The Sleep Store asked:
Sharing bedrooms? If you have children who share a bedroom, would you like to share your experiences please? The age they started sharing, any tips, hurdles & how you overcame these...
Our Facebook Community replied:
A good friend of mine had her 2 yr old and 4 yr old share a room when number 3 was on the way. It started off tricky with light night chatting and disrupted lunch-time naps, but now it's been several months and they are very good...most of the time!
We have triplets and they have always slept in the same room. They were in the same room at NICU and then were in our room until they were 7months... then we moved out and it's just the three of them (now 15months). Never really had any hurdles to be honest.... only 'tip' would be to do it early :) They get VERY used to the noises their sisters make (just like we do with our partners!) so rolling/snorting/etc doesn't wake them. Very rare for them to wake eachother - only really happens if one is almost awake anyway. :)
Oh one more small tip... we have a radio going all night so that helps.... never goes from silent to screaming... always have background noise :) blah blah sorry for going on and on!
I have a 3 year old and 17 month old, they have been sharing for 6 months now. The only tip I have is not to put them to bed at the same time. My 17 month old goes at around 6pm and 3 year old 15-30 mins later, that way I find they are not in the same sleep cycle so if one wakes for any reason they other does not get disturbed and same applies to in the morning they tend to wake at different times.
My twin girls have shared since birth. From 20 months (out of cot) to about 3 years old we just shut the door and let them 'play til they dropped'.Once they understood consequences we stopped them from getting out of bed. If they get out of bed they go in the naughty corner for 3 minutes. They tried throwing teddies across the room and the teddies did naughty corner time also. Now they still chat but don't get out of bed which has taken the real edge off the bedtime partying. They are allowed to get out of bed twice to go to the toilet also.
I periodically go in and remind them that it's time for quiet voices and do countdown (10mins, 5, ...) to when it's time to sleep. If there's any loud noises after 'sleeping time' then they go in the naughty corner.
My daughter was about 28 months when we moved my son who was 7months in with her. We had transitioned her to a big bed just after she was two gave her a few months before talking about moving him in, got her involved with setting his cot up and by that stage had him settling at her bedtime so kept the routine the same (stories then bed) and put them down the same time. We used a white noise CD, or if our daughter was in a particular 'mood' we'd put on one of her story cd's.
now 4 and 2, have been sharing since the older one broke the cot when youngest was 14 months! It's all good if they're tired but if they're not they keep each other awake for hours! Doesn't happen as much now they're older though. Generally we put them down together, we tried at different times but it didn't work as the younger one takes ages to go to sleep and is easily disturbed. Our youngest (now 7 months) was in a room attached to theirs but I found they disturbed her all the time and she disturbed them when she woke in the night. So she's in a portacot in our room now. Will probably move her back soon though. All I'll say is ride through it, it's never going to be easy but if you don't have a choice (like us) it's worth it :)
We have just done it with our two girls laylas 3 1/2 and lexis is 12months it's worked out much better then I anticipated Layla sleeps through everything so when lex is screaming the house down she's not effected they go down at the same time and there's no issues even when lex screams for 2 hours haha
Oh and the only reason we started putting restrictions on their antics in bed was because they were starting to take up to 2 hours to settle. I'm happy with 30-40 mins of them interacting at some level after they go to bed.
Just put our two boys in the same room last month - 4 year old and 11 month old. Mr 4 year old sleeps right through any screaming! It seems fine putting them to bed at the same time, but definitely better if the baby is asleep first before putting the older one to bed - he gets very distracted! It's worked out far better than i thought, and we only did it during the winter time because that room had a better heater and warmed better. but we'll keep them sharing, older brother LOVES having his little bro in the room - so much easier getting him to bed.
My 6 month old and 18 month old are going into the same room next week !! I'm dreading it ! The Little one usually up 6 times and the older 3 times ! Last night my little man was up from 12 till 4 and then again at 6 !!
my girls were 2 and 4 yrs old, when they started sharing a room together. my youngest was a bad sleeper once she slept in the room with her sister she was fine, slept all nite. Now almost 3 yrs later they have a bunk bed as room is little and sleep at the same time but get on pretty well too.
My 2 boys have shared a room since my youngest was 2 months old and his brother was 24 months. The eldest is a heavy sleeper and the youngest slept thru from then so we thought why not. There was only one time when the eldest tried to get into the cot but they were both playing and the youngest was 9 months. They have never really kept each other up or really woken each other up in the middle of the night. I've been really lucky really. We only have a 2 bedroom place at the moment so they were always going to have to share, I shared a room most of my childhood and now most of my adult life its good for them I think.
Our 7,5 and 2 yr old boys share a room. They are all good sleepers and always have been. Even if one of them is sick during the night, I can change them and the bed and not wake the others up!
