Need Help with Getting Girls to Sleep in Same Room

Put them down for bed at different times. The 6 month old should go to sleep around 7 PM & the 19th month old can go to sleep at 8 PM, or once the 6 month old is fast asleep.

You didn't tell us what you have tried. First try having them take a nap together with supervision so they can get adjusted to having someone near them while they sleep. When they are comfortable with that start the over night sleeping in the same room. You didn't say whether the youngest is sleeping through the night. Make a big deal out of it, a fun thing. It takes time to change habits.

Dr B.

My girls are 18 months apart and I remember that it was a few weeks of pain when we put them into their bedroom together. Just be patient. My girls are now 4 1/2 and 3 and not only are they best friends who can't sleep unless they are close to each other, they can sleep through pretty much anything that the other does.

Good Luck!!

I have a 2.5 year old and an 11 month old sharing a room. They started sharing the room when my baby was 2 months old, the older one was almost 2 years. He didn't like it at first, but he got used to it. I taught him to whisper and be quiet around the baby so he could sleep. Now, I put my toddler nap first, then my infant. At bedtime, I put my infant down first, then 1/2 hour later put my toddler down. Determine which one would slep first and put that one down. It took a few weeks for them to adjust, but it's well worth it. Good luck

This room used to be your older daughter's only so she probably is feeling put out by the intrusion. Give her a chance to do some decorating of the room to make it special. Also, Let her pick out 2 stuffed toys, one for her bed and one for her sister's. Also, I suggest that you let her "help" in putting the baby to bed and give her a little special time after the baby is down...... "Big" girl and mommy and daddy time.

Good luck and congratulations on your lovely family.

I had to do this when my kids were younger, too. (They are 16 months apart.) The only ting that worked at first was to get the younger one down first. When he was fast asleep I would put my older one to bed. We would read a story in the living room and make a game of tiptoeing into the room so as not to wake the "mouse" that slept in the closet. (No, we did not have a mouse in the closet!)

It takes a little time, but once it's routine they will do it like clockwork.

Good luck!

My two daughters began sleeping in the same room when the younger one turned two and was in a toddler bed. They love it. Is it the older one who is resisting having her space invaded? Or is it the younger one who wants to keep sleeping with Mom and Dad? You might try having the younger one sleep in a separate bed in your room first, if she isn't already. You also might try creating separate "spaces" for each child in their bedroom. Another trick was buying new matching bedding, which sold my older child on the idea of sharing a room. Good luck!

I recently did that with my own girls. They were a little older than yours but I think there are some similarities. I would usually suggest putting the younger one down first (that way she is learning to put herself to sleep) and after having done the bedtime routine with the older one, put her down. However, because you have a six month old, if it's easier to have her fall asleep in your arms you could put your oldest down first and the infant later. Also, whichever one is a deep sleeper you could put down first. I would suggest separating them for naptime as I'm sure they are on different schedules for that. I let my oldest sleep on our bed for naptime. They tend to take better naps when separated too. I hope this helps. Whatever you decide, remember it will take some time for it to become routine.

I take it there isn't a third room you could put your infant down to sleep in, with a baby monitor on, of course? Otherwise, I'm sorry this probably isn't what you want to hear but I think you need to keep her in your room for now. You're the parents and it isn't fair to make your older daughter have to deal with such a young sibling. One thing you could do is get a white sound machine for your bedroom and put it between your bed and the baby's, closer to her. That should mask any grownup sounds while she sleeps. We have one in our room and in our son's room and they really help. We got ours from JCPenney. Good luck.

We put our two kids, boy and girl, who are 11 months apart into one big bed. They slept sideways in a full, and later in a queen bed until they were about 5 years old. That way, they didn't feel so alone at night and shared a bed the way we did.
Around age 5 Santa brought a bunkbed that we put into the middle of their room creating two separate areas which they decorated in their unique ways. When they were 11 and 12 they moved into separate bedrooms.
Good luck

When putting the 6 month down for a nap are you putting her into the room where you want her to sleep at night? If not you may want to give that a try. And I'm to wonder, what exactly is happening when you put them down, is it the 6 month old or the 19 month that is having the harder time with the change in sleeping arrangements?

I put my girls together in the same room. I put the baby in first, and after she cried it out, I would cuddle with my two year old until she was sleepy, then put her in. Now she's almost three, and enjoys being quiet to not wake "the baby."

When I put my two littles ones down I would put the older to bed first like it was no big deal and then once he fell asleep put the other one down... Just a thought.
Good luck to you!

I agree with everyone on the idea of putting them down at different times... we put our baby down first and our older daughter later. We also put in a white noise machine in the room to muffle any bedtime noises we or they might make.

Hang in there! I have a 5 month old and a 2 year old and I have them in the same room. It is definitely a transition, but they will get used to it. Most of the time it works just fine, but like everything else in life, there are some bumps in the road. I have found that trying to stagger their nap/bed times work best for us. Once one is asleep, then I can put the other to sleep. The difficult part for me is when one wakes up or is stirring, I tend to rush in to get her (which I am getting better at not doing!), rather than let her soothe herself because I don't want her to wake up her sister. But I have found that they have adjusted to each others stirring and rarely wake each other up during the night. Good luck!

I haven't been through this before with two children but I have with one. We agreed to let our daughter fall asleep in our bed but then move her into the other room after she was asleep. We're big co-sleepers but it is also important for mom and dad to have that special time alone as well!!

Most people I know have put them to bed at different times, but sometimes that doesn't work. My Bro and his wife just gave in a moved to the room down stairs and put their two kids in separate rooms, but maybe you don't have that option. I would put the oldest down first and then the younger one second. I think putting them to bed separately is your best option.

Put the oldest to bed first, then put the baby asleep (rocked?) in bed after the oldest is fast asleep. They are going to wake each other up though so get some "alone time" together FAST! LOL. Good luck, it will happen. Or maybe you two are gonna have to wait for both kids to fall asleep and run to another room, that could be fun too ;) be creative.