Does anyone have tips on how to get our two girls to go to sleep at the same approximate time. They are 6 1/2 and 3 1/2 and left to their own judgment, they will fool around and make noise and wake up the other kids until they pretty much pass out from tiredness. We've tried letting them do that but they are really crabby the next morning because they still wake up early. Right now, we either put the younger one to bed too early and the older one to bed too late so that one is sleeping before the other goes in, or we put them to sleep in 2 separate rooms and carry the older one to her room once they're both sleeping. Has anyone had to deal with this situation? Separate rooms for them are not an option. Thanks.
Hi, Just wondering....do they fall right to sleep if they go at separate times? I have a 6yr old daughter and a 6yr old granddaughter who share rooms and they go to bed at 8:30 and 8:45. They usually fall right to sleep because they get a bath or a shower and the gma/mom rub down with massage included to put them to sleep.
My girls, 4-1/2 and 3, have been sharing a room for a year. I have always put them to bed at the same time and for the most part haven't had many problems, knock on wood! Some nights there is a little running around, but if I have to go in more than one time to tell them to cool down, then they don't get to go to gymnastics that week. Let me tell you-it works. They missed one gymnastics and I haven't had a problem since. It will get better with the warmer months, keep them outside so they are worn out by night time.
I had the same problem with my boys. They are 13 months apart and had the same bedroom. They would always talk and laugh and keep each other up. I ended up sitting in their room until one or both fell asleep. That was the only thing that really worked. It was a hassle for me, but it eventually worked. I think it takes time.
I don't have any personal advice but I can recommend a good book called "The No-Cry Sleep Solution (for toddlers and preschoolers)" by Elizabeth Pantley. I know you have a school-aged daughter and you didn't mention anything about crying, but she gives a TON of good ideas on how to get all kids to bed without fussing and fighting. Maybe you could get the book at the library and just skim through it to see if any ideas would help.
I have two boys in the same room right now 5 and 3 1/2. they have been in the same room for about 2 years. They go to bathroom, brush teeth. we read one book to each kid then they go to sleep we sometimes say in the room for the 1st 15- 20 min. If one is out of control, we make them sleep somewhere else then we move them ( our bed) they don't want to misbehave because then they lose their book. You have to pick a routine and stick with it and it will get easier
Hi,
We have five children in two bedrooms, all 6 years and under. What has worked for me is I keep the door open, lights off, they each get a few maybe 2 little toys that dont make noise. I use the super nanny approach kind of. They get one warning to be quiet and if I have to come in again then I will take one toy, and so on until they are all gone...
Some nights they get all the toys taken away some nights they keep them all. It all depends on how tired they are and how roudy they are. I have 3 boys in one room and two girls in the other. Just being consistant seems to work the best, so I would say what ever you decide to just try it for a few weekd before you give up and just make sure to be really consistant. Good luck!
W.
My older two girls (5.5 and 3.5) have been in the same room for about two years now. The younger wasn't even two when she needed to give up her crib so I admit there was about 4 months of being in the room while they went to sleep so that cut down on the chitter chatter. And then after that I would just have to threaten to take things away.(Or what ever their soft spot is.) Now they're great--so hang in there.
My girls are 13 months apart and they also shared a room until they were about 9 and 8. when they were toddlers and had beds side by side, I had a problem with them falling asleep because they would talk and goof around even after I put them down and did our nighttime routine.
What worked for me was....literally sitting on a chair outside of their room and stopping ANY talk that I would hear. It scared them to know I was right outside and that I meant business. I wouldn't leave until they went to sleep.
