I have been thinking of this idea and I thought I would throw it out there. My daughter is 29 months old and my son is 14 months old. They are 15 months apart and they for the most part are inseperable (more so with my son than my daughter, she has become very protective of him, but also has been bossing him a little). I was about ready to put my daughter into a twin bed and within the next few months give my son her toddler bed, (he absolutely loves his sisters bed). They both go to sleep at the same time so I was thinking about having them sleep in the same room, make one room a bedroom and make the other bedroom a big playroom. I was thinking that this might be easier on my son to sleep in his bed just like his big sister, but I am not sure if it is a good idea for my daughter, and am I setting myself up for future problems? I also think that their rooms will tend to stay cleaner because there will be no toys in their bedroom only the playroom. What do you think?
My brother and I slept in the same room until we were 6 and 7. I was a good arrangement. We were able to sleep more soundly and kept each other company and did not feel alone, so we went to sleep more quickly.
My children are all at least 8 years apart, or I would do it with my own.
My older kids are 18 months apart and they shared a room until they were in the 4th and 5th grade. I was a single mom then and had no choice since i lived with my mother. They have had their own rooms now for the last 5 yrs and i had no problems other than my son blaming my daughter for being the slob, which is true and was proven by them having their own room now. They are very close and protective of each other and i think their relationship is normal, they argue and then act like best friends at times too.
They each had their own side of the room with their own bed, dresser, bookshelf and a common toybox. I didn't put up a divider or anything, they just knew what was theirs. My mother gave them the master bedroom so it had two closets as well.
I can only speak from what I have seen with friends as my daughter is an only child. Most of my friends have multiple children and not always the same gender...the majority have them in the same room until they are old enough to want some privacy (and to need it). At 29 and 14 months they are so young and it sounds like very close to each other that I would think it might be harmful to separate them, especially if your son is really attached to your daughter.
Maybe putting up some divider blocks for storage in their room would give them the security of being together while giving them the some semblance of having their own area?
Just my thoughts.
C.
work at home mommy to Sami
Yes, their rooms will stay cleaner when there's one play room and one bedroom. You just close the door to the playroom so you don't see all the mess, and their bedroom is tidy. at least, that's my experience.
My two oldest boys share a room since we moved 5 months ago. They are 2 years apart, 4,5 and 2,5. They love it to share the room. They do not wake up if one of them starts crying at night. But at bed time, yes, that's pary time! The first weeks it drove me crazy, everybody told me it would only take a few days to get them used to it. But they kept on partying. So we thought of a solution, and came up with a cooking timer alarm. The oldest sets the alarm (he chooses a number between 5 and 10 minutes) the youngest climbes in his bunkbed, and they can party till the alarm rings. After that, they have to return to their own beds, and have to be quiet. For us it works. (for 4 months now, and I'm still surprised hi hi hi)
I have no opinion about the mixed gender thing, but I don't think that's a problem.
Good luck, and let us know in a couple of weeks!
I.
Go for it. Just give it a try. They are too young to realize they are even sharing rooms for now. When they get a little older and other kids start to point out they share rooms, she/he will probably tell you she/he wants their own. You are probably correct that the bedroom will stay cleaner. My son's old baby room is now the "play room" and its always a mess, but his big boy room is always clean and that so nice if we didn't get a chance to pick up before he falls asleep. If we have another child I don't know what I am going to do with all those toys. I dont think they will fit in his big boy room.
Anyway, I don't see a problem with it. I shared a room with my little brother when I was younger and *I think* I turned out ok (not so sure about my brother though, LOL).
Have a good one,
TLee
My son is going to be 3 in October and my daughter is 18 months. There are inseparable too. My son watches out for sissy and they play together all the time. They both have there own room, but they are across from each other. We put my son in his toddler bed and our daughter in her crib. Then we got him a twin bed with drawers underneath and so we could put her in the toddler bed. WHich both beds are in his room. When we had company they both slept in the room together 1 in toddler bed 1 in twin bed. They slept all night but got up early. Who ever wakes up 1st wakes up the other child.
Our daughter seems to require more sleep since she only half his age. So it works better to have there own room.
This has been our experience.
My oldest two children are boy/girl and 20 months apart. They love sharing a room, and it really works out well for us. I say go for it! I just wish I had a great idea for how to decorate thier room! Nothing is unsex anymore!
My son and daughter are 14 months apart and when they shared a room for a while and it was great! They loved it, and they are so close. If thats what you want to do, go for it. If it doesn't work out, you can always put them back in their own rooms.
Very Sweet..
I say go for it! I have a 4 yr old and a 2 yr old (girl and boy) who share a room and love it. My daughter tends to give me trouble going to sleep, but that's usual for her, and would happen even if she had her own room. And she knows if she talks to her brother she gets in trouble. We are in the process of moving and so are looking at homes where we could give them their own rooms, and when I broached the topic with her, she was VERY upset. She actually WANTS to stay in the same room with her brother, even in the new house. And I don't have any problem with that what-so-ever. I think it's great that they're so close, and I hope they're best friends through their childhood and into their adulthood. I imagine that at some point she'll want her own room, and that will be fine too. We'll just cross that bridge when we get there. Oh, and I should mention that they've only been sharing a room for about 10 months. But it's been a great 10 months! Good luck to you and your precious kiddos! :)
my daughter 5 years and son 3 years are 18 months apart. I first had them share a bedroom. two full beds without the frame sat on the floor. I had the room divided down the center and painted her side pink, his side blue and the ceiling blue with clouds. They slept there and the other room was a playroom. It worked out beautifully. We moved to Dallas June 2006 and I decided to give them their own rooms. They have since then slept together in one room everynight, keep both bedrooms (playrooms) an absolute mess. I would say based off of my recent expierence with the same issue, you are making a wise choice to have them share a bedrrom. I am actually considering rearranging back to that. Plus their relationship will grow even stronger as they grow older. I love to watch my kids together. They are very protective of one another. God Bless.
M.,
I see no problem with it. You could always try it with the toddler bed without moving all the toys and everything, just to see how it goes. Then, if it doesn't work after a week or so, just move it back. I have had my two girls in the same room since one was about 3 months old and the other 27 months. When the little one was about 1 year old, we really wanted to teach her to sleep through the night, which involved some crying, so we put our three year old in the same room as our 5 year old son. They have really enjoyed it. It started out that they were in different bunks. Now they like to sleep in the same bed. I would have thought you were crazy if you would have suggested this, but we rarely have any problems.
Anyway, I hope that helps!!
T.
My kids are 24 months apart and very close. I tried to do what you suggested but they ended up staying up all night playing becuase they liked each other so much. They never were able to get used to sleeping in the same room - it was just a huge party every night.
