Step children and a new baby

Question

i married my husband two years ago and we have an 11 month old son together and are starting to try for another baby next month, my husband has 2 daughters from a previous relationship and a stepson himself who he brought up as his own. all 3 children are his ex's, but we rent a 3 bedroom house, at the minute my 3 stepchildren sleep together in one room on the nights they stay, our son together has his own room.

but when our next baby arrives what do we do when it reaches 6 months an goes into a bedroom of its own, whats the best way to deal with this, for my stepkids more than anything?

we cant afford a bigger place!

help!

Answer 1

Put all of the children of the same gender in the room together. Turn your son's room into a boy's room. And the other into a girl's room. Buy bunk beds for the girls. That way when you have your second child together he/she can move into the appropriate gendered room. The children will not be seperated by who their biological parents are but by their gender.  

Answer 2

If the Step children Stay with you on a regular basis, they should have their own room, I see no reason why a newborn and your 11 month old can't share a room.  You don't want your step children to feel like they don't belong.

Answer 3

girls 1 room boys the other room. That is what we done.

when i met my husband i had a son (4) to my ex he had 3 children to his ex. girl (8) boy (5) girl(2).........

we then had 2 girls together..When his kids came round his son slept in my sons room (bunks) and his 2 daughters slept in our girls room with 2 sets of bunks in...........

his older 2 are 20 and 17 now so don't sleep over (they live just a few streets from us anyway)..

Answer 4

Oh my gosh!  Are you sure you're not me?!  I remarried 3 years ago.  I have a 14 year old daughter and 16 year old son from my first marriage and a 2 year old with my new husband.  We are 5 people living in a tiny 3 bedroom house and we also can't afford to move!  The teens have their own rooms and the baby still shares our bedroom with us.  We don't even have the ability to expand our house, so in the mean time we just kind of cope as best we can until the older kids are out of the house.  My daughter is leaving in the fall for boarding school and then the baby can have her room.

For you guys, the younger kids will probably have to share a room when the new baby moves out of your room.  The concern is the two daughters, who at some point will not want to (or should not) share a room with a brother (your husband's stepson).  Fortunately, it sounds like they're only over for short periods of time.  

Set some ground rules about what is expected of the kids as far as picking up after themselves and solving problems that no doubt will occur with so many people in the house.  Be prepared for some conflict and frustration as everyone gets used to the crowd.  But rest assured, they'll all be okay, and so will you.  Families for ages crammed into houses too small to allow each kid their own room. It actually has the potential for developing good communciation and negotiation skills, as the kids have to solve problems they could otherwise just avoid by locking themselves in their own room.  Whenever I get overwhelmed by kids getting on each other's nerves, fighting over the TV, or just the debris everywhere, my mom reminds me she grew up in a 4 bedroom house, the fourth of 13 children and not only did they survive, but are doing well and still get along great.

Practical ideas:  Investing in a second-hand sleeper sofa; turning the living room or den into a bedroom at night (maybe your husband's stepson just wants to get away from the girls).  The little ones can share a room; that won't be a problem as much as you think.  Ground rules about tidying up, arguing, and helping out to earn privileges.  Curtains or free-standing chalk board to divide the room(s).