Shared rooms: pros and cons

March 18, 2015

Wow! When was the last time I posted? I hardly even remember. It feels like forever. I’ve finally got the bulk of my orders finished and mailed off *fist pump!* and have some time for a blog post! It’s good to be back.

Shortly after Alexa was born and happily settled into her little nursery, Chelsea started waking up in the night and coming to our room to sleep. Not long after that, the naps started to go downhill, too. Andrew didn’t mind Chelsea coming in to sleep with us, but I am NOT a co-sleeper (nothing wrong with it, it’s just not for me).

After weeks of this, and just before I would put Chelsea down for a nap in her room one day, it hit me that maybe Chelsea didn’t like to be alone in her room. So I asked her.

“Chelsea. Would you like to nap here in Alexa’s room?”

And so began our experience with shared rooms.

Of course I had some concerns about the girls sharing a room together (a baby that wakes up screaming and crying in the night being one of them), but I tried it anyway and have a learned a few nuggets of wisdom that I’d love to pass on to anyone else seeking advice/opinions.

So here’s my list:

shared rooms

Shared rooms – Cons

if either of your kiddos is a light sleeper you’re in a world of trouble

even if they’re a heavy sleeper, one can only handle screaming and crying for so long before they wake up, so the “crying-it-out” method is not really an option

naptime is a little more complicated. alexa usually takes her naps on our bed, but now that she’s crawling, we may have to try something else

if i need anything for one kiddo in their room and the other is asleep, i either have to tip toe in there quietly to get it or wait for them to wake up

if yours are social, putting them to bed together (at the same time) just won’t work

and you also run the risk of an excited, “morning-person” toddler who just can’t wait to say hello to little sister

 

 

Shared rooms – Pros

they give each other comfort knowing that someone else is there

having them together just makes me feel better, too

it frees up another room in your house

getting both little ones ready for the day and ready for bed is a little easier

less travel time from room to room, child to child

messes are contained to one room instead of two

the amount of sister-ly bonding that goes on in there is absolutely priceless

 

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In the end, you just have to weigh and prioritize what’s most important to you and what your littles (and man) can handle. For us, it’s more important to be able to get a full night’s sleep without being interrupted by a third sleeping partner, Chelsea isn’t really bothered by Alexa’s crying, and the sister-ly bonding is adorable, so it works well to have our girls room together.

 

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What have you noticed works well for your little ones? Have you tried shared rooms? How did it go?

xoxo!

4 comments

  1. Haha I love this! And I'm not a co sleeper either. Luke can sleep like a rock when Charlotte sleeps with us, but I am awake all night.

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  2. I vote for shared rooms! Good post, Susan.

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  3. My kids have all had their own room when they're a baby until the next baby has come along (so until they're around 2). Then they get bumped in with their siblings. It has always worked really well for us! Of course it's a little silly now to have the tiniest person in the house be the only one with their own room while the other 6 are split between 2 bedrooms!!

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  4. My kids have all had their own room when they're a baby until the next baby has come along (so until they're around 2). Then they get bumped in with their siblings. It has always worked really well for us! Of course it's a little silly now to have the tiniest person in the house be the only one with their own room while the other 6 are split between 2 bedrooms!!

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