The simple answer: any age, but I recommend waiting until the youngest is at LEAST 2.5 years old (sleep regressions before then happen almost every 6 months, yikes!). If you decide to move your children into the same room, read the below and follow the steps, and manage your own expectations.
It's also convenient for you, because your baby will probably wake for a feed several times a night in her first few months. After six months, there's no problem with your baby and your toddler sharing a room, provided that they both sleep well.
When can my toddler and baby start sharing a room? Ideally, you'd want to wait until your baby hits the 6-month mark. Before then, try to keep your newborn's crib or bassinet in your room if you can. There are a few reasons for this.
Age. In theory, siblings of any age could share a room, but a good time to make the move is when the younger kid is sleeping through the night, so as not to disturb the other child, says Edwards, who runs Wee Bee Dreaming Pediatric Sleep Consulting in Kamloops, BC.
Since well-intentioned toddlers and/or older children may place objects into your baby's crib without you realizing it, here at Huckleberry we recommend holding off on transitioning siblings into the same room until after your youngest child is at least 1 year of age.
The simple answer: any age, but I recommend waiting until the youngest is at LEAST 2.5 years old (sleep regressions before then happen almost every 6 months, yikes!). If you decide to move your children into the same room, read the below and follow the steps, and manage your own expectations.
If children are of the same sex, sharing a room as long as both children are comfortable doing so is just fine. If your children are close and feel comfortable sharing their space and possessions, sharing a room can build a bond that will last a lifetime, so a children's bunk bed may be the perfect option.
Kids Will Be More Empathetic
child and family therapist and parenting expert Joanna Seidel says, “Kids who share a room will learn how to respect each other and develop patience and understanding. This can help children become more caring and empathetic.” But the road to empathy will likely be paved with squabbles.
Goodstein said, when babies sleep in the same room as their parents, the background sounds or stirrings prevent very deep sleep and that helps keeps the babies safe. Room sharing also makes breast-feeding easier, which is protective against SIDS.
Instead of bed sharing, room share with your baby
Place your baby's crib, bassinet, portable crib or play yard in your bedroom, close to your bed. The AAP recommends room sharing because it can decrease the risk of SIDS by as much as 50% and it's much safer than bed sharing.
If you're wondering how old a toddler is, experts usually consider toddler age to start when your baby/infant turns 1 year of age. The toddler age range is usually from 1 year to 3 years of age.
2 In the "A-level" recommendation—the Academy's strongest evidence rating—the AAP said that room-sharing should continue at least until the baby is 6 months old, ideally until 12 months. The 2017 study suggests that it may actually be better for babies to have their own rooms starting at the age of 4 months old.
One option is to move the older sibling out of their room temporarily, until the baby is consistently sleeping through the night. This may mean the older child sleeps in a makeshift bed in your room. Explain to your older child that this is just temporary until their baby sibling learns how to put themselves to sleep.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) (n.d.), tells us that children who are younger than 3 CANNOT understand the idea of sharing. In fact, child development specialists explain that sharing skills usually do not appear until around 3.5 to 4 years of age (MacLaughlin, 2017). So, why is that toddlers cannot share?
children aged 5 to 17 shouldn't share a bedroom with a child of the opposite gender aged 4 and under. single household members aged 18 and over, and any children who aren't related need a separate bedroom.
Many parents have heard their kids say they don't want to share and don't want to sleep. But children share bedrooms in 70.4% of households with two or more kids, according to a SleepFoundation.org survey of 1,250 U.S. parents and caregivers. Considering 34.9% of children ages 17 and younger.
Section 325-326 of the Housing Act 1985 states that a household may be considered overcrowded if children of the opposite sex over the age of 10 are made to share a room. If you're curious about how many children should share a bedroom, the legislation also states that up to two children should share a room regularly!
The AAP does not recommend bed sharing for at least the first year – this applies to babies sleeping with parents and/or siblings (even multiples). For the first year, your baby should have his or her own separate sleep space.
Generally, a bedroom should not have more than two children in it. Two people per bedroom is generally considered an occupancy limit for rental purposes. In many cases, there is a “2+1” occupancy limit that states you can have two people per bedroom, plus one person in a living space.
In general, I would say that by the age of 8 or 9 years-10 at the latest-most children have developed enough of a sense of personal boundaries and body space that they no longer want to shower with a parent or bathe with a sibling of the opposite sex.
Con: Different kids have different sleeping schedules
During their youth, different ages of children may have varying bedtimes. The larger the age gap between your kids, the bigger the issue this can be. This can create problems because one youngster needs to go to bed while the other is sleeping.
Against a wall: Place the bunk bed against one wall, equally dividing the room in the middle, and hang curtains on opposite sides (good for smaller spaces) Bonus points: Separate the room in half with curtains, bookshelves, or room dividers, creating the illusion of two rooms (good for siblings of different ages)
Growth spurts contribute to wakeups, toddlers begin to climb out of their cribs, big kid beds replace cribs, and—eventually—a second child might join a nursery that was originally intended for one. A recent CBS News poll found that 60% of people shared a bedroom with a sibling at some point in their life.