We moved my two boys (6 and 2 1/2) into the same room and got them bunk beds last week. Now they will not go to sleep. They think bed time is play time. the two year old is out of bed constantly throwing things up to his brother, getting clothes out of his closet any thing he can think of to stay awake. My six year old stays in bed but he laughs at this brother and encourages his behavior. I have tried everything i can think of reading stories, playing music, standing at the door, we even tried putting one to bed and then take the other one in later, nothing seems to work.
Right now they don't have any toys in there but we are having a baby in July and i have to get the nursery ready soon so they toys will have to move.
You know I put my 4 and my 3 year old babies in the same room together. My daughter got a toddler bed, my son has had a twin bed since he was little. Anyways, it took about a month for them to start behaving together. Until then it was just all fun and games and mom trying everything to make them behave. Now they do fairly well but that took awhile.
I have 2 boys that had to learn to live together with bunk beds also. We try not to put up with it. Kids need boundries, and if you let them slide, they aren't going to take you seriously. Maybe punishments should insue. I'm not sure what you do, but that is up to you and your spouse. The 2 1/2 year old is old enough to understand what is right and wrong. By now, he understands the words "stay in bed, quiet, and no".
It's not always easy, but you'll reap the benefits later if you keep a firm hand now.
Blessings!
They just need some time to get used to going to bed. I would suggest that you keep the older one up until the little one goes to sleep. Or Vice versa.
My boys did that for a while when I got the bunk beds. It's hard to handle but if you keep putting them in bed with a certain consequence for the misbehavior.
It takes time and consistancy. Good luck.
I am sorry to hear that your boys are not listening. I was thinking about the same thing that you have tried. Have you tried telling them that if they stay in bed without playing for two weeks straight you would award them only if they do it for two weeks. If they play around the week starts over. I know it is hard to explain that to a two and half year old but if you ask him what he wants the most that can be some kind of motivation. I hope it turns out well for you. I would love to hear out it is working out for you. Congratulations on your baby girl. I have a boy (7 months) and a girl (3 and half years old)so i know how it is trying to explain things to them.
The 2 1/2 year old might be too young still to put in the same room as the six year old. My two are 7 and 6. They spend about 5 minutes each night talking or playing. I just keep after them and they settle down. Keep the baby in your room for at least a month or so. Then have the baby and the 2 1/2 year old share a room. In a year or so go ahead and move the two oldest into the same room.
At 2 and 6, the sticker chart is a God send. Yes, the 2 yr old probably wont 100% get it, but the 6 yr old will and the 2 yr old will follow suit, especially when he sees that his big brother gets something for those stickers, but he doesnt because he has no stickers. Telling him exactly what is going on helps too. The age difference doesnt matter, my first 2 are 5 yrs apart and one is a boy and one is a girl and they had to share a room for a while because we lived in a small apartment at the time, and well having a baby coming didnt actly give us extra money to move. Be very consistant with them both, especially the two year old. Tell your 6 yr old that you need him to help you with your 2 yr old will help somewhat too. And lastly, try putting the 2 yr old down first and make it very very important that when your 6 yr old goes to bed, he has to be extremely quiet or he can lose an extra sticker on top of not getting the one that day. Once the newest of the situations starts to unwind, things should settle down again. Be consistant and good luck!
had they begun life sharing a room it probably wouldn't be such an issue. My kids have separate rooms, and CAN NOT take naps together, because they think when their together it's just like any other normal time during the day...time to play.
You might be better off having the baby and the 2 1/2 year old share because if the baby goes down first, there won't be someone moving around making noise when the 2 1/2 year old goes down so it may easier for him to be restful.
Plus, 4 years is quite developmental gap in both cognitive understanding and responsiveness.
I am not sure I'd try such a radical switch when such a big adjustment is coming. It'll be hard enough for your 2 1/2 yr old. so I am sure you want to decorate and have a cute girly nursery, but you could still make it generically cute and even create a special area for you son. Like maybe a tent-like bed.
Maybe some incentive could work..which is just fancy talk for..BRIBE THEM!!
I was thinking you could make a chart of some kind with both boys' names and days of the week...it could have a nighttime theme. Then tell the boys that if they can go to bed for..start off small..2 nights in a row without problems..each night getting a sticker by the "Sleep Fairy" then they earn something...a trip to the ice cream store, extra dessert, a new hot wheels, no chores for a day...you get the idea, then you can build up to 5, 7, 10 nights in a row...maybe earning them something they have been asking for.
I know the 2 1/2yr old may not totally follow along right away..but monkey see...monkey do!! Big brother may not want to encourage him if he knows he has something to gain..or lose(if its been a couple of nights)
I hope I could help.
S.
I can relate to this situation. Give it time, keep them on a routine and like everything else with kids make sure its the same every night and soon the newness of it will wear off and it won't be so much fun any longer. Try putting the younger one down earlier and letting the older one stay up till the baby is sleeping and send him to bed very quietly....LOL
Or something else that worked with my kids was putting them to bed earlier and letting them watch a movie in bed, but if they started to play of goof off I would turn it off and sit in the room till they fell asleep.
One more thing, have you thought about letting the boys keep seperate rooms a for another year or so til the 2 year old is a little older and having the baby in with you for the first year?
I have a friend with 4 boys and bunk beds, all I can say is that's what they do. Have you thought of saying if you be naughty you have to go back to the baby bed or I will take the beds down (of course you will have to follow through)? Or perhaps giving them a time limit, like take them into their room 20 min before bed time routine and say ok, you have 20 min and then we are going to do our routine and no more monkey business. I think my older girls were crazy when they first got bunk beds but like I said my friends boys well, she took the beds down. They are boys and hopefully you can find a way to beat them at their own game but I have to say GOOD LUCK and enjoy their youthful behavior and excitement over bunk beds. And for the closet, my 5yr. old still has safety locks on her armoire because I can NOT keep picking up those clothes! Perhaps you can put some sort of lock on the closet, it was the smartest thing I did, of course it took me 2 years of picking up clothes to figure that one out! Congrats on the soon to be new little girl.
