Maybe you think having a room each for your kids would be ideal, but there are lots of benefits of sharing a bedroom among siblings. Many families have no choice in the matter, but my husband and I choose to have our girls sleep together in the room even though we have another two spare bedrooms in the house. When I was pregnant with my second daughter, the thought had already occurred to move our eldest daughter to her own bedroom. We never could do it before the arrival of the baby – procrastination, no time and many other excuses – so we decided to do it when my youngest was ready to move out of our bedroom.
You may think how on earth we managed to do it, how we handled the crying, and won’t one wake another up when sharing a bedroom? Well, most toddlers usually just sleep through loud noises even when his or her little sibling is crying. That is exactly the case with my eldest. Once she is asleep, she’s in deep sleep until wake up time.
Here are the benefits of sharing a room from our own experience:
1. Comfort
Knowing that her older sister is right there in her bed gives comfort and assurance to sleep better. To a certain extent, they are considered each other’s sleep prop! Also when the lights are off and we leave the room, we can hear my eldest comforting her baby sister “It’s okay adik, let’s go to sleep.” It’s so heartwarming to hear that. Sometimes, my youngest would comfort her elder sister.
2. Time-saving
By this I mean carrying out the bedtime routine starting from having milk, shower, brushing teeth, dressed in pajama, reading three books each, hugs and kisses for the night and lights off – together. They are now at the age where bedtime is the same time so it has been really easy.
When my youngest needed earlier bedtime, it required a little juggling on our part. It was great when both of us were home at the time they went to bed and we could handle one child at a time but admittedly, it’s a lot trickier when I had to do it all by myself.
3. Teamwork
We have a digital clock in their bedroom. So the rule is not to leave the room until the clock shows 6.30 in the morning. My eldest has been quite obedient with the rule and when her sister wakes earlier, she would tell her that it is not time to call out for Mama yet. I think this would help a lot when my youngest is moved to a big girl’s bed in the future.
If your child is still not able to read numbers, a toddler clock that turns to a different color at a preset time would be of great help for your toddler.
4. Better sleepers
When we travel, we hardly face any problem with their sleeping arrangement because they are used to having each others company. As a result, sleeping in a new surrounding and environment doesn’t bother them as much.
5. Extra rooms!
We haven’t fully utilised them yet but we are happy to know that there are extra bedrooms in case we need to use for sleepover guests. One of the rooms is currently used as our study.
How about you? Do your kids share a bedroom? Tell us your story and any additional benefits you have experienced from it.
(Note: This post was originally published in August 2013)
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Sarah Ong is a certified child sleep consultant. Visit Sleep Champ Baby’s website or Facebook page for more tips and advice on good sleeping habits.
