Third child in a small house?

[Jellybean82]

We are trying to have a third child.  We currently have an 8 year old girl and a 7 year old boy.  We live in a 1350 sq ft 3 bedroom 1.5 bath.  It works fine for our family right now, but I'm worried how we'll manage when we have 3 kids.  We might be able to get a larger house someday, but not anytime in the next five years or so. 

Anyone raise/raising a large family in a small space?  Have any advice or reassurance to offer?

[JoshRachelsMAMA]

You can start throwing stuff out or give things away.

[Jellybean82]

Oh, I am always working on that!  It's a constant battle to keep the clutter down around here.

Quoting JoshRachelsMAMA:

You can start throwing stuff out or give things away.

[JZB]

Reduce clutter and organization

[EsmeVincent]

well I maybe no help we are about to have #2 but a friend of mine has 4 and a 4bed...the oldest has her own room, the boy has his own room and the twins share a room.  My SIL and her dh have 4 and the girls(13 and 2) share a room and the boys(15 and 5) share a room.  Maybe you can keep the baby in your room till he/she gets to about 1 or so then transfer them into the brother or sisters room.

[ptowncards05]

Our house is 1150sqft three bedrooms and two baths. When we built it was just hubby, me and our two girls a week after we moved in I found out I was pregnant. I put our two girls in the same room and our son has a room.

[jadsmummy]

1350 sq ft isn't a small house. My mother grew up in SMALL 2 bedroom house with her 3 siblings. They ALL shared a room. The size of the average American house has increased incredibly over the last 100 years. We are just used to a cultural norm of very large houses. If my Grandmother could raise 4 health happy well adjusted productive adults in a 2 bedroom with no electricity and running water. If the Duggars could have raised 14 children in a house about your size. I am SURE you will be fine in your 1350 sq ft. What you may want to look into is ways to maximize the space you have and reduce the things in the home you don't need.

[KyKosMommy]

I had had a family of 5 plus a 150lb rottie & 2 cats in a 1050 sqft house & it was just fine. Just get rid of the junk you don't need. I purged 2011 items in 2011 & kept going because it is addictive. We are in the process of buying a house the size of yours and I am wondering how we empty it will be. I do like empty though... I hate clutter. It makes my anxiety worse than ever.

[JessicaEOH]

We've got 3 kids and I'm pregnant with #4. We live in a 3 bedroom, 1100 sqft house....our basement is finished, so toys are down there...bedrooms have beds and dressers...new baby will be our room for probably 4-6 months, then ds (11) will get a bedroom 'built' downstairs...it's very manageable.

[Jellybean82]

That would be the plan, but I'm not sure how the older child will feel about that, especially since the rooms are rather small (10x10).

Quoting EsmeVincent:

well I maybe no help we are about to have #2 but a friend of mine has 4 and a 4bed...the oldest has her own room, the boy has his own room and the twins share a room.  My SIL and her dh have 4 and the girls(13 and 2) share a room and the boys(15 and 5) share a room.  Maybe you can keep the baby in your room till he/she gets to about 1 or so then transfer them into the brother or sisters room.

[andersongirl562]

I have a 1400 sq foot home and have 9 kids. The 3 girls share a room and the 6 boys share a room. Works good for us but we have always raised our kids with the mentality that privacy is something you get when in the bathroom or you get your own home lol