Sharing a room

[mnahmnah]

Hi. Our DS will be five when our next one arrives, also a boy. We live in a two bed house and planned to move for another bedroom, but circumstances have changed so moving is not an option at the moment. Our house has plenty of space in other ways, it's just that our boys will have to share. I know lots of people have their kiddies sharing, but usually with a smaller age gap.

I'm concerned if it will work with a small baby and a five year old. Anyone else done this? Our DS is a great sleeper, nothing much wakes him up. He's excited about having a little brother and likes the idea of sharing. Obviously baby will be in with us until 3 months. Just looking for some reassurance really!

Thanks all!

Our youngest two share (7 and 5) but have been doing it since they were under 1 and 3 - I know thats a smaller age gap, but ds2 (7) is a great sleeper and ds3 (5) is not, so it has had its challenges.

The best thing that we found recently was to get a tunnel tent from Ikea for ds2 as he likes to sleep in a darker room and ds3 likes it lighter, so the tunnel tent for his bunk makes it a bit darker, and gives him a little more of his own territory.

I guess it will depend on how good a sleeper your new baby is - maybe if they wake lots, they may end up staying in your room longer?

Ours share, 5.5 yr age gap. It was fine for most of the first year, as baby was in with me. My now 8 yr old does resent it a bit. It's mostly the youngests toys that are in their bedroom, so it is a little babyish. Hopefully that'll be short lived.

Mine will have to share for the next few years at least, there's no option at all to move house. They'll just have to deal with it really! One thing I am doing is making a space elsewhere in the house for the eldest to escape to, somewhere for his lego and games, and to do homework.

Thanks, good to know. We hope to move in the next couple of years, so when they're older they will have their own space. We also have a delegate playroom downstairs, so toys in their room isn't such an issue. It's a decent size room, space isn't the issue. Just whether we're being totally unrealistic or not! Our friends look at us with that 'really?!' expression a lot!

Separate, not delegate!

9 yo and 2 yo DS's share and get on quite happily. DS2 was a terrible sleeper so didn't actually put them in together until DS2 was sleeping through most nights as DS1 had school and it wouldn't have been fair to disrupt his sleep.
Now they have bunk beds and get on really well, no issues with sharing. In fact DD announced she wants a new sister so she can share too (not happening )

Great! Thanks. Kind of banking on this one sleeping through early on. DS did from 4 months. Don't really want to have to put up the big cot in our room!

mnahmnah I hope this one does too! Our DD was a good wee sleeper until teething started, she really suffered and it was awful! Both boys were terrible sleepers, yet now I can't get them out of bed without a fight in the morning

Works for ours who are currently 5.5 and 2.0. They've been in together about 6 months, and love it! We didn't move them in together till the baby was reliably sleeping through, though. Until then the baby was in our room.

Only issue is I fell slightly sad for the big girl when I can hear the little one messing about before going to sleep. Quite often hear "no, LittleSister, it's not playing time, I need my sleep" through the monitor. It's usually for no more than air 10 minutes though. And I think the little one often wakes her earlier than she would like in the morning. But we're talking 7.00 rather than 7.30, nothing extreme.

It's lovely hearing them playing together in the morning, especially the big one reading stories to the little one. Warms the cockles of my heart, it does. We actually have a spare (box) room, but I think it's lovely for them to share.