Do you have to fit one or more kids into a tiny bedroom? Maybe you’re in a mobile home or an apartment or just a small house. Here are my practical ideas how to fit two kids in a small mobile home bedroom.
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We have been living in a 1979 single wide mobile home on our property while working on our farmhouse renovation. For 2 years our oldest two kids have been sharing a 10 by 10 bedroom with little difficulty. I understand everyone’s situation and success of bedroom sharing is different. We put our kids in the same room when they were two and four years old. Now they are four and six. Age is a big factor. But I can see our shared bedroom situation working for a few more years. It would work even longer if the kids sharing the tiny bedroom were of the same gender (which ours are not).
25 Ideas How to Fit Two Kids In a Small Mobile Home Bedroom
Bedroom Furniture
1. Invest in the right bunk bed
Our single wide bedroom has pretty short ceilings, so a typical tall bunk bed would make it very cramped for the person on the upper bunk. I’m all about buying second hand, but this time we needed to purchase the exact right bunk bed brand new. It has been a game changer. The bottom bunk is basically on the floor so the top bunk can have enough room for even a grown person to sit up. (The low bunk beds are also important for us since our kids were/are young and can fall out of bed easily.)
You can find the bunk bed we invested in HERE.
However, my sister, who fit three kids in a small bedroom, had a different situation. They needed a tall bunk bed with a double bed on the bottom. Analyze your room and kids’ needs and spend the money for the bunk bed that works best in your situation. (But it’s a good idea to check Facebook Marketplace first on the off chance someone is selling what you need for a fraction of the price!)
2. Organized storage with cubby cabinets
Placing a cabinet in the closet allows us to use the floor space as extra, valuable storage. Our kids’ clothing is short, granted, but Caleb and I also do this in our closet with longer clothing. I just leave a little open space on the side for long items like dresses.
3. Use hidden storage with ottomans
There is an ottoman in the master bedroom that works as a seat and as dress up clothes storage. Whenever you can, get furniture that serves a double purpose of providing plenty of storage space in addition to seating. (Bonus: when we have a lot of company, we pull this out as a great way to provide extra seating in the living room! We comfortably have up to 20 people in our mobile home living area by using seating like this.)
Toy Selection and Storage
4. Keep toys organized in categorized tubs
I know, I know, organizing toys in specific tubs and totes seems overwhelming and difficult when picking up, but IT’S NOT!!! I can’t emphasize enough how much easier it is to put toys away in a designated box (ie kitchen box, car box, animal box, etc). You can quickly see which toy category needs decluttering, immediately know where everything goes and easily rotate toy categories.
5. Rotate Toys
I’m not a fan of storing toys in the main living area or other common areas, so the kids’ toys almost all fit in their bedroom (with the exception of a couple things in the master bedroom closet). I will admit, we have a storage shed for extra toys and tubs of seasonal clothing. But if you don’t have additional space for storage, you can still rotate toys by tucking away some in other closets or under beds.
Every few weeks, when the kids get bored with their toys, they know they can go get a box of “new” toys from the shed. Our rule is one toy (or toy tub) out before one toy comes in.
6. Get Toys that Fold Up or Come Apart
Being mindful of the type of toys in your kids’ tiny bedroom is important, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have large toys. They have a teepee tent stored in our closet that takes up practically no space when folded. During their quiet times, we get it out for a special reading space.
We also invest in building toys that may take up lots of space when played with but then come apart to be stored in small boxes. Train tracks, Legos, marble run, magnetic tiles, Polly Pockets and doll clothes are just a few things we have that work well in a smaller space.
7. Make the rug a toy
Any toy ideas you can get that take up virtually no space is a win when you have limited space. We purchased a car road rug that is simply that…a rug. Three years in, and the kids STILL play with it regularly.
8. Buy smart gifts
Birthdays, Christmas, Easter, oh my! We want to give our kids fun gifts, but toys grow so easily. And in tiny homes with tight space, lots of toys is a recipe for chaos. Like the rug, there are items we can buy for our kids that don’t always have to clutter up their tiny living space. See at the end of this post for a list of great, small home gifts to give your kids.
And for non-toy gifts your kids will love, check out 75 Gifts to Make Helping Fun HERE.
9. Regularly declutter
No matter how smart you are in toy selection or rotating or categorizing, the amount of toys just grows and grows. When it seems like the kids’ room is a constant mess even when we pick it up, I know we have too much stuff and it’s time to declutter. I do this WITH my small children.
