3 year old and 17 month old share a room?

[Tinks]

NO!! Don't do it! They play, talk, trash the bedroom together and drive you nuts when they don't go to sleep until midnight!!!!! I regret ever ever doing it!

My two talk but have never trashed the room or stayed awake until midnight. We are having problems now that dd1 is 13 and dd2 is 9. Dd1 has a later bed time and thinks its ok to watch tv in her room, which keeps dd2 awake. Having friends sleep over is an issue as well because of the age gap. Everything was fine up until dd1 started high school though. I need an extra bedroom.

[Three Graces]

I'd say trial it for a few months and see how you go. Our two boys 4 and 2.5 share a room and initially the oldest wasn't too keen on sharing 'his room'. However, after a sleepover at g'ma & g'pa's where they shared a room, he was all keen for his younger brother to 'sleep over' in his room. He did ask after a few days when his brother would be returning to his own room. It went well for the first month or so and then they started playing up, taking, jumping out of bed, etc. We knew that the novelty would wear off, which it has and the eldest falls asleep really quickly. The only downside is that they both wake up really early - one will always wake the other one up.
It does make bedtime stories quicker too, as one sits on the lap and the other sits on a bed and we read the same stories to both of them.

[Nai]

I think having the girls in bunks really helps with us as DD2 goes to bed first and once she's asleep DD1 just climbs up onto the top bunk. DD2 can't climb up there yet so when she wakes she just comes into our room and DD1 is able to stay asleep.

However, even when this wasn't the case they have never trashed the room or mucked around too much. They have the occasional squabble over what music to put on as DD1 is in charge of the iPod. But the latest they have stayed up until is 9pm and in 3 years I've probably had to tell them off for not sleeping only a handful of times.