Since Theo was born, Coco and Theo have shared a room. Theo has the Stokke Sleepi, the same crib Coco slept in, and which we absolutely adore. And Coco has the Jenny Lind Toddler Bed. For the time being, Coco is still small enough to sleep in a toddler bed, which is great. But if she grows as much this year as she did last year, she definitely won't fit any longer! At some point, I supposed we'll have to take one panel off of Theo's crib to convert it to a toddler bed, but I'm holding out.
At bedtime, they go to sleep in their own beds in their room, but I must admit that most mornings we still wake up with both of them in our bed! Theo cries, and without even fully waking up, I just go get him and snuggle up with him in our bed. Then, at some point, Coco stumbles in and snuggles up between me and J. Buying a king when I was pregnant with Theo was the best move ever. It literally takes up our entire bedroom, but we couldn't agree more that it's the best use of the space. I have always loved platform beds, but never considered why until I saw Swiss Miss's apartment tour. It's true that a low bed seems to take up way less space. Bonus!
So, next year is going to be a big year for our family. Coco will be kindergarten age and we have to start thinking about where we want her to go for elementary school. That might involve moving if she goes to public school here in Spokane. Then again, if she goes to Cataldo, where I went for elementary school, we could stay put as it's private and it doesn't matter where we live. But, if we stay put, this house only has two bedrooms. So that begs the question, how long can boy-girl siblings share a room. Or maybe the better question is how long will they stand for sharing a room? ;)
I got on Pinterest, and while I didn't find many ideas for boy-girl shared rooms, I did find some really gorgeous unisex rooms that I could totally see my kids loving. We already have that IKEA rug in their room, and how beautiful is this Oeuf bunk bed? I love the clean lines. But, space permitting, it might be better to have a twin over full bunk bed so a parent can comfort a sick child? Or, so a parent can go get some sleep when the children have invaded the big bed? Or, so the room can be converted for guests? So many options to consider.
We do not keep any toys in our kids' room. It is strictly for clothing storage, dressing and grooming, and sleeping. I really like the idea of Coco and Theo being able to share a room for at least a few more years. Of course children prefer to have their own rooms, and as time goes on, Coco is going to want to do more in her room than just sleep. But when space is at a premium for families living in the city or in apartments, it's not realistic for children to have their own room. Besides, sharing requires compromise and cooperation in children. There is everything good about it.
Did you share a room growing up? What about your kids? How long can a brother and sister share a room? Tell me all about it in the comments below!
(Bunk photo via Decoholic, Foot-to-foot beds photo via Apartment Therapy)
I'm one of eight kids, so we were four to a room growing up. Eventually we added on to the house, but I shared a room with my two younger sisters and brother until I was in middle school. My first Christmas home from college I didn't want to sleep down in the basement so my brother hauled my mattress upstairs to his room. We had a lot of fun sharing a room that week, just hanging out and talking about books.
ReplyDeleteI love that you hauled a mattress upstairs in order to be together! That says a lot. Such a great tidbit. Thanks for sharing! <3 xoxo
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DeleteMy son and daughter are 16 months old, and we're splitting them up now. They are sleeping MUCH better (as in, through the night regularly) now that they're not sleeping together. (They would cry in their sleep, eventually waking each other up.)
ReplyDeleteHmmmm, I'm pretty tired. Would this be worth the jump in rent? ;)
DeleteI shared a room with my little sister for 8 years. She's 8 years younger than me so as you can imagine I absolutely hated it! It wasn't so bad when I was younger (other than my mum decorating our room to look like a toddler's room!) but as I got older it got really hard. My sister had a much earlier bed time than me so I wasn't able to read in my room at night, or listen to music, or have sleep overs, or even do homework as it would wake her up. I never felt like I had any privacy and I really hated it - especially seeing as my brother got a room to himself but didn't care about reading or listening to music on his own like I desperately wanted to. I finally got my own room when my family moved to a bigger house just before I turned 17. Then I moved out of home two years later!
