How to Room Share with Different Ages and Stages
My entire life growing up, I shared a room with my sister and my brothers shared a room as well. Room-sharing is all I ever knew! I truly never thought anything of it. However, when we had our 3rd baby and were in a 3 bedroom house, I started to panic knowing that two of my kids would have to share a room and what that might do to their sleep.
“What if one wakes up, and wakes the other one up?”
“What if one gets sick, and passes it on to the other one?”
“How will this work if they go to bed at different times?”
“What if my oldest tries to go in their room while sister is napping and ruins her nap… then what?”
If you’ve had any of these thoughts running through your mind as you prepare for your kids to share a room, you’re not alone! The good news is, this was 8 years ago and we have since had multiple kids share multiple rooms. And guess what? They all sleep like champs, even with a sibling in the room :)
Here are a few tips for room-sharing:
Make sure both kids know how to sleep BEFORE you put them in a room together. I teach my babies how to sleep 12 hours when they’re in a bassinet next to my bed. You could also put them in another room, closet, laundry room, or wherever you have space for them to learn to sleep:)
Talk to the older sibling! Let them know if baby wakes up, it’s okay. Tell them sometimes babies just wake up and if you hear anything, show them how to go back to sleep😉.
Use a sound machine! This one is my favorite. This will help block out each others extra noises.
Put baby to sleep first, then teach the older sibling how to tip-toe to bed and make it a game!
Give it time. After a week or so of room-sharing, my kids sleep through anything! I’ve had my toddlers wake up crying, sick, going potty, etc. and my older kid slept right through it and vice versa. Kids are more resilient than you think!
Give it a try. You’ve got this!