# What age to stop brother and sister sleeping in the same room?



## LynnS6 (Mar 30, 2005)

I'm borrowing trouble here, I know.

We're going to try to put our 5 year old ds and 2 year old dd together in the same room. Ds has slept in his own room all along. Dd co-slept exclusively until about 13 months, and since then has started the night in her room, and then moved to our bed. Ds wants to share a room. Dd hasn't expressed an opinion, exactly. I'm slowly working on night weaning, as she's sleeping longer and longer at night, and after 28 months, I've had it with night waking!

My question is: How long can we keep this up? I shared a room with my brother as a child. I don't remember when my parents split us, but I think it was about age 9-10 for my brother. I was 6 or 7 at the time and remember being mystified as to why he needed his own room.

Just curious, really, as to how long it's going to be. Dd may decide that it's a no go (she's a very opinionated child!) or she may love it.


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## trinity6232000 (Dec 2, 2001)

Personally I think if both children are comfortable with sharing a room age
doesn't matter. Maybe it would be an issue come puberty, but your children
are still young. Listen to their concerns, and change it in the future if need be.


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## octobermom (Aug 31, 2005)

I shared a room with my brother untill he left for college I was 14. It really was never an issue we shared a bed untill he was around 12.


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## Herausgeber (Apr 29, 2006)

Hmm, no one ever made us stop co-sleeping. We just sorta drifted apart as our needs for privacy grew. I don't remember gender really being a big part of it, i.e. my sister and I started sleeping separately at about the same age as my brother started sleeping separately from both of us.


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## desultory (Jan 25, 2006)

My 8 yr. old dd and 5 yr. old ds share a room, and our baby will join them when he's ready. I agree that it's really up to the kids. We've let our dd know that we can convert the 'workroom' (where we 'do' school and make crafts, etc) into a bedroom for her, but so far she's content to share.


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## adtake (Feb 1, 2006)

Dont know about other states, but TN used to have a law about the age limit that different sex siblings could share beds. If no one ever comes into your home, shouldnt be a problem, but it you get any services it might become a problem.

I have all boys, so no problem as of yet. And I'm an only child, so can't help there either.

Good luck!


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## Qerratsmom (Sep 22, 2004)

I always had my own room growing but I preferred to sleep in my younger brother's room (I didn't like being alone) until I was probably 11 or 12. I always kept my "stuff" in my room and then slept in the top bunk of the bunk bed with him at night. My kids are 4 and 17 mo. They have a shared toy room and a shared bedroom (although ds **** cosleeps with us mostly). Right now they share the same bed when ds does sleep with her brother but there's two beds in the room in case they ever want to sleep seperatly. I think what ever the kids want works.


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## supermuma (Dec 12, 2005)

My dd and ds shared a room until about a month ago...now they are in a room that has two rooms within it..does that make any sense?! They are somewhat together, but also somewhat separated at the same time. It seemed like a good transition for now. I think that dd was feeling a bit annoyed with sharing because ds would wake her up early. For some reason, now that they have a wall between them (but with a door!) he no longer wakes her up!

I think as long as the kids are okay with it and you feel okay with it..go with it! I think you will know when it is time to split them up.

(I shared a room with my brother who is two years younger until I was about 9)


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## becoming (Apr 11, 2003)

I







the idea of siblings sharing a room, so I'm probably not the one to ask. I would keep them in a room together until at least puberty, and beyond if they are still comfortable with it. I think it's sweet that they want to share a room. My son (almost 5) is already asking when my daughter (10 months) can sleep in his bed with him.


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## meemee (Mar 30, 2005)

my bro and i shared the same room until i started my periods. he was younger than me.

i plan on having my children in teh same room until it doesnt work for one of them.


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## Fiestabeth (Aug 4, 2006)

I shared a room with two brothers until I moved out of the house. I never understood why some people viewed it so negatively. Our bedroom was a place to sleep, not some private, personal refuge that shouldn't be invaded. That was the bathroom.







(Only door in the house with a lock.) Seriously, though, I am so glad that I grew up in a teensy-tiny house. My family is so closeknit. When we had disagreements, there was nowhere to run to, slam the door and fume. We HAD to work it out. I learned a lot about sharing, getting along (including giving people space when they need it), and conflict resolution.

We all learned to knock on the door before entering, and it just wasn't a big deal. I always brought my clothes to the bathroom with me to get dressed, or changed clothes in the closet. Now I think that might be annoying, but back then I didn't know any different.


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## LynnS6 (Mar 30, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Fiestabeth* 
Our bedroom was a place to sleep, not some private, personal refuge that shouldn't be invaded. That was the bathroom.







(Only door in the house with a lock.)

That's funny -- I grew up in a family with 5 kids, and one bathroom. You learned to share the bathroom - if we all needed to go somewhere, invariably someone was showering while someone else was brushing teeth/going to the bathroom. It drove my dh nuts when we were first married and I would use the bathroom while he was showering!

We've had 2 nights of the same room. So far so good, though keeping dd in the toddler bed is a challenge. Part of the problem is that she had late naps both afternoons (the dreaded 4:30 to 5:30/6:00 nap) and so just wasn't tired, whereas ds was exhausted and needed to go to bed. But when I yelled at her for stepping on me for the upteenth time, she went and sat in her brother's bed and read, and he fell asleep, despite her reading and singing!


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