Sharing Rooms

We are in the same boat, so I don't have firm advice yet. My girls are 19 months apart - 3 and 4 1/2 right now. I have am currently in the process of moving them and my plans are to SIMPLIFY their room. No toys - just books and clothes, so there will be fewer distractions looking to get them playing. From there, it's going to be a struggle! Ask again in a few months and maybe I'll have some more solid answers / ideas for you.

My 2 daughters are 26 months apart and they have been sharing the same room since my youngest was 6 month. now they are 17 month and 3 1/2 years old.....We want them to share the same room because we think that they can learn how to share and develop a strongest relatinship.....we'll see!! But so far, we never had a problem, sleeping together is normal for them and I don't see them having their own bedroom one day, I'm sure they will be always sharing the same room.

My sister and I are 24 months apart and we shared a room for awhile. My mom stressed that we were not to talk or play but I know we did from time to time. At the same time we were tired so we did fall asleep just fine. At one point what I remember working best is that we had our "bed"room and a seperate playroom so there were no tempations of toys or things to play with just a couple of beds and some decorations. I enjoyed being with her alot. Oh, we also had bunk beds (it might not be a good idea for young children), but it did help that we couldn't see each other to play.

My best friend has 2 kids that share a room and she has had excellent luck with bathing and dressing the older one first and sending her off to bed and by the time the younger one is bathed and dressed she goes to bed in a quiet room because her sister is already asleep.

Hope this helps.

A., I have 4 children. My sons ages 11 and 5 share a room and my daughters ages 9 and 7 share a room. The three younger children take a shower together with my or my husband's supervision at night before bedtime. I read to them or allow them to play soft music. We gather in the girls room for night-time stories. We've done this since the oldest was born and night time sleeping has never been an issue with any of the older 3. Our youngest however, likes to sneak into the playroom and look at books or play with a toy while the rest of the family is sleeping. It doesn't happen often, but we're working on him still.

I think that my children are close because of how we treat them. They share everything without fussing. It's just been that way since day one and they don't complain.

I don't know, but we are about to put our 2 (who are 15 months apart) in the same room. I think I am going to have different bedtimes in the beginning and go from there.

I have two girls that are 24 months apart (3.5 yrs and 21 mo) and they have been sharing a room for over a year. My older one is a good sleeper, but the younger is a partier. In the beginning we would put the baby to sleep first, the lay the older one down once the baby was good and asleep. Now they go to bed at the same time. Sometimes we have to sit outside their room for about 5 minutes to ensure they don't get out of bed and play. Also, we did have to take all of the books and stuffed animals out of their room and put them with the rest of the toys because they were playing with them instead of sleeping! Good luck!

I have two girls that are 30 months apart, and they do share a room. It's been the best decision for our family. When they were very young, like yours are, it helped because they encouraged each other to go to bed, and they kept each other from feeling lonely. Now that they're older it's still very good. They do play at times, and keep each other up, but usually it works for us, not against. Now I think they couldn't sleep apart- or at least it'd be hard for them. They're so accustomed to each other's night sounds that I worry if it weren't for that, they wouldn't sleep.

They are close, my girls, and I do think it has to do with sharing a room. We treat them like a pair, and they're used to being treated that way. We sail past fairness issues for that reason. They're close enough in age that what one can do, the other can too, and what one cannot do, the other can't either. And it sure makes bed-time stories go smoothly.

The hardest part is their clothes! Sheesh- that is the single biggest challenge for us. Not even the toys are as hard to keep organized, but I figure it's a small price to pay.

Best of Luck with your pair!
J.

A.,

I have 5 kids, so sharing rooms is a must. It's a pain, but the first week or so I stay in the hall and make sure they stay in their beds. You can read a book or do something in another room that is close enough that you can tell when they are getting out of bed or getting rowdy. At my house, the consequence for getting out of bed is to shut the door which they hate. After a few minutes, open it back up and tell them they can have it open if they stay in their beds. I always let my kids have books in bed with them and leave the hall light on. That way they have something quiet to do while they are getting to sleep. As long as they are quiet and not bothering each other or getting out any toys they will fall asleep pretty quickly. Another idea is to move any toys to another room so they can't get them. I've also heard of putting up a baby gate so they can't leave the room. I have another friend who swears by staggered bed times to get hers to sleep without playing. There will be times though, when you just have to be grateful that they stay in the room and are reasonably quiet. Is the 2 year old in a bed or a crib? Are you going to be bed training at the same time? Good luck!

All I can recomend is a very longish hands on bedtime (you may do this already!) Mom or dad involved (or both), reading to them & singing & lay with them a bit. When my husband would do that my kids were MUCH calmer at bedtime. And it gets better as they get older, my 4 & 7 yo share a room and we don't have to worry about much. Occasionally they will sneak out of bed, shut the door & turn on the light, and play though ;)

We had our oldest two together from 4 & 2 and there were some hectic nights (and we had a newborn). But we have some awesome memories too ;)

My sons (21 months and 4 1/2) share a room.. we put the baby to bed an hour before my son. He doesn't want the baby to wake up - so that's not an issue for us.

S.

My two daughters, although farther apart in age than yours, have always shared a room, and we've never had any problems.

A.,
Is the little one in a toddler bed yet? I would recommend putting them in the same room while she is still in the crib. That way, they learn how to fall asleep without the option of really playing together in the room. They will keep each other awake for a few days, but they will get used to it. Just make sure that you stick to your usual bedtime routine. My girls are 20 months apart and have been sharing a room since the little one was about 16 months. They love it and so do I. Good luck.
A.

A.,

My girls have shared a room since we moved into our new house. They were 1 and 3; now they are 3 and 6 and still share. My littlest was in a crib at first; then I moved her into Zoe's double bed (with rails on the side). They loved sleeping together, but they both move around too much, so I moved the double bed into our 3rd bedroom and bought twin beds for the girls. Lily's still has rails on the sides. It has worked very well, and they LOVE sharing a room. They are really sharing Lily's room; Zoe's room has the double bed and all her "stuff" in there, which makes keeping their things organized and separated easier for me, and still gives Zoe a sense of having her own room. But neither want to sleep alone in their own bedroom. They are good company for each other, and even though they sometimes talk or laugh too much, it is still a precious time for two sisters to grow close and make good memories for later, as well as providing comfort and companionship for now. Once you get a bedtime ritual established with the shared room, it will begin to flow smoothly - as smoothly as life ever is with little ones!