When Should I Move My 3 Month Old to His Sister's Room

Updated on November 20, 2009
C.M. asks from New Baden, IL
5 answers

Hi everyone! I wanted to get some opinions from all of you on when it is a good time to move my 3 month old son to his crib in his sister's room (she's 27 months old). With my daughter, she slept in a bassinet in our room for the first ten weeks. My son is slightly different because he's a belly sleeper, so I'm not as comfortable moving him to a different room. I know the risks but I've talked with his pediatrician and he has great neck strength so I'm not really worried about him smothering himself (I also still use a monitor in my daughter's room). More than that, I'm just wondering when you think it's a good time as they will be sharing a room? Have you done this? How did it work out? My plan is to wait until several things happen:

1. He stops waking up 2x a night to eat. Right now he falls asleep anywhere between 7-8pm and usually sleeps until 12 or 1. Then he's up once more around 3-4 am and then around 5 am is up for the day. My daughter will sleep until I wake her (630 am).
2. He's older than 4 months as I have read that SIDS peaks between 2-4 months
3. He is rolling over (so I am not as worried about him sleeping on his belly)

That being said, have any of you had two small children (3 months and 27 months) share a room? How did you handle bedtime? Unfortunately I can't rely on my husband because he works nights (Mon-Fri) so it's just me. Right now, I put my son down in our room in a co-sleeper then have about an hour with my daughter to get her a bath, read to her, etc. Her bedtime routine includes a bath (on bath nights), 3 books, 3 songs and then I either leave and check back on her and she's asleep or (2-3 nights a week) she wants me to sit in there with her and I'll quietly leave when she's mostly asleep (sometimes this takes 5 minutes other nights it takes 45).

We read books and I sing to her in her room but I think if my son is asleep, we'll have to do this in the living room, which I don't mind because we have a great reading spot!

Any insight/ideas/etc are appreciated!

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M.R.

answers from St. Louis on

I have a 2 year old boy and a 3 month old girl that we just moved into the same room. It's been working out well. We moved story time into our bedroom with my husband while I go through the baby's bedtime routine and put her down. My son still sings himself to sleep, but it doesn't seem to bother the baby. If anything, I think it is soothing to her to have him close by. The baby is still waking up 2-3 times a night to nurse, but my son rarely wakes up or stirs. Sometimes I nurse in their room, but most nights I go across the hall to our room. The chair is just more comfortable in there. I don't think it would really matter though. We also have a monitor in their room, but don't really use it at night. More so for nap time. Good luck!

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L.H.

answers from Columbia on

Carla I think you have a great plan in place. It sounds like you are still a little concerned about him sleeping on his belly. My son is the same way, he still prefers to sleep on his belly(he is 16mo) and has since he was a month or so old. I was given an Angel Care baby monitor at his baby shower. It provides a wonderful piece of mind. It has a sensor that you put under the mattress and it detects movement in the crib/bed.(As little as just his breathing.) They are a bit pricey but the piece of mind is worth it. It also works as a regular monitor, for voice and/or sounds. If you put it in the crib in your daughters room it would catch her sounds too. If him sleeping on his belly is still a concern, I suggest getting one.
It also sounds like you are a bit concerned if your daughter will wake up when your son does. I would think that if she is a sound sleeper, it is not going to bother her. Are they both sound sleepers? If they are, it shouldn't matter that much who goes to bed first or if they wake in the middle of the night. Hope this helps.

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B.S.

answers from Joplin on

I think you have a great plan in place. Just stick to it.

For me, once I moved the children into the same room, I would put either the oldest child to bed first, or the one most likely to cry or cause other upsets while going to sleep. (For me, that eventually was my middle child.)

Once you get the more rambunctious child to sleep, the room will be quieter for the other child to fall asleep and you won't have such a problem of one child waking the other.

S.L.

answers from Kansas City on

I have 8 grown children who we were very blessed with and also blessed with that fact that they came in twos. Not the births but the sex, 2 boys, 2 girls, 2 boys, 2 girls so they shared rooms very early on. I usually moved the baby in the room with a sister or brother around 3 months old depending on the child they shared with. All of my kids but one slept on stomach from birth on, that was in the 'old' days but they all did fine and all are doing well now. I usually put the older child to bed first and we read while the baby played or was awake but it also depends on the children and who sleeps first and you can even be flexible with that if it needs to be. I would advise you against sitting in with your daughter for much time at all as you are training her to sleep that way then and if you ever need to take care of the baby or have company or anything you will be sitting in there for hours or have a child up running around. I know it's tempting and even enjoyable for mother's to do that IF you only have one child or lots of time to sit. Just my advise from experience. I learned that the hard way. Otherwise sounds like you have a good plan and I'm so glad you are reading and singing with your daughter at bedtime. Those were the most wonderful times of the day for me and I really miss it now that my kids are all gone. I get to read, and sometimes sing, to grandchildren now but it just isn't the same. Enjoy it.

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T.H.

answers from Topeka on

Hi Carla-
Mine started sharing a room about the same age as yours. The problem was my daughter (baby at the time) was a light sleeper. We actually kept her up later & my son went to bed at his normal time. They don't seem to wake each other up at all. Even if one has to get up to go potty, the other still sleeps. My kids were all tummy sleepers too. Sounds like you can do it whenever you are ready to move them! Good luck!

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