Sharing Room & Bedtimes with 8MO & Almost 3YO

I have two boys and two girls (the boys share and the girls share) so I have done this twice now. Here is what works best for me. I give the older one something to do for about 15 minutes while I put the baby down first (about an hour before the older one's bedtime). Then I do the PJs, teethbrushing, and book reading in my room with the older ones. Then I announce bedtime, take them to their beds, tuck them in, say prayers and walk out.

So far it has worked like a charm.

Good luck to you

We put our kiddos in the same room when the baby was 12 months and his older brother was almost 2.5. We are LUCKY **knock on wood**. They can both nap going down at different times, and fall asleep going down at different times. I think the key was that they both were able to put themselves to sleep before we shared the room.

We do try to have them go to bed at the same time, as it is much easier for me. But sometimes it just doesn't work that way.

Again, if they can both put themselves to sleep w/o much intervention from you I think it will be much easier.

My son was around this age when sister was born. The crib was always in the same room with him and when she was about 5 months I put her in the crib. Bedtime routines were similar except she went down first and he was able to stay up a little longer and then went to bed. They shared a room for three years before we moved and they each got their own room. It's just an age when it doesn't bother them to share space.

Good luck with your moving daughter in with brother. She may cry a little because she is not use to the room but she will be fine.

The other S.

We only have 2 bedrooms in our house and our kids (girl almost 6 & boy 2 1/2) have shared since he was 6 weeks old. (We moved him from the basinet to his crib.) We did our routine a bit different since I was nursing him. We'd do baths, brush teeth, read stories, have prayers, and then tuck her in. I'd then take the baby in the family room & nurse him once more. Then, while he was still awake, I'd put him in his crib. She was still napping for the first 8 or so months of his life. I'd put them down for a nap (his afternoon nap) at the same time. She'd wake up after an hour or so, come out & quietly close the door. He'd wake up after another hour or so had passed. Once he was 15 months & I wasn't nursing, we'd do the same routine, except that we'd rock with him for about 15-20 minutes before putting him in his crib (still awake). That would give my daughter time to relax & fall asleep before we put him in. After he turned 2, we do the same bedtime routine (still bathing together), except that now we put them down at the same time. Sometimes they stay up chatting & giggling, but for the most part, she falls asleep within 10 minutes, and he's out in about 20 minutes. We're going to get bunkbeds when he turns 3 (knock on wood, he hasn't tried to climb out of his crib yet!). I'd do seperate beds since I'm not too fond of changing sheets on bunkbeds, but there's no room for 2 twin beds in their room. I've asked my daughter numerous times if she wants her own room (someday we'll move into a bigger house), but her answer is always a very firm "NO!" ** I've thought of recording that on video and showing it to her someday when she thinks her little bro is a pain. :-) ** They love sharing a room. So far it has worked out fabulous for our family.

Keep the routines as close to the same as you can. Kids thrive on routines. I think it makes them feel safer & more content when they know what is coming next. Oh, and we don't give the kids baths every night. We have REALLY hard water, and our kids have pretty dry skin, so baths every other night work well for us (unless it is summer & they've been playing in the sandbox, or getting really dirty.) It will get easier for baths when your daughter gets older & can "play" more in the bath with her brother. Good luck!

Shellie

When my kids were that age, we would go through the routine of bath etc. and then read to the older one and let the younger one play for a while. Once the older one was tucked in, I would get the baby a last feeding and he would fall asleep before I stuck him in the crib for the night. By that time the older one was already asleep and we didn't have too much problem. My kids are now 8 and 4 and still share a room. In fact my son would not want to sleep alone.

My kids are 2 years apart and share a room. I've always made their bedtimes at the same time, and it was easier that way. Bathtime, reading time, and tuck-in all at the same time. We didn't move our son into his sister's room until he was two, though, so I'm not sure how it would work for the younger ones. But you could always try putting them to bed at the same time and just see how it works. Good luck! :-)

I'm hoping that you're going to get more responses because I'm in the same boat. My son is soon to turn 3 and we've got a 6 month old girl in a co-sleeper next to our bed for the time being. We've got neighbors whose son (9) & daughter (6) have been sharing a room for years and it has worked out really well for them. Following their lead we've gotten bunk beds for the kids room (there's also a crib of course). But I'm not sure when and how to make the transition. I figure that I'll have to put them in separate rooms for naps. I don't know how my son is going to manage sleeping through his sister crying to be fed or changed several times a night, much less how to put them both down when she's sure to cry. I guess that we'll both find out soon enough. Good luck!