How to Handle a Newborn and Toddler Sharing a Room

Congratulations on your pregnancy! We have 2 kids 25 months apart. Moved my older son into a "big boy bed" at 20 months and this was no problem at all. Kept the baby in our bedroom in our bed/co-sleeper until she was 7 months (this is much longer than we had kept our first in our room, but it was working for us all). At around 7-8 months she got so rolly that we moved her into her own crib, but again kept it in our bedroom. Around 12-13 months, once she started sleeping through the night with some regularity, we moved her into the shared kids room. We let him "camp" on our floor for a few nights so that she could have a little time to fuss and get used to the new location without disturbing him. Now they've been in the same room for about 3 months and it's generally fine. She still wakes up around 50% of the time at night - he usually sleeps right through it, though occasionally will yell at her to stop. Depends on how long we let her yell before coming in. My advice would be to not worry so much about the space - the shared room thing is fine, and I suspect it will continue to be fine until he gets to be around 8 or 9 years old and decides he'd rather have his own room.

Don't sweat it, yet. You have no idea how well the little one will sleep, yet.

Our kids are 27 months apart, and have shared a room since the littlest was 6 mos. We waited until my littlest was only waking once a night before making the transition.

Really, in our house, it was no big deal. The kids really like each other and so were happy to be in the same room together. My second was an incredibly good sleeper and the older was a deep sleeper (so not awoken by the rare wakings of the little one).

It just worked out. Our kids are now 3 and 5, sleeping in bunk beds!

It's not too bad with them sharing a room. I was concerned at first too but our boys are 4 and 6 now and have shared a room the whole time. We did have the crib set up in my office for a couple months, but it just worked out easier to put the crib in the room with our other boy. We just put the younger one to bed earlier so he was asleep when the older one went to bed. I am a light sleeper so I woke up as soon as our baby started crying, would feed him and put him back to bed and our other son never woke up. So far so good, but we'll need one more bedroom in the future too when they start wanting their own space!

CONGRATS!! And breathe!! My children are 18 months apart and the older one would sleep thur the baby waking up, now that they are 3 and 18 months the older one will wake up with his brother and climb in the crib to play.I would suggest that you include your older child in everything. I even took my older child to the OGYN ( when I wasn't having the whole exam done) it got to the point that my son would tap my belly and tell the doctor that it was his baby's heartbeat!

I know with my children, it made them closer. They are almost exactly 3 years difference, in age. I'm sure my daughter woke up, when they were first transitioned but, then she adjusted. She adored her little brother and was so involved in his care and life. They shared a room for 2 years, until we moved and they got separate rooms. For a while, after we moved, I would find them cuddled up together in the same bed, asleep.

And mine are May-babies. It's a perfect time to expand the family!

congrats on your pregnancy! I have 2 kids..a 3.5 year old and an 8.5 month old. We have 2 bedrooms. When my baby was 5 months, I transitioned my older daughter into a toddler bed in anticipation of her sister sharing her room soon. My older daughter helped me rearrange the room, pick her new sheets, pick her sister's new sheets, etc., we kept telling her that soon she would be lucky enough to have her little sister join her in her room. My 3 year old was begging us to have the baby sleep with her. at 6 months, we put them together...success! even though my baby still wakes 1-2 times at night, her big sis just sleeps right through it. in the morning, my older daughter hops in the crib with the baby and they play...I literally wake up to hear them giggling. We plan on moving to a bigger house at some point, but I'm thinking I may still keep them in the same room for a while. The kids love it! It will so work out, do not stress...it will all happen in good time!

L., Breath. Its going to work out great and your kids will be best friends. My boys are 17 months apart. I put a toddler bed into the room as soon as I found out I was pregnant again. The older wanted to start sleeping in it right away. so we did that at nap times. then gradually moved him to that and the baby into the crib. by the time the baby was 18 months he was also in a toddler bed. they slept in those till they were 5 and 6 then we got bunkbeds. your kids sleeping schedules will adjust to the same one. just takes a little time. good luck and congrats