Hi, I've got all 3 in the same room (now 5yrs, 3.5yrs and 3months). We added my daughter when she was about 8weeks and my son was 17 months, and have added our newest when he was about 8 weeks. Just as soon as he started sleeping most nights. We are really lucky as kids are all good sleepers but we're having some issues last week or so with the earliest riser waking the others.
Mine started sharing when one was 6 months and the other almost 2. At first we frequently had to remove the baby to a portacot in our room as the elder got very upset if he cried. It was definitely best at the beginning to get the baby to sleep first and then sneak the big boy in. Now they get upset if they aren't together & the elder one sleeps right through any crying - it has definitely taught them a lot about tolerance and I think they are probably better sleepers for it.
At the moment I have my 2, 4 and 6 year olds sharing a room, and my baby in on his own because we have 3 foreign students staying and they have 2 rooms between them. It's busy, and once one is awake in the morning they are all up, but they all tend to sleep through the noises the others make at night! I tend to put down the 2 year old first and once he's asleep the others can go to bed too. I didn't think it would work as well as it does! Some nights we have had to move one of them into our bed until everyones asleep and transfer him, but that's only once every few nights, no big deal ;)
My 8yr and 6yr have shared for past 2yrs. Its great. They both go to bed at 7pm. I put a story CD on when I turn the light off. Who ever wakes first just comes out quietly and the other one sleeps on. Im wondering if Mr 19mths will want someone to share with when he realises he is the only member of our family who sleeps alone!
Our two have shared a room since the younger was 3 1/2 months (or so - after she started sleeping through regularly) and the older was 2 and a bit. I'd say the idea of all the difficulties we would face was MUCH worse than reality! They've been really good together from day one and don't disturb each other most of the time. They go down for middle of the day nap and nights at the same time. Only time they do wake each other a bit is in the morning when they're sleeping a bit more lightly but it hasn't been too much of a problem - especially now we have a Gro Clock so the older one knows when he's allowed up (teaching him to quietly leave his room and close the door behind him so the baby can keep sleeping)! A few tips would be to make no eye contact with the other child if you're in there tending to one in the night. And also, we find 'out of sight, out of mind' works well - we drape a light blanket over theside of the cot so they can't see each other. As with most bed-time changes, I'd also recommend starting during the day so they've already had a chance to get used to things before the night comes.
Our 3 yr old and 11 month old have been sharing now for almost 2 months and it has had it's ups and downs. Started off as a nightmare trying to get them both down at the same time so put younger to bed first and waited till he was asleep to put older one in. But now they are sometimes alright going down together especially if they are both knackered! It has disrupted our evenings a bit, usually we don't get them both asleep until after 7.30. They usually don't wake each other up over night, just early morning waking has been a problem as they are both in that light phase of sleep from about 5am and anything will wake them. We have a vaporizer going in their bedroom which is a kind of white noise plus it helps them breathe easier. One of the bonuses is that it saves on heating, only one kids bedroom to heat overnight. For naps I just put my 3 yr old in our bed for a daytime nap if he ever needs one.
I personally think that if you don't have to do it then don't!!! But we currently have to.
We have 3 kids, and our 8 & 5 year old boys share a room. They started sharing about 3 years ago. We had a bit of silliness for the first few weeks when they went to bed - if they were having a particularly off night we would put one to bed first, then once he was asleep, put the other to bed. Now they go to bed (at 7pm or earlier!!!) every night perfectly.
Waking was a bit of a different story, and they used to regularly wake at 5-5.30am. We solved that by being mean parents and taking their lightbulb out. It took much less than a week of doing this to kick that one - they didn't like no lightbulb! They also have a digital clock in their room. The rules are no noise before 6.30am, then you can play quietly in your room until 7am. That also works perfectly (at the moment!)
We have a spare bedroom, so they don't have to share, but they prefer it that way. I would far rather have a room for our junk (the guests will make it in there one day) than each kid have a room of their own.
My 4 year and 2 year old share. The key is to never tip toe around so they 'become heavier sleepers'and i always put them to bed in stages. Once the 1st is asleep the 2nd goes down. They have never woken each other in the night. They sometimes wake each other in the morning though. The other tip I would say would to start it when they are younger - as they just get used to it ;-)
We have three kiddies daughter aged 9 has her own room, son aged 7 shares with lil sister aged 2. Miss 2 was moved in there about 18months, prior to that she was in what will be an ensuite off our room from birth. She went into a bed at about 15mnths. Hasn't really been any problems. They both good sleepers. Everyone goes to bed at 7pm. Miss 9 in her own room is generally the one to cause Hijinks at bedtime which is why she doesn't share! We do have a downstairs room but it's used as an office and at this stage prefer having everyone upstairs where we are! We do also have plans of adding on another room but everyone happy at the moment!
Kids are in bed at seven but they are all allowed to read for a bit. Miss 2 always falls asleep, even with a reading lamp on!
