After G was born last summer, our goal was to have our two children share a room. In our last house though, for several reasons, it never worked out. After we moved last month, C and I decided that since the kids would be experiencing a lot of change all at once, now was the time to dive in and commit to a shared kids room.

Our new home is a three bedroom home, and the third bedroom is set up as an office and/or guest bedroom. Eventually we will move one of the kids into that room. But for now the two of them sharing a room works really well for our family. Has it been bumpy? Yes, at times. Because all transitions take time with little children. But about 80% of the time it’s been really, really good.

Everything in the bedroom is linked at the bottom of this post.

The Three Design Goals For This Room

I wanted to room to be gender neutral, but that doesn’t mean it can only have greens/yellows. I wanted all colors represented, which is why I really loved this rug. The hanging shelf rack has cute pink and white toys displayed, along with baseball hats and trucks and cars. The room is a melting pot of masculine, feminine, boldness, and happiness.

I also didn’t want to have to buy a lot of new things for the room. The only thing I purchased was the area rug. Everything else transitioned really well into this space. The dresser used to live in our basement in the last house, and it ended up working great in this room. The hanging shelf rack used to be a part of the play corner, but it just felt crowded in the play room in our new home.

I needed the space to feel very functional and easy to move around in since all four of us are in the room at the end of the day for bedtime routines. The rug is a little smaller than I would usually choose (we got a 5×8) for ease of maneuvering the rolling crib out and into our room in the rare event G needs to sleep in our bedroom. While we didn’t exactly need the large dresser, it adds extra storage so that almost everything that belongs to the kids is in this room as opposed to strewn around the house (except for toys — those are all in the play room).

How We Accomplished A Shared Bedroom

I’d love to say “do these three things to successfully transition your children to sharing a room” but I don’t really have anything to say other than just go for it. And, most importantly, commit to the decision (even on rough nights) once you made the change. I also believe it really helped doing this in the middle of a move. Our kids only know sharing a room in this home.

Managing Nap Times

I knew A was on the verge of dropping his afternoon nap, but I didn’t really know how to go about actually stopping this since some days he does get tired and needs to rest (depending on the morning’s activities). We have a play room in this home, so he will spend the afternoon doing a ‘quite time’ or ‘rest time’ in that room. There is a cozy corner in the play room with blankets and pillows and if he wants to fall asleep, he can. I’d say he falls asleep about twice a week during his afternoon quiet time. Otherwise, he reads his books or plays with toys. This frees up the kids bedroom, and G can take both of her naps throughout the day without any interruptions.

Nighttime Routines / The Mornings

Some context: G is 1 and A is 3.5 and both sleep through the night. Both children will get bathed, change into PJs, and put into their bed at the same time. Since G is still nursing, I will step out in the middle of this routine while A is reading a book with C and I’ll nurse her in our bedroom so she can focus. We do the same routine each night and will kiss them goodnight and close the door. Sometimes they’ll chat or talk to each other, and other times they’ll both fall right asleep. We’ve given A strict instructions not to put anything in G’s crib and have not had any issues with this.

In the mornings, G will usually cry to be picked up and nurse about an hour before A gets out of bed. I’ll pick her up, take her downstairs for an hour of solo time with her. We use the Hatch sound machine religiously in this house, and once it turns green A will head downstairs and our day will begin.

Will this concept shift and change as the years go by and the kids get older? Of course. But I believe there is something sweet about sharing a room with a sibling. Even if it’s for a brief time in life.

Sources:

Rug: Crate & Kids // Toddler Bed: Ouef Perch Bed & Avocado Crib Mattress // Crib: Babyletto Mini Crib & Newton Mattress // Dresser: Ikea // Blackout Curtains: Potterybarn Kids // Hanging Shelves: Crate & Kids // Bookshelves: Ikea // Mirror: Ikea // World Map: Gathre // Towel Hooks: H&M // Hooded Towels: Pehr // Toddler Bed Quilt: Schoolhouse // Crib Blanket: West Elm, no longer sold. Similar // Sound Machine: Snooz

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