Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

Multiple births

When do you start showing with twins? What is life with twins like? Join the conversation on our Multiple Births forum.

Splitting twins up into their own rooms?

9 replies

plj · 13/01/2009 16:04

We will be moving house soon hopefully and DP and I are considering giving my DD and DS their own rooms. My MIL is absolutely shocked at this idea. She says it is too soon to split them up. They are 9 months old at the moment and in same room. What does anyone think?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
duckyfuzz · 13/01/2009 21:00

I wouldn't do it at 9 months. We have the room to split ours up and tried it when they were 3 but they only lasted a couple of weeks, they are now 5 and still together, with a playroom in the other bedroom as they share so many toys.

whoingodsnameami · 13/01/2009 21:04

Ooooh, I think as its inevitable they will be in seperate rooms one day, the sooner the better, my dts are 5, and I know if I tried to split them up now there would be hell on, but they are both girls so not important, but Had I had room to seperate them when they were babies I would have done.

OptimistS · 13/01/2009 21:16

Mine went into separate rooms at 12 months. I always felt that I wanted my baby in the same room as me for the first year, and that didn't change when I found out I was having twins. I never intended to co-sleep, but found that I was and I actually liked it.

We still co-sleep for part of the night, but they go to bed in their own separate rooms. They wake up sometime between 12 and 3 normally, and then they get up and wander in of their own accord.

Mine made the transition to separate rooms completely painlessly. I was really quite worried about how it would affect them, but they didn't even seem to notice. In fact, by DD, who'd been waking several times throughout the evening and night and needed resettling, suddenly started sleeping through when I separated them. My DS snores quite badly, so he was obviously disturbing her.

Needless to say, they are now 2 (this saturday ) and are still getting in bed with me at some point during the night.

I read somewhere that there are optimum ages to split twins, whether that's at school, sleeping arrangements, or whatever. Apparently, you need to do it while they're very young or wait til they're a fair bit older. That said, every child is different and what works for one set of twins might not work for another.

I'd say go for it. If it doesn't work out and they scream the place down, then they're obviously not ready for it and you can put them back together in the same room, no harm done.

kdk · 13/01/2009 21:21

I split my b/g twins - with some reluctance I must add - soon after they changed to toddler beds as they were getting out of bed and mucking about for ages every bedtime.

They sometimes ask if they can share again but also like having their own room so you could always try and see how it goes separating them and move them back together if they hate it.

plj · 13/01/2009 21:49

My main reason for considering splitting them up, is DS is constantly waking DD up during the night. DD would probably sleep all night if she had peace. Even when they were very young, they slept sepeartely, as their sleeping habits and routines were so different. They never settled well in the same crib.

OP posts:
2toddlersandme · 14/01/2009 18:55

I've had mine in separate rooms for the last 2 months (they are 2.6) and they sleep SO much better. DD just needs more sleep than ds and have realised she was overtired a lot of the time when they were sleeping together. When they came out of their cots they just wouldn't settle together v well and were up playing and singing.

I'm sure it completely depends on the twins.

And your message reminded me plj that when they were first born they were put in the same cot in hospital, but the midwife separated them after a day because 'it just wasn't working' .

neverknowinglyunderdressed · 05/02/2009 19:58

Separated mine when the went into cot beds at about 18 months. No trouble over it. Think as they got older they really appreciated THEIR room, with THEIR own stuff in it. With twins its easy to forget they dont have much to themselves, (in my two's case not even thir looks!)so its great for them to have a room and choose all the stuff in it to express their unique personality!

idobelieveinfairies · 10/02/2009 13:30

I have just split mine at the age of 7 (boys)..didn't have to as there are many combinations of children/rooms here but they are getting split at school for the first time and the not-so confident twin was having problems..decided to split at home too and it has made a huge difference to his confidence. Theya re both very happy to be apart from each other.

So i would recommend it at a young age so they are used to it.

neenztwinz · 15/02/2009 20:57

I separated mine when they no longer fitted in one cot (about three months old I think).

At first it was by accident as the other cot was in the spare bedroom, we planned to move the two cots into the same room but it worked so well having them apart (ie the didn't wake each other) that we just kept it like that.

They don't seem to mind.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page