So my girls are 6 yrs old and 22 months old. I have my 3rd baby due in February so we are making the transition of moving the girls in the same room and bed to make room for new baby brother. :O) Our toddler has been sleeping in a bed already so the bed part is not the issue. We will be on our 5th night tonight of them sleeping together. So far, it's been a bit of a struggle. Either me or my husband have to lay down in the bed with them to get our toddler to sleep. She can be quite noisy until she settles down to sleep. They are currently in a queen bed so it is not the most comfortable for 3 people. We are also trying to get the girls both on the same schedule. My 6 yr old goes to Kindergarten so she has to get up each day at 7am....which means, she needs her sleep/rest and we have to get her up without disturbing our toddler. Our toddler obviously can use the extra sleep. I just am not sure if I should be waking her up earlier or cutting her naps in half. She also wakes up every night about 2x. She either starts crying or wants a drink of water (she has been in this habit for awhile) and can't find her cup.
Which means we have to go in there and console her all while disturbing our oldest daughter's sleep. I guess I am asking if anyone has any suggestions/thoughts for us. We have considered getting a different bed- maybe a full bed with a trundle to separate them or maybe even two twins beds. Just not sure what is the best for them....as we also are very limited on space. Our house is not very big and neither are their rooms. Thanks for advice and opionions!
Oh my! Getting a 22 mo old into a "bed" is a big undertaking! ANY chance you can borrow another crib and keep her in a crib? Even if the baby has to be with you for 6 mos or so? Just a thought. Good luck!
I would go for the 2 twins... My parents had my little sister and I sharing a bed for a few years, and I hated it! While it was nice being able to snuggle with my sister, every time she moved she would wake me up. If she happened to roll too close and breathed on me she would wake me up. When she was sick, I couldn't sleep in bed with her (and vice-versa). It REALLY sucked when they potty-trained her. Our bedroom was TINY (we had 6 kids in a 3 bedroom trailer house... if that gives you an idea) We literally had a 2 foot by 4 foot rectangle of 'free space' in our room with the beds and dresser. I got desperate enough to start sleeping on the floor! Especially since one is only 22 months old... It doesn't seem like it would be fair to the 6 year old to have her sleep disturbed.
I think you should get them bunk beds (whichever style you prefer) and let your 6yr old take the top for now until your toddler gets bigger and then they can switch. Or you should put a toddler bed in your room until your toddler is able to sleep better through the night.
You didn't say how often your toddler naps or for how long. I would say one nap just after lunch (wake her no later than 2:30) and that should help w/ bed time.
Twin bunk beds would seem to be the way to go. They each need their own sleeping space.
Hmmmm...trying to get them to sleep the same bed...not a good idea in my opinion. Bunk beds, trundles anything else, but not in the same bed.
Same bed times? The 6 year old might start to realize that she is gong to bed "like a baby" Even 30 mins apart is better than the same time. My girls are 15 and 11, shared a room right from the beginning. The younger one is STILL 30 mins a head of her sister.
I am not sure why you want them to sleep in the same bed? Do what you can to get them to sleep on their own. We had bunk beds for years until the older one (at age 12) wanted her own room. We converted the play room into her own bedroom.
R., you are the mom and you say goes, but think about what is going on. I am guessing that you took them from separate beds, even separate rooms and are forcing them into something like this. I think is it is going to back fire on you.
B.
Family Success Coach
We have had no issues with our two sharing a room in two seperate twin beds, our daughter 5.5 has even slept on the top of bunk beds with no issues at all. So my suggestion is bunk beds or at least twin beds side by side. I would never do two children in the same bed but that is just me.
They need their own beds. Bunk would work for a small space.
I am about to be in a similar situation. I have a 5 year old and a 2 year old who are going to have to share a pretty small room in the near future. I am seriously considering a small bunk bed. I think that if they are separated where they can't see each other and are in different beds it will help keep one from disturbing the other. But, as I said, I haven't tried it yet so I'm not sure if it will work.
I definitely agree that if space is an issue, bunk beds would be the way to go. Your 6 year old might just think it is the coolest thing ever and really feel like a big girl getting to sleep up top. You can also play it on your (almost) 2 year old and tell her she is such a big girl now that she gets her own bed in her sisters room and that she needs to act like a big girl now too and not wake up her sister in the middle of the night.
We only have one child right now, but when we was 2 we got him a bunk bed. We wanted a nice wooden bed that would last a while and while looking I realized the price for a single one was only about $75 less than a bunk, so we went with the bunk, now we will have a bed for the next kiddo that comes along.
Whatever you decide, GOOD LUCK!!
Twin beds or "single beds," which are slightly smaller than the twin beds, would probably be your best bet. It will decrease the chances of disturbing your 6 year old as much.
Like everyone is saying, get them separate beds. But you also need to get your daughter to go to sleep without you as well as soothe herself back to sleep once she wakes up. Yes it will be a long, trying night for a couple nights but remind yourself that it will help everyone (especially you) once the baby comes. You can do it now or you can do it later. The advantage to doing it now is that you will get that many more good nights later. You have taught her that she needs you to fall asleep and that you will come to her when she cries for unnecessary reasons at night.
