Sharing a Room
I had a lot of you ask to share any tips and tricks we were given for kids sharing a room when I asked awhile back on Instagram. I thought I would put a blog post together about the tips I was given and what has been working for us!
TIPS/ADVICE
A small lamp so that if one kid wants to read books they don't have to turn on the overhead light
Dedicated space for each kid to keep their stuff
Bunk beds when they are older
Put them down together, or put down the heavier sleeper first
Night stand inbetween beds to block the line of sight
They sleep better knowing they have each other in the room
Siblings get closer when they share a room
See @takingcarababies for more tips!
Now for our experience. The beginning was the hardest, obviously. They had to get used to having each other in the room, getting used to each other talking/crying/making noise. Everly was just over 3 and Rosie was 19 months when they started sharing. I'll make some bullet points about what we have experienced so it's easy for you to skim over.
They both go to bed at the same time around 7:30pm. We will brush their teeth, get their pajamas on, read a book that each of them picks, pray and then tuck them in. This little routine has helped them wind down and get settled in
The hardest thing is that Rosie is still in a crib, so she has to call for us when she wakes up or needs something (ie/ water), she can't just sneak out of the room quietly. This often means she'll wake Everly up, so we have taught Ev to try and tune her out and just ignore it. Sometimes that doesn’t work obviously but she’s getting better at being a deep sleeper or falling back asleep
Everly slept with a nightlight and Rosie didn't, so the first few nights the light kept Rosie up longer than usual. She's since gotten used to it and works for both of them now
We have a play tent between their beds so they can't really see each other when they're laying down, which I think helps them fall asleep
We have a fan going in the room for some white noise
Everly has learned to be quiet in the morning when she wakes up and come out of the room so Rosie can keep sleeping, when they first started sharing she would turn the light on and wake Rosie up
Bedtime can be tough because Ev will come out to ask us something or delay bedtime, but Rosie is trapped in her crib so she'll yell every time Everly comes out. It can be exhausting. We just started a chore chart for Everly and one of the “tasks” is staying in bed once she’s tucked in. Once she goes 7 days straight she’ll get to pick a special treat from the store. So far it’s been keeping her in bed!
They are bonding so much. Some mornings they'll wake up at the same time (or wake each other up) and we'll take Rosie out of her crib and we will go back to bed and they will play in their room together. They also refuse to sleep without each other now. If we are at the cottage and they have their own rooms, they don't want them. They like sharing now
I hope that helps anyone who is considering the transition! Like with everything kid related, it's never perfect. Some nights are still bad, some nights are great. I think as they get older and both sleep in a bed or we get bunk beds it'll be even better. Let me know if you have any tips that weren't shared here below and I'll add them in!
Best,
Stacey