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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

6 months old and 3.5 sharing a room?

33 replies

eastendgirl · 20/04/2006 13:30

I am not even pregnant yet, so just planning ahead. Would you have kids of this age sharing a room? I would worry that my older ds could hurt the baby, he is a gentle child, but you never know...has anybody done it? cannot cope with the idea of having a noisy baby after 6 months, and we only have 2 bedrooms....

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Rhubarb · 20/04/2006 13:34

We had this too. If you only have 2 bedrooms then it's a necessity I'm afraid, what else do you do with them? Mine where this age when they were sharing a room and they are now 5.5 and 2, so far both of them are still in one piece!!!

You could set up the baby alarm if you are doubtful, then you'd hear if your ds tried to jump up and down on the new baby! The only problem we have now is that he still screams and cries at night sometimes and it gives dd a headache.

ruthydd · 20/04/2006 13:34

Absolutely .... if I only had the space. My 4yr old is in the box room and baby (sadly) still in with us. I think it depends how well your older child sleeps but also they seem to be less tuned into a babies cry than adults (in my experience - others may disagree).

Original poster

eastendgirl · 20/04/2006 13:39

My older child sleeps well, I am just afraid that he might do something to the baby, you never know after all...glad to know i am not the only one in a 2 bedder, everybody around here seems to live in huge houses.

OP posts:

jessicaandrebeccasmummy · 20/04/2006 13:42

interested in this. Am considering moving Becky (almost 6 motnhs) into Jessica's room (Jess is 21 months) as we really need Becky's room for other purposes.

Uwila · 20/04/2006 16:07

Mine are 2 years and 2 months apart. They have shared a room since DS was 6 months and DD was 2 1/2(DS could no longer sleep in the office in his moses basket because he was too big for the moses basket and the office is too small for a cot). They are both great sleepers. There have been no problems at all. Although, i think if either was not a great sleeper then it wouldn't work out so well.

purplefraggle · 20/04/2006 19:09

i personally wouldn't go for this. it is unfair to both children. older children should't be disturbed by babies and babies shouldn't have bigger children disturbing them. i know a few people who did this and regretted from the start. if you only have two rooms what can you do but to move them because you need the room for 'other purposes' is not on

expatinscotland · 20/04/2006 19:13

DD2 is going in w/DD1 when she is 6 months. DD1 will be 3. This is a small, two-bed flat and we can't afford anything else, so this is how it has to be.

Most people in the world share bed space w/siblings, so it must have to work.

eastendgirl only has two bedrooms, purple. such is life for many of us. life is anything but fair. the sooner kids learn this, the better off they are, IMO.

Distel · 20/04/2006 19:15

I only have 2 bedrooms and I have a 61/2, 4 and 2 year old sharing a room. I have found it makes them better sleepers as they just block out the noise from an early age.

purplefraggle · 20/04/2006 19:16

was just commenting as have childcare experience. as i said if you only have two rooms thenwhat can you do, i fully appreciate that. but to move them when they already have individual rooms for other purposes is not right

Distel · 20/04/2006 19:17

We are waiting to be moved by a housing association so I know it wont be this way for very long but it is not the end of the world.

tamum · 20/04/2006 19:18

Mine shared a room from this age even though we had several spare. They loved sharing and have only just got their own rooms at 10 and 7, and we had to persuade them to do it. I don't think there's any harm in it at all, and it actually helped ds (the older one) to sleep better as he liked having the company.

expatinscotland · 20/04/2006 20:12

distel
my dad shared with four siblings. yep, five in one room. two boys in a bunk and one on a mattress on the floor. the two girls in another bunk on the other side of the room. w/a sheet for a divider.

he can sleep through ANYTHING. even now. said sleeping in Army barracks was a breeze after sharing w/sisters!

secur · 20/04/2006 20:14

We had this and it worked fine you just need to get your bedtime routine right so as they don't disturb each other.

Original poster

eastendgirl · 20/04/2006 22:33

Great stories, off to tell dp.

OP posts:

Uwila · 21/04/2006 12:04

I think it depends on what your priorities/other purposes are. We have a 4 bedroom house. One bedroom is for DH and I. One bedroom is for the nanny. And one bedroom is a small office. We could boot the nanny, but then one of couldn't go to work. So that's no good. We could give up the office. But, the whole reason we have an office is because it has all the computer related equipment (and their cords!). And these are all locked up in one room for the children's safety. So, it is best that they share a room. I do not feel they are deprived. They are happy children, good sleeper, and love their nanny.

Purple, I'm sorry, but I find your post to be a bit harsh and judgemental.

beckybrastraps · 21/04/2006 12:13

My ds was 2.6 when dd was born and they have shared a room in perfect harmony since she was 7 months. ds never notices is dd cries, or vice versa. They love sharing a room. And dh and I love to hear them chatting away in the morning, as not coming in and jumping on us! Don't be put off by the tone of purplefraggles post. It's not necessarily a making-do option.

horace · 21/04/2006 12:33

Put my dd in with my ds when she was sleeping through the night at 4.5 months. he was 2.6. I had prepared him for this since we had been talking about it for about 6 weeks. This was three months ago and we haven't had a single problem. It works because it has to - we only have two bedrooms too. DS now seems to like arrangement and chats away to his sister when they go to bed.

purplefraggle · 21/04/2006 18:05

uwila - sorry you feel that i am judgemental, however reading other posts do you feel that moving a baby out of a room into their siblings just so you have somewhere to put your craft equipment?? i don't but it seems some mumsnetters do? that was my point

beckybrastraps · 21/04/2006 18:07

But if they're happy, what's the problem?

Greensleeves · 21/04/2006 18:15

My 3yo and 18mo boys share a room because they adore each other and the 3yo asked me to put his brother in with him. We've painted it blue with rainbows, all their toys/boks/little chairs etc are together in there where they can share them, they have their bedtime story together and in the morning ds1 (of his own volition) pulls his chair over and sits next to ds2's cot and reads him stories and passes him toys. I wouldn't split them up now however many rooms we had.

Purplefraggle, you are talking nonsense.

bambi06 · 21/04/2006 18:28

my two have always slept together from birth..theres an 18 mth age gap and my dd moved in with my son when she was about 3 weeks old and even now[6and 5]they like to share a bed and would hate to be separated

Sparklemagic · 21/04/2006 18:31

my brother and I shared from very young and loved it, and I'm sure this is one of the reasons we were so close. It was a lovely childhood experience. I think both of us liked the closeness and company.

Sparklemagic · 21/04/2006 18:34

oh, meant to add that my SIL's kids are kept seperate even if they go to their grandparents to sleep where there's only one spare room! I guess they worry about the kids disturbing eachother but it seems a shame really that the siblings can't rub along together enough to be in the same room (both are over three now so of an age I would think, it's not as if one is waking up for a feed in the night!)

So I'd say don't worry and actually the kids will probably love it.

Until they get a good few years older anyway!

fsmail · 21/04/2006 18:37

My ds at 4 and DD when a baby shared a room for about a year. However, have just moved house and they have their own rooms now. DD was upset but DS was happy to have his power rangers untouched. We knew it could not continue indefinately because of their being boy and girl but would have considered staying that way if both boys.

geogteach · 21/04/2006 19:02

I put DS1 and 2 together, (3 year gap) only reason they are nolonger together is I had to move DD in with DS1 as she won't sleep on her own and this was the recomendation of the HV it has definately worked. I think they definately sleep better together and one friend currently has all 4 of her kids in one room as none of them would sleep alone and 3rd bed room has no room for more than one!

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