Having siblings share a bedroom is a custom long-shared, but it can come with its own set of challenges. Specifically, bedtime and sleeping, in general, can be trickier to navigate when two children are sleeping in one room—if you’re not careful, they may treat each night like a sleepover and stay up late into the night talking and playing with each other.
While sharing a bedroom offers a special sort of bond, it’s important that sleep does not get put on the back burner. To ensure this, there are tricks that parents can implement to help their kids maintain their sleep so that all those in the room sleep soundly through the night.
Bedtime Struggles with Room Sharing
While sharing a bedroom allows kids to bond and find comfort in their sibling’s consistent presence, there can be some struggles that come with room sharing.
The first problem centers around bedtime and falling asleep. With two kids in the room, it’s all too easy for bedtime to fall further and further back, which can lead to inadequate sleep and behavioral problems the next day. If your children are school-age, this could seep into their school day and hinder their academic performance.
Not only can kids stretch their bedtime routine in an attempt to stay awake longer—a task easily egged on with encouragement from their sibling—but they may also remain awake even when you say goodnight to them, chatting and playing amongst themselves long after they should be asleep.
Additionally, distractions during the night can be more common when children share a room, which can cause disrupted sleep and may then result in them waking up (and staying awake) during the middle of the night. Furthermore, if they have differing sleep times, when one wakes in the morning, it may wake the other, as well, impeding their sleep.
During the night, your children must understand they are meant to be sleeping; adopting certain tips and tricks can help to ensure everyone gets enough sleep at night.
Tips for Bedtime When Kids Share a Room
If your kids share a room, you need to be a bit strategic in your bedtime routine; the following are some tips to help make nighttime go more smoothly.
Follow One Bedtime Routine
Rather than have separate routines for each kid, combine them all into one. This will help your night go smoother and allow your kids time to unwind together.
Combining all bedtime routines also helps to maximize your time in the evening so that you aren’t feeling rushed as you put your children to bed, a feeling that can produce stress or irritation if your child is taking too long. Even if you don’t intend to do so, these feelings can be picked up by your child and then affect their mood as they go to bed.
Following one bedtime routine maximizes your time so that you can enjoy the process of preparing your child for bed, treasuring the last few moments together before they drift off to sleep.
Stagger Bedtimes
While it helps to follow one bedtime routine, if your children have a hard time falling asleep because all they want to do is chat, it may be helpful to stagger their bedtimes. Not only does this give each child the time to fall asleep, but it also gives you some 1:1 time with the child who goes to bed later, who is likely to be the older one. While the first child falls asleep, let the second have an extended bedtime routine. Read a few extra books or sing some songs together to pass the time.
Have Independent Sleepers
While this isn’t a must—sometimes you will need to have your kids share a room before they reach this point—having independent sleepers can make things a lot easier. Specifically, children who sleep through the entire night and don’t wake up will be less likely to disturb their siblings.
Separate The Crib And/Or Beds
Whether you have a crib and a bed or two beds, try to keep them as separate as possible. While for older kids, this helps them to set boundaries, for kids of all ages, having the beds and/or cribs separated lessens their odds of disturbing each other while they should be sleeping.
Use a Sound Machine
A sound machine can help drown out noises during the night. Whether it’s a sibling shifting in their sleep or sleeptalking, a sound machine can help lessen the odds of the other sibling being awoken. Additionally, if one child wakes up earlier than the other, the sound machine can help the later sleeper remain asleep as the other rises.
Child Proof the Room
While the goal for bedtime is to have your child sleep through the night, there’s always a chance that they will wake up in the middle of the night or early in the morning. When this happens, it’s crucial that furniture in the room is safely secured to the walls, that windows are locked, and that outlets are covered.
The Benefits of Room Sharing
While there are undoubtedly challenges that can come from room sharing, there are also many benefits to it beyond opening up some space in your house. Most importantly, sharing a room allows your kids to spend some quality time together, which helps them forge bonds with someone who understands their life in a way few others can manage. This feeling of connection can be immensely soothing, further increasing their ability to fall asleep.
If your child is younger, having a sibling in the room can also serve as a comfort for them, especially if they wake during the night from a bad dream. When they can immediately tell that they’re not alone, they can quell their fears and feel safe enough to return to sleep.
The key to seeing these benefits, however, lies in implementing the above tips, such as following one routine yet staggering bedtimes, keeping the beds apart, and utilizing sound machines to minimize nighttime interruptions. Once you initiate these tips, bedtime will start to go smoother, leading to greater sleep for all.
Remember that there will be an adjustment period if your kids are just starting to share a room, as it is likely to be an exciting time for them, but by staying consistent with your expectations, it will soon smooth out.
