Naptime can be more challenging than bedtime to begin with add to that the fact that your two children are now supposed to be napping two feet away from each other, and you might have a real problem on your hands! One of the toughest parts about sleeping your children in the same room (in my experience, at least) is figuring out how to do naptime. Make sure you are respecting their individual needs.” Also, at different ages, your toddler may be going to bed earlier than the baby (who still naps, for example). “This is an important one! If need be, do your baby or toddler’s bedtime routine in another room, if they are waking the other while getting settled for bed. It’s perfectly okay for each child to have different (and separate) bedtime routines and schedules, even though they’ll be sleeping in the same room. Put your baby to bed first, and then use the extra hour and a half to have some one-on-one time with your toddler! Read a few extra books, take a longer bath, or squeeze in some cuddle time. If your baby needs to go to bed at 6:30, but your toddler won’t fall asleep until 8:00, that’s okay. Don’t assume that just because your children are sharing a room, they also have to share a sleep schedule. This is especially true for those of you who are putting babies and toddlers/preschoolers in the same room. Some families have even gone so far as to string a curtain along the center of the room so that when it’s pulled shut, there’s actually a separate (and private) area for each child. This creates separate spaces for the kids and helps both feel like they have their own space. If you know that the lack of privacy and personal space is going to be a problem for your kids, then work to create a private, personal area for each child, as best you can.įor example, consider buying two of everything (2 beds, 2 dressers, 2 nightstands), and then creating a side of the room for each child. While this might not bother young children, it may bother older kids a lot. One of the toughest things about having your children share a room is that all privacy disappears. So we compiled a list of 7 tips we think will help make room-sharing easier for everyone in your family. A few of us have done room-sharing in our own homes, and we understand perfectly well the panicky “Is this going to work?!” feeling. Take heart, readers! We know how you feel. If your children have never shared a room before, you may be wondering how the new sleeping arrangements are going to affect their sleep (or if they’ll sleep at all!) The prospect of suddenly shoving two (or more) kids into a room together and expecting them to easily sleep in the same room can seem overwhelming. Whatever the reason, these tips should help! Sibling Room-Sharing: “Is This Going To Work?!” Some of you may even like the idea of siblings sharing a room and being (emotionally) closer growing up. Years ago, we moved from a three-bedroom home to a two-bedroom rental, and it just wasn’t an option for my boys (age 2 and 8 months at the time) to have separate rooms anymore. This is often the case for families who are expecting a new baby suddenly, you have more children than you do bedrooms, and the sleeping arrangements have to change. And we know that for many of you, room-sharing isn’t really a choice - it’s something you have to do. We know many of our readers are finding themselves faced with the task of transitioning their kids into sharing a room. Fear not, we have 7 tips to successful sibling room-sharing. We’ve discussed how YOU sharing a room with your baby can affect your baby’s sleep, but what about when your baby needs to share a room with a sibling? We know that some of you have been anxiously (dare we say desperately?) awaiting this article.
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