I am feeling a little bad for my big kids. They can't have toys with small parts out while the little one is around and even have a hard time with their books and games. They know they can be in their rooms with it but especially my oldest wants to be with the rest of the family. One side of my house is front to back living room/dining room, kitchen along the back of the house and other side family room (it's a colonial). I have considered gating off the living dining so they can play games, do puzzles and homeschool without little fingers trying to get at stuff. I am torn about it. I am sure the 2 yo will scream. What do you do?

BTDT - since mine are now 18,16,9,7 so back is up 5 and more years. We gated off the rec room so the little ones couldn't go in there but it was down a few steps and around the corner so out of sight and out of mind. As long as the little ones were with me, they were fine. But then when the older ones also wanted to be where I was, they played puzzles etc on the dining room table - they were careful and I distracted the little ones with their own toys, as well as taught the little ones that the table was off limits. Nonetheless, the older ones felt disadvantaged seems no matter what concessions we made for them. So bottom line was to have them appreciate having younger siblings for all the positive reasons and not resentful for the negative. (Did it work? To a point....)

Maybe you've already dealt with this, but...

My oldest aren't probably as old as yours, but we had that problem too. We gated off the dining room from the living room with a super-long gate designed for dogs. (Then we locked the kitty/little dog mini-gate b/c even the 8-year-old could squeeze through lol!) I covered the gate (well, all the non-swinging part) with extra pretty little carpets that aren't used in this house, and sometimes I put a light-colored throw over the whole thing. It is still a visual barrier, but not bad. And it means the older kids can be with us, doing their thing, not shut away in some room upstairs. The two-year-old does screech occasionally, especially when the five-year-old retreats in there with something she wants, but mostly she is pretty okay with not being allowed in except with strict supervision. (There are lots of marbles in there, in addition to the usual Legos, puzzles, etc.)

My little ones would just hop over the gates :lol:

When we move into our new rental in June we are making Hannah and Chloe a place to play in the basement. They don't mind not being right in the main area. Jonas will be sharing a room with them so it's not like they can just go to their room to play. I have to laugh because right now you walk into our upstairs bathroom and there are polly pockets set up all over the bathroom. Even in a dead plant pot... two pollys are sitting in the dead plant like it's a tree ;) She wanted some space and... found it! Jonas loves her Pollys a bit too much!

That's very cute. We find scenarios like that often, Crystal.

We don't have a solution yet. I don't have a gate big enough to gate the lvg rm/dining rm off and I am tired of hopping over gates anyway. I just need spring to come and I'll send them all outside.

It is pretty cute. You have to watch out though because I didn't realize Pollys were hanging out on top of the towel rack before and sent them flying. She's going to end up with them swimming in the toilet if she isn't careful ;)

We have one of those configurations gates and another gate that is SUPER long... I was using it to separate the playroom from my sewing room but it doesn't work when they just climb over anyway. :lol:

We have a finished basement. The big kids have just about free run and the baby girls don't usually go down unless invited (and I've inspected for little parts).

No.

I have lots of child stuff around due to my work (a home preschool program) and they complain sometimes but

heck

it helps pay their allowance and they know it!