I gave them about 15 minutes before bed to fool around, but then when it was lights out, I meant business. They knew I would catch their every move so they pretty quickly calmed down and couldn't help but sleep since I wouldn't let them talk. It took about a week or so of doing that, but then they just got in the routine of 15 minutes to play...then it was lights out. If I had problems here and there after, I just warned them that if they didn't they would have something taken away the next day because they wouldn't be able to handle it without sleep...or I reverted to sitting outside their door again....it even works now at 11 and 12 when they have sleepovers and they are up to late with their friends. I stand outside their (my kid & their friends) door and tell them to be quiet...they can't help but to be quiet and settle down because they know I'm right outside the door and won't leave till they are.
hope it helps
T. mom to 3 girls...12,11, and 7.
My 2 girls also share a room and they are almost 4 and just turned 1. I put them to bed at the same time and I keep the room dark - no night light, pull the shade, etc. I also run a small fan in the room to drown out the noise. It has worked well. My 4 year old gets up occasionally to ask for a drink or something, but usually the pure darkness keeps her in her bed. The 1 year old is still so young, though, so maybe my luck's about to change...Good luck!
My girls are exactly three years apart and still share a room and they are now 11 and 13! I never really had a big problem. I would yell upstairs for them to be quiet a few times and they would go to sleep. I am super strict though and my kids know when mom yells she means business! ha! ha!!! Hang in there! I still have to tell them to be quiet some days but it is proven they'll have a close bond with sharing a room. So just keep that in mind when they are messing around! LOL!! Good luck!
Mom to four great kids.
I don't know if this will work since your girls are older but I put my two girls to bed together and leave the light on until they fall asleep. They know if there is too much noise I will turn the light off or separate them. It sometimes takes a while but they eventually fall asleep.
I have one word - CONSISTENCY!!!! I used to put my 2 year old granddaughter to bed at 8:30, and she'd fall asleep almost immediately every night. Then I'd put my 4 year old down, and she was usually pretty good. Usually. Then the 2 year old started staying awake till 9:00, then 9:15..... and I knew I had to do something different. So for the past maybe 2 months, they've been going to bed at 7:50 (my goal is that I'm out of the room no later than 8:00), and initially, the 4 year old would come out of her room a thousand times, for a thousand and one different reasons. So I had to be firm. I agree with Traci B's comment - it was pure h@%% at first. But it gets better and better with time. Usually, I don't hear anything after about 8:40, which is fine, that's close enough to the 8:30 bedtime that the 2 year old had initially. Last night, I didn't hear anything after about 8:10!!! I leave the lights on, and when they're done "reading", the 4 year old turns them off. Sometimes she still comes out to go potty one last time, and sometimes she comes out just to see how far her boundaries are, but overall, it's been really good.
Good luck to you!
A., I don't really have any real life suggestions, but I suspect there will be lots of recommendations for the top sleep books right now. I do however, want to say that reading your post, exhausted me! I don't know HOW YOU DO IT!! God Bless you... I hope you get lots of MUCH deserved recognition for Mother's Day - you rock mommy!
If you don't hear it enough, you just let me know and I will sing your praises...
Good luck!
My kids share a room too (they are 5 and 3). Back in September, we started putting them to bed at the same time and I have to be honest, it was about 2 months of pure he@#$@!! It was mostly my 3 year old that was causing the problems at that point. She would get out of bed, throw her stuffed animals on the floor, pile up pillows on her brother's bed and climb on top of him. It was awful! Then, we cut out her naps and she has been great most of the time since. Is your 3 year old still napping? If so, you should try that.
Otherwise, find something that is meaningful to them and start sticker charts to earn stuff. With my 5 year old, he got a sticker every time he went to bed nicely without coming out to stall. At the end of each week, we counted his stickers and he got a quarter to put in his piggy bank for each sticker he had. Then, after 10 straight days of stickers, I told him he could take out the money and we'd go shopping for him to pick out something special. If he had 10 more straight days, I told him he could keep his money in his piggy bank and use my money. It worked like a charm! He somehow had in his mind that he wanted to go up to the top of the Sears Tower. So, after his 20 days of stickers, he and mommy got a special day together, going downtown on a train to the Sears Tower.
Whatever happens, I wish you lots of luck!
