For those with 2 or more children

SFAug07

How did you set your kids' room(s) up? Sarah has a really big attic (500 sft) that's the perfect kids room, carpeted, lots of light, etc. Since it's so big, I hope we can set up the new baby in her room too. If your kids share a room, when did they start sharing it? Did the younger one wake the older at night? Sarah was in her own room right after birth but now I am wondering if we need to take the new baby into our room until he/she sleeps through the night. 

gimmietimmies

We're going looking at houses tomorrow to rectify our lack of space problems!! Right now L and T have their own rooms (small, 9'x10'). The little girls are sharing our old master bedroom, but that's too small for the three of them (13'x14'). Right now the two beds are set up as toddler size, and I am going to set the crib up there as well. There are two tall dressers as well, so there is not going to be much space to walk in there. Until we move, we're going to switch rooms with them (15'x18'), but we're also redoing the floor (carpet to hardwood) and painting so we can list.

The baby is with us, she's started sleeping through the night so she'll be in with them soon. The E & K started rooming together when K was sleeping through the night - E is a horrible sleeper, and wakes up for any noise (a bomb could go off next to the others and they wouldn't notice). The room sharing isn't working for them any more, but that could also be because there isn't any place for them to go that's theirs and just be alone. Personality wise, T & K should be together and E & S would work, but the age difference makes it not workable (privacy, bed times, naps, etc.)

We have friends with 6 kids and 5 kids, the 6 have their twins (3 yrs) in a room, works awesome, the boys get along great. I could see it not working with their 5 year old brother, he's the instigator. The other with 5 have the 3 boys in the room, one bunk and a single bed. They're looking at moving one out into his own room because it's causing conflict. Their 4 year old daughter is by herself at the moment, their 8 month old daughter is still rooming with them - she's decided sleeping through the night is for sissies.

Sorry this is so long!! I guess my point is, wait till the baby has a solid sleep schedule so Sarah gets in solid sleeps and isn't cranky, and try out the room sharing. It may work, it may not. S is nearly 3 months, and she'll be in "her" room by the weekend. 3 months is not really long. The only thing that I'm on watch for is my terrible two waking the baby when she's sleeping. They're notorious for stuff like that. Or conspiring to have Sharpie murals in hidden places. Hopefully not on the baby! HTH!

gimmietimmies

Holy mackeral!! Did I ever ramble.....no more R&C while posting...

ateytelb

My kids are in separate rooms.

Sassystace

My kids are in separate rooms. I don't get enough sleep as it is and wouldn't want to risk them waking each other up. I think keeping the baby in with you till he/she sttn might work as long as they turn out to both be good sleepers (when you put them in the same room) and on similar sleep schedules.

rsd12

My older boys (22 months apart) share a room.  We put them together when Liam was 6 months old.  I would have done it earlier if I realized how easy it was for them ; )  Liam slept in our room till 4 months & he had his own room for about 2 months - but he never woke Owen up even when he was not sleeping thru the night (he still does not).  We have a small cape, so even if you have your own room you can still here screaming from the other bedroom upstairs!  & we were traveling over the summer so figured it would be good to get them use to sharing space & we were considering having another so thought we would give it a try. 

Since Owen sleeps really really well, nothing usually wakes him up.  One night Liam was up at 1 am screaming & did not wake up Owen, & O woke up a couple of hours & his screaming did not wake Liam.  That is how my boys roll ; ) They are very rarely up at the same time.  Now they just come find us & they have never woken each other up in the morning.  Guess we have been pretty lucky.

I was thinking about putting all three boys in the same room (they have a huge bedroom), but I definitely missed the boat on this one.  I will have to wait longer now.  This summer Keegan would just sit up & laugh at his brothers & there was not much sleep going on (we were traveling again).

I would say give it a try, they really do get use to each others sounds.  But it might be hard in the beginning.

bklynbridecesh

DS is 6 months and is starting to sleep 12 hours a night.  Once he consistently sleeps for 12 hours without waking for one week straight, we will move him from our bedroom into DD's room, which is small, but I shared the same room with my sister in the same house when I was little and it was fine. 

SFAug07

Thanks for all the experience and advice, this really helps!

LyndaCarter

The girls are in separate rooms. If we only had the one bedroom for both girls I would have the baby in our room until she's sleeping through the entire night.

mwd

We have both children in one room, which is tiny (10 X 11) DD has been in there with DS since she came home from the hospital, we just use a monitor and go get her.  BUT, we don't put them to bed at the same time, which I think helps.  DD goes in there after DS is asleep. 

Ask me about again when we have to CIO, I'll probably be a basket case.

SFAug07

mwd:

We have both children in one room, which is tiny (10 X 11) DD has been in there with DS since she came home from the hospital, we just use a monitor and go get her.  BUT, we don't put them to bed at the same time, which I think helps.  DD goes in there after DS is asleep. 

Ask me about again when we have to CIO, I'll probably be a basket case.

That's really encouring (not the part about being a basket case but the rest). We might try the same with the kids. We always use a monitor already. I think it really helped DD become an awesome sleeper that she was in her own room in her crib since she came home from the hospital. She loves her crib and doesn't mind being in it or in her room at all. I would really like to try the same thing for the new baby, not have him/her sleep in our room for a few months.

AGmomof3

All three of my kids have separate rooms.  The 10 year old and 7 year old have had separate rooms for years - we tried them together, but one's a night-owl and the other a morning bird!  Now with the new baby we lost the guest room.  I guess it really depends on your house and your kids.

Good luck.