Author Topic: 5 YO and 2 YO Need to share room temporarily  (Read 704 times)

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Offline Texomamama

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5 YO and 2 YO Need to share room temporarily
« on: September 02, 2012, 02:30:27 am »
Hi there,

For a 2-3 month period, we will be living in a rental condo and during this time, I am considering having my 5 YO and 2 YO in the same bedroom.  They have never shared a room with each other (or us for that matter), and I am a little worried about the transition in terms of them taking longer to get settled, waking each other up etc.  What I am really worried about, however, is if the 2 YO will get used to this and have a tough time going back to sleeping on her own.

Anyone have any experience with a temporary room share?  Is it easy to go back to being alone?

The condo does have a 3rd bedroom, but it is a loft sytle with no door, and I figured it would be too noisy with all the sounds from the living areas below.

Any ideas on the best of these two options?  TIA

Offline Texomamama

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Re: 5 YO and 2 YO Need to share room temporarily
« Reply #1 on: September 02, 2012, 02:32:44 am »
Forgot to mention other changes as well.  2 YO is currently in a crib/cot (and bvery happy), but the condo is fully furnished, and there is a queen sized bed in there, so 2 YO is also going to a BGB (at least temporarily).

DH thinks they should share the same bed.  I think this is too distracting and want to buy a twin mattress and just put it on the floor for less distraction, not to mention safety.

Offline Jaime

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Re: 5 YO and 2 YO Need to share room temporarily
« Reply #2 on: September 03, 2012, 13:45:36 pm »
mine have done temporary sharing while on vacation (at the ILs, so 'time away from home' may be a better description!)  At that age, the same bed would have been a disaster.... when the younger one was around 5YO it started working better.  ;)

As it was, they each had their own twin mattress smashed into a tiny bedroom, and it absolutely took a longer time for them to settle down at first.  it was just so exciting!  new place, new beds, new people in the room...

we tried a couple of things; they both worked.  when the kids were REALLY little, I would simply sit in the room like a policeman and we did some Gradual Withdrawal...after we did the bedtime routine and put them in bed, we turned off the lights (except for nightlight), and I sat in a deskchair until they fell asleep.  If someone popped up, I (silently) returned them to bed.  If someone tried to talk to the other, I simply shhhed them.  after a few days, I could wait outside the room & listen to them, and they fell asleep pretty easily.  I went in as necessary to remind them to be quiet, but it was pretty smooth after that.  both my kids are deep sleepers, and they never disturbed one another in the night.  I do, however, have an early riser, and we had to talk about what she could do in the morning, because all she wanted to do was wake her brother up & play with him.  that was a much longer adjustment.  ;)

when they got older, we would put one of them to bed in their room, and one to bed in our room.  then we'd move the kid in our room to her own bed.  since you are looking at a longer term of time, that might not be the best idea for you. 

Jaime
~~~
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