Sharing a bedroom on vacation

[PAsFab5]

I don’t want this to come across as harsh, because I am not trying to be rude

But, I would not be sleeping there with my family. Even if it was free...or even if I was being paid to stay. There is no price that I can put on peace for my family or myself and this does not sound peaceful at all.

I would rent a place nearby and spend time with everyone else during the day and return to my family’s Airbnb in the evenings for downtime and sleeping.

Whatever you decide I hope you all enjoy your trip!

 

[Bamaclan4]

My parents took our entire family plus a few extra kids on a vacation to a mountain cabin. We had kids sleeping everywhere and since my husband was unable to go with us,my youngest ds then 3 were chosen to share a room with my parents. And oh how my parents snored and how my son hated to sleep with anyone. There was around 20 of us at that time, lots of personalities and rambunctious kids. The electricity went out for awhile and it was not pleasant.I wouldn’t take anything for that trip because 8 weeks later we buried my precious daddy. We all still talk fondly and laugh about all the mishaps of that trip. But mostly we talk about how proud my parents were to have all of us together. Take your trip, make the arrangements work as best you you can. You can’t get these times back.

 

[HeatherC]

Let all the kids sleep in the living room and call it a slumber party.

 

[HeatherC]

5 people and 3 beds in a tiny room? Free or not, I wouldn't do it. I would decline or find my own accommodations. Not worth the stress of this "vacation"!

But this is not what the OP asked. She asked for help...this is not helpful with everyone saying how miserable they would be.

 

[shawthorne44]

What about tent camping for some of the kids? Pop-up tents can be cheap enough to get one per kid. Plus, give them their own space

 

[Judique]

My family is very fortunate that my dad pays for a family vacation week at the beach every summer. This summer we get 2 weeks. One of the biggest challenges is that me, DH, DD13, DD10 and DD6 share a bedroom. Theoretically this bedroom has 2 twin sized bed and a full size loft bed. In the past, DH and I take the twin sized beds, DD13 and DD10 share the loft and DD6 gets her toddler cot in the corner. DD13 is one of those children that needs her space and usually gets sort of grouchy by the end of the week. DD10 tends to fight with both of her sisters. This year no one wants to share the loft bed. I'm not 100% sure that there is floor space for a twin size air mattress but we could possibly stick one where we usually put the toddler cot. Please someone come up with some ideas on how to make this work. Normally I would just say 2 kids are sharing the loft, done, but they have all been home full time for the past 14 months and they are kind of over the together time. I need suggestions!

Sounds like the twin air mattress is probably the way to go. 10 year old that likes to fight on the air bed. Other two on the loft bed.

I can't see having all the kids in the living area. No one would ever go to sleep!

Whatever you decide, enjoy your family time! After reading til the end, I see most don't like the arrangement either. The solution to that is to not go or find your own place to stay. Summer at the beach can be more expensive than going to Disney.

And, if you don't get any sleep at night, you can always catch some zzz's under an umbrella on the sand! I'd be tempted to take my portable hammock and sleep under the stars anyway!

 

[MrsPete]

My parents took our entire family plus a few extra kids on a vacation to a mountain cabin. We had kids sleeping everywhere and since my husband was unable to go with us,my youngest ds then 3 were chosen to share a room with my parents. And oh how my parents snored and how my son hated to sleep with anyone. There was around 20 of us at that time, lots of personalities and rambunctious kids. The electricity went out for awhile and it was not pleasant.I wouldn’t take anything for that trip because 8 weeks later we buried my precious daddy. We all still talk fondly and laugh about all the mishaps of that trip. But mostly we talk about how proud my parents were to have all of us together. Take your trip, make the arrangements work as best you you can. You can’t get these times back.

You said it, you can't get those times back.

I still couldn't do the five people in one room for a whole week, but I sure would try to make the trip work somehow.

 

[MrsPete]

Let all the kids sleep in the living room and call it a slumber party.

That might be the best solution presented here.

 

[kuhltiffany]

But this is not what the OP asked. She asked for help...this is not helpful with everyone saying how miserable they would be.

She asked for suggestions. I suggested she could decline, or find her own accommodations? It's also possible she is feeling she doesn't want to go and is dreading the situation, and needed to hear that others agree this is a no-win situation...

 

[DLgal]

She asked for suggestions. I suggested she could decline, or find her own accommodations? It's also possible she is feeling she doesn't want to go and is dreading the situation, and needed to hear that others agree this is a no-win situation...

This was my takeaway. Let's be honest, no one needs to come to a discussion board to solve this kind of problem.

 

[StephMK]

What is underneath the loft bed? Can you hang sheets to make a private area under it? One of my kids would have gladly
curled up under there. Have the kids rotate sharing the loft.

What is in the rest of the house -rec room, large closet, alcove under stairs, attached garage for "indoor camping"?

We also share rooms on vaca, not quite as tight, but I understand making it work for the memories. I'd get some command hooks and string or create a PVC pipe set up to hang sheets to create some separation around the beds for more private areas.

