Siblings Sharing a Room
Whether parents need their children to share a room for lack of space, or they want to promote sibling bonding, getting their kids to share a room can feel quite a challenge. No one knows the value of sleep like the parents of young children. With young kids sharing a room, sleep here is like a flawless diamond – precious and rare!
There are some things parents can do to make the transition to a shared space a bit smoother, and a little less stressful.
Consider: Safety First.
Babies are so tempting. They are cuddly and cute, and to a toddler who doesn’t know better, they’re easily harmed. Newborns should probably only share a room with mom and dad, until they are old enough to sleep safely in a room with a trouble-making toddler. Not that your toddler is ill-intended, but any piece of food or small toy slipped through the crib rails is a potential choking hazard and just not worth the risk! There’s even the chance that big brother or big sister would try and climb in the crib to calm a crying baby and end up unintentionally landing on top of the tiny one.
So, as tempting as it sounds to have their own space back and having toddler and baby share a room, parents should make sure about the baby’s safety!
Implement Staggered Bedtimes.
Giggle, giggle, step, step – crash! “Who’s out of bed?!” These are the typical nighttime sounds at homes with small kids. With several of them in one room, anytime is playtime – or quarrel time!
Children do tend to play and giggle together when they should be sleeping. If it’s minimal and they quickly fall to sleep, fine. But when it lasts for a longer time and becomes inhibiting to one or both of them getting a sufficient amount of sleep, parents may consider staggering their bedtimes. One of them (likely the younger of the two) may be sent to bed 10 to 15 minutes before the second child. This way, she has time to wind down and fall asleep – or almost – before her sibling comes to bed. Parents can use the later bedtime as an incentive for the older child to go to bed quietly when entering the room.
Plan Ahead.
Some moms don’t want to room kids together because one likes to sleep longer while the other is up with the sun. So, for the little early birds, their bed may be put closer to the bedroom door. When one of them wakes up, he may be allowed to quietly leave the room without waking up his sibling. Parents may let the kids set out their clothes the night before, so that one of them isn’t opening dresser drawers and rifling through the room while the other is still asleep.
Taking it further, the door hinges shall be oiled and the bottom of the door filed, so there aren’t any loud noises when entering or exiting the room.
Use White Noise.
Some children, while still babies, have learned how to put themselves to sleep by listening to white noise. Now it’s just a great way of muting other loud sounds in the room. Whether it’s a snoring or coughing brother or sister, or a lightning storm, white noise can help kids fall asleep and stay asleep, no matter what’s going on around them.
Parents can use a fan or an air purifier. White noise machines are even sold at stores, for the very purpose of making people fall asleep! Air purifiers also make a sound that gives off a protective feel.
Be Consistent.
Just like any change, moving kids into the same room is going to be an adjustment. Parents must decide ahead of time what they want the ground rules to be, and be clear about their expectations with their kids. If parents backpedal and give in, kids are good at sensing this and testing the boundaries. If they got away with something once, parents better believe they’ll try and do it again!