If you have more than one kiddo, you’ve probably considered having them share a room. There are pros and cons to room sharing. If you decide to make the plunge, there are several things you can do in preparation for transitioning your kids into the same room that will make the change so much easier and more successful.
Pros and Cons of Siblings Sharing a Room
Pros
You might be gaining extra space in the house. A home office or a gym?
All the kid stuff is consolidated into one room instead of 2
Your kids will have some serious quality time together. I’m sure you’re going to hear bits of adorable conversations and giggles.
Kids learn to cooperate and work together
Cons
You might have 2 different bedtimes but in one room.
If you have a baby in the room with an older kiddo, it can be a challenge to keep the room baby safe.
Kids will often stall at bedtime and keep each other up.
They often do the same in the morning and get up earlier than when not sharing a room.
When to Make the Move
Wait until both kids sleep through the night before you transition them into the same room. If your baby is still waking multiple times for a night feed, it can be pretty disruptive to your older kiddo. If baby is only waking once for a feed and they go back down pretty easily, using white noise to mask disruptive noise will be helpful for your toddler.
If your baby is over 6 months and still having a night feed, you can encourage them to drop the feeds on their own. Once baby is no longer feeding at night, sharing a room is a much easier transition.
If your toddler or big kid is experiencing difficulty falling asleep independently or having night wakings, sharing a room can become disastrous.
5 Tips For A Smooth Transition
Check your calendar. It can take some time to get both kids adjusted to sharing a room so do it at a time when you can survive on a little less sleep. I recommend during a break from school or at least on a Friday night when you have the weekend to tweak things.
Do the prep work and give clear expectations. Your toddler or big can understand a lot of what’s going on so make sure you are setting clear expectations around bedtime, middle of the night, and morning. Oftentimes the older kiddo gets anxious if they hear the baby cry out and don’t know what to do. Explain to them that you can see and hear the baby through the monitor. And let your toddler know what to do and what not to do if baby wakes up.
Bedtime Adjustments. If you need to stagger bedtimes, the routine for the later bedtime will need to be in a different part of the house now. Explain and practice this new custom along with some roleplay of getting into bed quietly and not waking baby.
Set Up the New Room. AAP guidelines recommend that children have their own sleep space until they are over 1 year old. Most likely your kids will be in separate beds. I recommend having the beds as far away from each other as possible. Create an ideal sleep environment with blackout blinds, and a white noise machine and keep the room cool. If your toddler is requesting a nightlight, keep it dim and make sure it’s amber or red.
Get a Toddler Clock. It’s imperative to let your toddler or older kiddo know what time they can get out of bed. I love the Hatch, but any toddler clock will work. It’s also worth having your child practice getting up quietly so that they don’t wake their sibling.
If you want a little guidance or have questions about transitioning kids into the same room I do offer an “Ask Me Anything” phone call. I’m a phone call or email away.