in-laws helping me get a home. I would not want to be indebted, and have that hanging over my head. That's just me. If you are comfortable with that, and you know they are...perhaps, you could consider that.

How long do you plan on being in this home? Something to keep in mind, is your son is going to start wanting privacy in a few years, then your daughter will not be far behind him. I had to share a room with my sisters and was fin with it, until I was around 12 years old. I hated it! All I wanted was privacy!! I would think it would be true for your children, even more so...since they are of opposite gender. If you are this worried about space now, I would consider getting a more reliable birth control, and using condoms in the future. (After your new little on is here.) I really can't imagine squeezing any more children in a room...and it doesn't seem fair to the older children who will be going through so many hormonal changes. Juts my opinion, and you certainly don't have to consider it!

Okay being able to pay your bills, awesome, great safe neighborhood with good schools bonus. Sometimes it is time to get creative. Our neighbor when I was growing up had 6 kids and 2 parents in a 2 bedroom 1 bath home. They all are alive and kicking and most pretty successful. If you have a will there will be a way. The large family in that house put the kids in the bedrooms most in the largest and the least in the smallest. The parents slept on a quality pull out sofa bed in the living room.

Another family had a very large living room and used a wall divider sort of like one Nate Burkas showed on one of his shows and put the single sex child in that new "bedroom". Do you have a basement? An attic? Are you holding on to anything in the garage that you don't really need? Have a garage sale and make a room there, not the whole garage, enough for a divider to make room for a twin, dresser and desk, it could be done. Insulating the garage would be more energy efficient anyway for your house and it wouldn't take much to heat it if your husband is handy. Just make sure whatever you decide to do, don't let anyone talk you into something you can't afford and would cause you to backslide into a stressful financial situation or lose your home. I am pretty sure that dcfs given the choice between homeless and children sharing a room would be okay with sharing as long as they are separated when puberty starts.

Also if you have any expenses that you can cut to help you afford an expansion, like cable, extras on cell phones, add couponing, careful menu planning, anything.

May your family have many blessings. Plan for your futures as 3 while a blessing will add to the financial strain. If we all waited to afford children many would never have them.

I actually think it's good for kids to share rooms, and I'm not just saying that because my own kids share rooms, lol. I had to move my boy and girl in together when I got pregnant with baby # 3, and they love their new bunk beds. I grew up in a big house and my sisters and I never shared rooms, and we hardly ever even talked to each other. We were also terrible at sharing and tolerating other people. It was quite an adjustment when I moved in with my husband!

A lot of people in other countries think Americans are crazy for thinking our kids need their own rooms. That doesn't mean I wouldn't love to have a bigger house, but I think it's much better to live in a nice area with a great school than to obsess over house-size.