Sibling sleeping arrangements
Betsy of Fluffy Windover's Diary discusses sleep arrangements when her newest baby arrives in this week's Toddler Thursday:
Our house is small (I’m pretty sure the listing said “cozy bungalow”, though it should have said “really tiny house”.) We have three bedrooms, but because of office/guestroom needs, our children will be sharing a room eventually. Turns out we are having another boy, so hopefully that makes things a little easier. I don’t imagine this would happen until the new baby is a year old or so; I wouldn’t feel comfortable putting a young infant in with a toddler. We’re planning to have the new baby stay in our room for most of the first year (not ideal, but Edwin was in our room for about 10 months and everyone survived [sort of]).
It seems to me like it could get complicated with naps, differing bedtimes, etc, but I’m sure families do it all the time. I’d like to know your experience – did your toddler and younger child share a room? How did bedtimes/nap schedules work out? Did your toddler enjoy the company, or feel resentful for the intrusion?
Comments
Mine shared and continue to share. One girl and one boy, a little over 2 years apart.
For the most part, it works out fine. It was actually pretty easy when the younger one was a baby. I was worried the baby's crying would wake my son, but growing up in the city means my kids can sleep through a tornado.
Sometimes bedtime is rough because they won't stop talking and playing. But they are also very close and hate it when they have to be separated.
As they have gotten older, we've had to be sure that each kid gets alone time in the room when they need it, and they have learned to respect each other's space.
Posted by: Kayris | April 14, 2011 8:08 AM
i have a 7 yr old and a 3 yr old that share a room and have since the younger was about 6 months old. they enjoy each others company and the older one regularly reads the younger one to sleep.
we just put them to bed about the same time and naps aren't an issue during the school year but in the summer we would just put the baby down in our room for naps and everyone was fine.
Posted by: gabbie | April 14, 2011 11:57 AM
My sons are four years apart and have shared a room since the younger son was about a month old. I love my children dearly, but my husband and I enjoy having our room to ourselves. I wouldn't worry about the older sibling being disturbed if the baby wakes up for a feeding. The sooner the older son realizes that the baby is just as much his brother as he is your son the better off he will be and the less likely he will be upset by the attention the new baby will get.
Posted by: Lisa | April 16, 2011 10:35 PM
My sons, now 15 and 12, have shared a room since the youngest was 6 months old. The first month of this arrangement was, frankly, horrible. When the older one learned to sleep through his brother's nocturnal crying, things became much better. While there are cons to this - the boys fighting over everything, the neat one getting upset because the other is messy - I do believe the pros outweigh them. I have found the younger one snuggled in bed with his brother after a nightmare scared him. I have heard them whispering secrets to each other in the dark. They have learned how to share a small space, something that will help when they get a roommate in a college dorm.
Nap schedules and different bedtimes can be dealt with. I often let the older one nap on the sofa while the baby napped in his crib.
Be patient and understanding for that first month or 2 and everything will fall into place.
Posted by: Leslie S | April 23, 2011 10:11 AM