When is the right time to put your children in the same bedroom?

  My two are almost 4 years and 1 and I am beginning to wonder when the best time would be to put them in the same bedroom.  My eldest currently has the largest bedroom and apart from utilising space I think there are a lot of advantages to sleep sharing. 1) Build a tighter emotional bond between the two siblings 2) Encourages better sleeping if the child is scared at nighttime. 3) Reclaim back the nursery into a bedroom 4) They enjoy it and communicate and laugh together When I speak to friends whose children sleep in the same bedroom they say how great it is to hear their little ones laughing and playing when they wake up in the morning.  I know my little girl adores her big brother and I am sure she would love to wake up with him in the room every morning.  As for my eldest I hope it will teach him something about sharing….! Tips For Successful Sibling Sharing  1) I do think that sharing a room is certainly something to be enjoyed while they are young.  One of the major drawbacks is the loss of privacy.  However, by creating separate spaces at opposite ends of the room with separate beds and night lights, hopefully they will feel like they have their own space. 2) It is important to ensure that the bedtime routine is maintained and if the children do not go to bed at the same time that perhaps the youngest is put in bed first whilst the eldest has a story in a separate room.  I am lucky since both of my children tend to go to sleep at around the same time.  More often than not we will all sit on Jacks bed and read the story while Lilly has her milk so I do not envisage a problem with this. 3) Daytime naps can be a problem if two children are sharing and they are still of an age for napping.  It might be a case of putting each one in a different room for a nap.  Alternatively the youngest may take daytime naps in the buggy or car rather than the cot which is certainly the case with my little one! 4) It is important to set out the rules from the beginning and to be firm and consistent.  My little boy has a gro clock and is very good at staying in bed until the sun comes up.  It is important that one child is not waking up and depriving the other of sleep.  I have found star charts and other rewards have really worked with my eldest.   I guess the most important thing when deciding when to put both children in a room together is how old the children are.  Toddlers can be very heavy handed and very often do not understand the consequences of their actions.  It is important therefore to ensure a safe environment and this may mean waiting until the youngest child is a bit older and of an age when an over amorous toddler is not going to harm them!  This could be once the smallest has moved from the cot to a toddler bed.