 

[Southernmiss]

What is underneath the loft bed? Can you hang sheets to make a private area under it? One of my kids would have gladly
curled up under there. Have the kids rotate sharing the loft.

What is in the rest of the house -rec room, large closet, alcove under stairs, attached garage for "indoor camping"?

We also share rooms on vaca, not quite as tight, but I understand making it work for the memories. I'd get some command hooks and string or create a PVC pipe set up to hang sheets to create some separation around the beds for more private areas.

When Fil died, 20 of us stayed at MILs 2300 square foot house.

4 teenage boys slept in their 2 car garage. It is always clean and made for a comfortable enough space for them on air mattresses. Our daughter loves to sleep in grandma's cool dark basement on a cot when we visit. Our sons have slept on her office floor.

My mom talks about sleeping on the screened in porch at her house when growing up in the summer for a bit of a breeze when it was so hot inside pre air conditioning.

I'm also one like this post who would find a way tomake it work for the memories.

 

[danceintherain]

Is there room for a set of Discobed bunkbed cots?

I'm not a stranger to odd sleeping arrangements. Personally, I had far too much "togetherness" and slept on far too many floors, as a kid, so I'm over it as an adult. I'm the one who has to deal with my kids when they're cranky, and I would rather that crankiness stem from not being able to stay up late with their cousins than from not getting enough sleep, because they stayed up late with their cousins.

That said, I would talk to my kids about the options. As a kid, I probably would have chosen my own room (or at least my own bed!) in a separate house and still be able to see my cousins during the day. But, I was never given the option in certain situations. My Mom still tries to push me into odd sleeping arrangements because her mentality is "the more the merrier." As soon as I became an adult, I started to book my own accommodations if the offered arrangements didn't work for me.

 

[pweyl36]

Wow your kids get options? My parents didn't play that. I'm #2 of 7 kids. We always had a sleeping mate. LOL! And if you didn't like it, make a palette on the floor. Air mattress? What's that? I slept on many floors growing up. My family liked to get together as well. Grown-ups never gave up their beds or their rooms. It would be 15+ cousins all over the house sleeping on palettes. O and we couldn't sleep on the "good" couches. They still had plastic on them. LOL! Good times!

1. Tell your parents these sleeping arrangements no longer work for your family so you will not be attending this year.

2. Tell the 13 yr old to suck it up buttercup. Or she can stay at a friend's for 2 weeks while you're at the beach.

3. Get your own rental for your family. Do you realize you will be in closed quarters with your 5 family members as well as your siblings and their families for 2 WEEKS? No way Jose.

4. Take your family somewhere else for vacation.

5. Spend the 1st week of vacation on a staycation and then go to beach house for 2nd week.

So my family, all the kids slept on palettes

 

[_19disnA]

1. Tell your parents these sleeping arrangements no longer work for your family so you will not be attending this year.

That was my suggestion as well. What might have worked in the past when kids were smaller may no longer make sense. Likely, your family isn't the only one who feels this way. If you can't afford (or don't want to) rent your own place nearby, a better solution is to just not go this year. Large family vacations with relatives may work for some but not others. There is also the issue of what everyone plans to do each day/how meals will work, etc. No sense going on a vacation you won't enjoy.

 

[Ellie008]

We are getting together with family this summer in a fixed location. We are going to be squished, but will make it work in order to all be together. I'm planning to bring a tent and either sleep with my husband outside, or let the kids slumber party it together in the tent. We'll see which way the wind blows.

 

[tvguy]

Well, my attitude would be take it our leave it. If they don't like the sleeping arrangements they don't go.

My kids are 30 and 34 and they have no issue sharing a room with my wife and I on trips. Oh, and neither does my daughter in law. If my wife and I are paying for the room and they can have a place to sleep for free, they are happy to not spend the money for their own room. Even though they claim my wife and I both snore.

 

[The Iron Giant]

While the arrangement doesn’t sound ideal, I say just make the best of it. These times won’t last forever. People pass away, kids grow up, and times change. Enjoy it while it lasts… it won’t be long before your kids are all grown and you’ll miss being crammed in a room all together. And your kids will have the lifetime memories of spending time with family.

 

[onegai]

Sleeping bag or two on the floor. Even if an air mattress won't fit, a sleeping bag will. Treat it like a camping trip and have the kids rotate in the sleeping bag each night.

And everyone has their own preferences. There are people like me who don't mind crowds or invasion of my "personal space". My personal space is about 1 inch from my body. Other people's personal space is 2 ft from them. I don't mind sleeping in a room with 6 other people. My ex-wife wanted to have separate rooms. I don't mind staying with family when visiting them in another city. My ex-wife wanted to stay at a hotel when visiting family. To each their own.

 

[Sun_soakin]

Honestly, that sounds like a major fire occupancy violation. I have 4 kids and have tried to respect them as they get older by giving them their own beds. Your proposed situation just sounds unacceptable. Like others said, you need to find your own accommodations and visit in the day