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QUESTION:
"I have a 5yr old boy and a 1yr old girl who share a room for now bcos our current apartment is quite small. Just wondering what the best age limit is to consider their privacy and to separate siblings of different genders."
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TOP ANSWERS (AS SELECTED BY MODERATOR):
The following top answers have been selected by a moderator from hundreds of responses to the original question.
"My brother and I had to share a room for a while at my dad's house. We have a 5 year age gap, and I wanna say my brother was about 15 when we finally were able to get our own rooms?"
"Different states have different laws. Normally it’s age 5. However, if you are in safe and stable housing and there isn’t enough space to separate them, ensure they have different beds and it’ll keep you out of trouble should any complaints arise. Being poor, or only able to afford so much, especially with housing, isn’t grounds to hit you with neglect. If your children are clean, healthy, well cared for, not exposed to or behaving inappropriately related to gender differences, I think you’ll be ok."
"I would say around 8/9 because that’s when hormones start kicking in. I know my daughter began voicing her need for privacy at age 8."
"As long as they have their own bed & own place to change in private I think the age limit isn’t a big concern"
"I would say whenever they voice their opinion my son never really cared but my daughter started voicing it at 5 almost 6, she's very private about her body which she should be and she likes getting dressed in her room with the door closed and she struggled with that sharing a room so we got a bigger apartment and did there own rooms there 7 and nine and have been separate for a year now she likes her privacy but misses sleeping in the same room"
"They’re young enough but it probably won’t be long before the older one wants his own space. If you can’t move can you divide the room? Even a curtain fitted around the beds or a room divider can help. Secure storage for your son's belongings so the little one can’t get into them. Changing in the bathroom or your room can help too. I have friends that sleep on a pull-out bed in the living room so their children can have separate bedrooms."
"My kids are close and always shared a room till 9&7 but would change separately. But now my daughter has her own room. I gave my son my old room with the king-size bed (where I had a king-size bed that I would let them sleep with me in when it was just us three if they wanted ) and they still choose to sleep in the same bed together and chill together. They’re just close like that and hate being alone: eventually, it will be outgrown but for right now I let them be. There is enough room they aren’t next to each other and they like to sleep with the big dog in the bed too. But it’s just until someone feels uncomfortable"
"Until the boy is old enough to genuinely need privacy or feels uncomfortable sharing a room. I’d say probably around 10"
"It's different in every state, but I know mine is when one reaches 5 years of age."
"As soon as they start asking for privacy."
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