Read How to Help Kids Declutter HERE.
Clothing Storage
10. Shared Dresser
Our mobile home bedroom has a built-in dresser with three (count them…THREE) drawers. And, yes, the kids’ daily clothes all fit here with a few in the closet. Yes, this is easier because our kids are young, BUT it can also work for older kids.
Side note: when I lived in the college dorm, my crazy school fit four college girls into 10 x 20 square feet where we had half of a small wardrobe and three small dresser drawers. So, it can.be.done. ☺️
If you don’t have a built-in storage or dresser, I would choose a tall chest of drawers with drawers that have as much interior space as possible. Then fold everything you can.
11. Shoe Boxes or Hanging Shoe Organizer
For little kids, we give them each a cubby tote box for their shoes. (Boots are kept on the boot tray by the door.) If you have older kids with larger shoes, get a hanging shoe organizer for them to share.
12. Fold clothes in thirds
I discovered a method for folding clothes in drawers that works so much better than the traditional stacking (and losing clothes at the bottom of the stack). Fold clothes in thirds or fourths (so that they are not taller than the drawer) and stack them front to back, not bottom to top. This makes finding clothes so much easier!
Extra Storage
13. Have designated under the bed storage
Our bottom bunk is on the floor, so we have no under the bed storage. But if you have a typical bed, this is the best place to store anything like daily clothing, seasonal clothing, special keepsake boxes or toys.
Again, while I love second hand, buying exactly what fits and works for you in this situation is important in how to fit two kids in a small mobile home bedroom.
Find the under the bed storage totes we use in our master bedroom HERE.
14. Decorate with items you need to store
I love hats for my kids, but storing hats takes up a lot of room. I just put Command hooks on the wall and let the kids’ hats be part of the room decor.
Other ideas of decorating with items that take up space:
- Guitar hook for music instruments kids are using
- Floating wall shelf for school books
- Book ledge for kid books
- Pretty baskets (to hold toiletries)
- Framed cork board to pin art projects
15. Storage shelf in closet
Most closets have a shelf on top above the clothes. But if your mobile home doesn’t have a shelf, add one that’s sturdy! This is where we keep a lot of toys in tubs and their extra bedding.
16. Install stylish wall hooks
There are always things to hang, so add wall hooks that look nice in the closet, in the hallway, in their bedroom…anywhere that works for you. We added coat hooks in the hall that are the perfect height for our young children. This way they can reach without our help. The same hooks are in their closet for backpacks and dress up clothes.
“Alone” Spaces
17. Set up bed curtains private space
For one Christmas, I made bed curtains for each of the kids so they can have a tent fort without extra space AND their own private personal space when they need it. I used patterned sheets from Amazon HERE and HERE to get fun print material at a cheaper cost.
Hang around the bed with this wire system HERE.
18. Have quiet times in separate rooms
My kids are young, so we still have “quiet time” in the afternoon. (And we homeschool, so the kids are here all day.) This works wonders for everyone’s sanity as everyone needs a little break. It’s important that each kid have their own space or the “quiet time” isn’t very quiet. We let one choose the master bedroom or living room and the other goes into the kid’s room.
So if you have a smaller house, a two bedroom small apartment or a single wide mobile home, never fear about multiple kids in one small room. It can be done! It is a learning curve, for sure. But with these creative ideas for how to fit two kids in a small mobile home bedroom, hopefully the transition will be a bit easier for you and the kids.
Shopping List for Small Bedrooms
Plastic storage bins (these are great to pick up at estate sales!)
Airplane sheets for bed curtains
Hanging system for bed curtains
Toys for Small Bedrooms
These toys can be stored in individual boxes for easy clean up and tight storage. Even if you hate organizing, this is the #1 in ways to fit two kids in small space living!
Glow in the dark stars for ceiling
Wood dollhouse furniture and dolls (the dollhouse isn’t even required! We have one, but the kids usually just play with the furniture and people elsewhere.)
Small selection of kitchen toys and food
Flannel board and felt cutout dolls or scenes
Crayons, coloring books and art supplies
Read more about single wide mobile home living below.
Storage Ideas for a Small Home (Vintage Inspired)
How to Decorate a Mobile Home Living Room
DIY Mobile Home Remodeling Ideas
How to be Content Living in an Ugly House
Mobile Home Mid Century Style Kitchen Makeover Before and After
Pin for Later Ways to Fit Two Kids In a Small Mobile Home Bedroom