My kids now share a room. They started to share a month ago. Keagan is 4 and Keira is 2. Its been amazing. Keira used to complain at bedtime. Since they've shared a room I can hear them chatting to one another or Keagan will sing Keira a song. I've even heard him saying 'Its ok Keira I'm here, I'll hold your hand'. And their relationship! Wow, what a change. They used to fight ALL the time and now they are a little team, not always so good for mum but awesome for the brother-sister bond.
My girls, now 4 1/2 and 6 have always shared a room, and a bed since the younger was 20 months! They didn't need two beds taking up space when they were so little. Then we made them a castle bed where their mattresses join into an L. We're on holiday for a couple of months and they're sharing a double bed! My boys started sharing when the baby was 6months, big bro was 6 then. They too are sharing a double bed while we're on holiday! Works very well for us. My thinking is, mum and dad share a room/bed, so why leave the kids on their own for the night?
I am so glad to hear happy stories! My son will be nearly 3 when no2 arrives, and I hope to put them in together. Hés always been a good sleeper and the room is just off the lounge, so is used to us being up and nearby - think this does help... Nice to hear people have done it when the babies are little!! Do you think this makes it easier, as it's never then a big exciting thing for them?? Funny, as 40 yrs ago room sharing was just normal!!! My mum has NEVER had her own room... this makes my mind boggle a bit!
I have a 7 year old and 5 year old who have shared a bedroom for the last 2 years. They love it and won't be separated. They chat a bit at bedtime but are really no problem at all. Given what we have been through in ChCh in the last twelve months it is much easier to rush to one bedroom when there are shakes than two and they don't get as scared because they have each other. Never thought it would work but its great.
Definitely easier the younger they are, I think. My two shared since youngest was about 8-10 weeks when she started sleeping most nights. Wasn't planning on doing it so early, but she slept better from a younger age than him and I chanced it one night, it was totally fine. Periodically they wake each other but mostly they don't. Both still in cots though so when older one goes to a bed soon I'll need to work out how to stop him going to say 'hi'.
So glad to hear some positive feedback! Have been putting it off for so long now as the little one (18 months) is not such a great sleeper and when she wakes at night often screams for a looooong time. Older one (just over 3) is a great sleeper, so glad to hear the good sleepers tend to cope with screaming! Off to Europe in a week where they will need to share quite often anyway, so we'll see how that goes! Thanks sleepstore for making this a topic of discussion!
I have am 2 1/2 year old and now a 3month old. once the young one grew out of the bassinet he was into the cot sharing the room with big sis. We moved the oldest into a bed a good month before little one went into cot - so no problems. We put the little one down for sleep at about 6pm so he is fast asleep before the oldest goes to bed at 7pm. We dress and change her in room while little one sleeps. The use of white noise dulls out any screams/loud noises (never tell the old one to be quiet as they won;t be!!!) I then get little one up for bath and last feed at 9pm and he goes through the night till 7am. WE love waking up to hearing the 2 of them talking away to each other. I hope this lasts!!!
My 2 girls share have been since they were 1 & 3 respectively. Has gone well except sometimes they won't stay in their own beds so when this happens we put one in our bed until they asleep then move to their own bed. Moved in Together cos we had another on the way but they were very happy to do so.
Very interested in this topic as I'm currently contemplating moving my almost 6 mth old in with his 3 yr old sister. Only thing putting me off is big sister is an early riser and don't want her to wake baby. She got a gro clock for her third birthday but haven't had much success with it.
Hiya. Our two boys, 3 years and 8 1/2 months, started sharing about two and a half months ago. I would say that it has been very successful so far, mostly due to the personality and fantastic sleeping ability of my eldest, who is just brilliant about being quiet when going to sleep (and to bed when the baby has crashed out early) and has been able to sleep through an awful lot of crying. My tip would be to have a back-up plan if it all turns to custard one night, if someone is sick, for example. If one is ill then they can distub the other's sleep a bit more than normal. I tend to co-sleep when a child is sick, usually from the wee small hours when they're totally miserable, which can mean a lot of bed swapping. Our eldest thinks it's such a treat to sleep in our bed so he never minds being shifted in the middle of the night.
I have had my 2 girls in the same room since the beginning of the year when they were 2 1/2 and 4. I tried it out for a week with the younger one on a mattress on the floor, and it was such a success we moved her in permanently. They both slept a lot better in together. I hardly ever have any trouble with them at bed time (they both had pretty good bed time habits to start with) and it makes it much easier for me to put them in bed at the same time. The only downside is that they seem to wake a lot earlier (one wakes the other up) and they can be quite noisy in the morning playing together!
My 2 girls began sharing a bedroom aged 5 and 6 1/2 when their little brother was on the way. It began well, with minimal night chatting - until the younger began chatting more and the elder couldn't sleep. The crunch came when the younger became extra messy and the other, an ultimate neat freak couldn't cope with it!! So the baby moved in with Mum and Dad (I had intended this baby to have his own room from day 1!!?) and the girls got their own space! We now have moved and they all have their own room, although the baby, now 2 is in the "dining room"!!!