Comments on: Sharing a Room: Is It Okay for Brothers and Sisters?

By: Heather

Heather — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:20:53 +0000

I love the idea of two small children playing happily together in one room. Unfortunately, reality is a bit different. My 3 year old and 1 year old on entirely different sleeping schedules. My 1 year old is still waking up 2-3 times a night for a bottle, teething, etc. This interrupts my 3 year daughter sleeping pattern and is visibly exhausted going to preschool the next day. Also, when one is ill there is no separating germs. This leads to more sleepless nights as one gets better the other one gets worse. Also, my daughter is quiet and loves to imagine tea parties and such while my son just consumes his time stealing and knocking her set-up around. I spend most of the day separating them and bed time is a disaster as they stimulate each other to stay up. I am definitely craving a way to allow her a quiet space of her own where she can play (and sleep) peacefully.

By: abcdmom

abcdmom — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 06:20:27 +0000

I, too, have 4 kids. All +/- 2 yrs apart. My eldest daughter is 8, son is 6, daughter is 4, and son is 2. We love the area that we are in. Great school system and safe. It is rare to find a 5 bedroom home where all the rooms are on one floor. It would definitely cost a tremendous amount. We live in a 3 bedroom apartment home (at least 1200 sf). It works for us as of right now. The girls share a room in twin separate beds and so do the boys (in the other room). The rooms are equal in size. Do you think this set up could last or should I start looking for a 6 bedroom home…I’m more into saving the money for their college education, instead…But I also know that puberty is around the corner…

By: Lele

Lele — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:38:52 +0000

My boy and girl share a room. He’s 5 (and six months), and she just turned 4 (a month ago). They are very close and although them sharing a room makes for a loud house, I’m glad they have the opportunity to share their space. They are best friends (at least for now). My sister and I shared a room for 11 years, and although we annoyed one another, it contributed to an ultra close relationship that we still share.

I think that when the kids are different genders, you should start looking into separate rooms when they are around 9 and a half. I think preteen boys/girls need separate rooms from their opposite sex siblings.

By: Amy

Amy — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 00:55:02 +0000

Hi! We are hoping to get our 13 month old back to sleeping well and our 3 year old is hoping to help. Any tips as we move him back into his room (which his baby sister has been in since 6 months old… when we chickened out in the process)

Thanks!

By: Dude_WaitWhat

Dude_WaitWhat — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 18:57:36 +0000

Like you said, their young. What you’re doing is fine.
As an aside, I’m sorry I didn’t realize the hyperlink was to your blog.
D_WW

By: Amanda

Amanda — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 22:24:17 +0000

My younger sister and I shared a room for six months when my family was in a two bedroom apartment between houses. She’s five and a half years younger than me, and both of us are very attached to our private time. I was eleven/twelve and she was six then, and the only real issue that we had with sharing was that she grinds her teeth, which woke me up sometimes. Other than that, we were fine. We had bunk beds, and since I liked the bottom (I could set up a blanket as a curtain to create a private fort in my bed) and she liked the top, it wasn’t at all a difficult experience, despite the age difference.
Amanda´s latest post: The papers, the papers…

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 22:31:56 +0000

Our boys (ages 9 and 7) share a room with their sister (age 4). We own a three bedroom home and we needed extra space for a music room/ nap room (for daycare). They have shared a room since they were little so they don’t know any differently. For us it works. Some people may feel that is weird, but from where my husband comes from it is normal. And it teaches them to be less selfish and more generous with themselves as well as the space!

By: Practically-Post-Spring-Break Home Tour | Purple For Parenting

Practically-Post-Spring-Break Home Tour | Purple For Parenting — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 23:20:22 +0000

[...] We had to cover up a bright, almost electric blue, so it took a primer coat and three coats of the yellow. The pink desk chair from Ikea and some little “wallflowers” from Wallies made the room girly enough for D, but we’re keeping a couple of walls gender-neutral/ready-to-be-made-boyish for when the baby is old enough to move in! D’s actually pretty excited about the idea of sharing her room with baby brother [...]

By: Kit

Kit — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 13:52:15 +0000

Our three kids have always shared, two girls and a boy. Our oldest (the boy) is now 12 and we are about to make another room for him upstairs, but he is only just getting ready to sleep on his own. Up till now he has never wanted to, having been scared of the dark until not long ago. We are only really moving it ahead because puberty is about to hit and we think they should have the option of a bit more privacy and personal space. But the whole sharing thing has been great with very few problems or conflicts and they are all pretty close.
Kit´s latest post: Un-Halloween Costumes

By: T

Mon, 01 Nov 2010 17:06:24 +0000

Late addition to the conversation, but we have a 4y/o son and a 2y/o daughter with another son on the way. For now, we have a seperate rooms for our kids. When the new little man arrives, he will spend time with us and then join his older brother. No worries about it. If we have a 4th, that child will just join in with like-gender.

Best laid plans… I guess you should talk to me once this is actually in place.