ReplyDeleteAs I'd hated sharing with my sister I always planned to give each of my kids their own bedroom. At first this was possible when we had a three bedroom house and just two kids in Australia, but then we moved to the Bay Area where three bedroom homes are incredibly hard to come by and had to settle for a small two bedroom apartment. My girls were happy sharing at first, but now that they're a little older and there are three of them in one room it's getting tricky. Ava is 9 and has reached the age where she wants privacy, but with a 5 year old and 2 year old sister in her room it's not always possible. Plus with three kids, and all their toys and clothes, in one room it's really hard to keep the space tidy. I love the idea of keeping their toys somewhere else, but we don't have the space anywhere else in the apartment.
We have to stay in this apartment until next Summer when our lease expires, but after that I'm really hoping we can find something a little bigger - although it probably means leaving the Bay Area and moving to another city.
By the way, I love how you have decorated your bedrooms :)
DeleteRegarding bunk beds, I looked at that gorgeous Ouef bunk (and thought about the single over double option) but I really wanted beds that came apart. There are not many options on the market for simple, clean modern lines when it comes to bunk beds (unless you're willing to spend thousands) so I had to compromise a little. I didn't get the style I really wanted but they're fairly simple and they come apart to make two single beds. Right now they're set up as bunks as it saves space, but down the track when we have an extra bedroom or two they will definitely be separated. Making the top bunk SUCKS! Ha!
The KURA bunk from IKEA is actually totally cute and customizable and not expensive, so that's a winner on all fronts! Another city?! Maybe you should move to Zurich! ;) But in honesty, any idea where? xx
DeleteWhere I grew up it was rare for kids to have their own rooms. I shared with my sister until I moved out of our family home. I never saw it as a hardship, and we had a lot of fun (and fights!) in our room (she's four years younger). Given a choice, I probably would have jumped at the chance to have my own space, but it wasn't an option and we just accepted it.
ReplyDeleteI now have two boys (9 and 6) and we live in a two-bed apartment, so they share a room. Again I don't see it as a hardship. I would definitely choose for us to have more living space over another bedroom.
But I know it's more complicated with different-sex siblings. We have friends in a similar situation who have pushed it for a lot longer than you, so I think you still have some time!
But, what I really came on to say is: get a trundle bed!! We have the basic Ikea bunks with a trundle bed underneath and that set-up has been a total life saver on occasion. Often myself or my husband will sleep on it when one of the kids is sick, or my top-bunk son uses it when he's sick or it's too hot, or visitors will use it... It's so convenient.
I had a look at different trundle beds and that is a great idea! You maintain the floor space, but have the bed when you need it. Genius! I'm hoping then can share a room for a couple more years. That will give us time to get into a bigger place. Glad to hear it's working for your friends. xx
DeleteWe have reached this point (girl 8; boy 6). We have a third room but the way its situated with the stairs I'm not yet comfortable with moving either of them. Our daughter has been asking a lot lately for her own room. So I'm thinking we need to do some re-designing.
ReplyDeleteA friend of mine sent some ideas for splitting a room in two with curtains and different paint, decor, etc on the two separate sides. Not a permanent solution, but could work for a bit longer? Good luck! Let me know what you do. xx
DeleteWe moved to Australia almost a year ago and my son ( 5 1/2) and daughter (9) have shared a room. We have another son who is 11 and he has his own room at the moment.
ReplyDeleteThey get along really well and complain every so often about having to share but most of the time, don't really care.
I think it is the teen years that it gets to be more of a problem but even still, I have had cousins and friends who have opposite sex kids share rooms, more at cottages and holidays and there is no problem. It is really how well they get along and respect for privacy and otherwise, they are just sleeping in the same room. I think it just depends on your kids.
That's a great point. If they're accustomed to getting dressed in the bathroom after their shower or whatever, it really is just a room for their beds, I guess. Hopefully we can split them up when Coco is 10 at the latest. That's the goal after hearing everyone's points!
DeleteThank you! So happy to have you reading. xoxo
ReplyDeleteI just came across your blog via Instagram. Such a lovely blog you have. This particular post resonates with me. We are a family of 6 in a 675 sq ft apartment, 2 bedrooms to be precise. Our children's ages are 13 1/2(boy), 10(boy), 7(girl) and 3(girl). All 4 have always shared the bedroom and because we live in the city, space is limited. Hence, the room is a bedroom, playroom, wardrobe, library, study...everything. So far, the very idea of them being separated brings out moans, protests and even tears. Our children are very close to each other and depend on one another. It truly comes down to the family dynamics and the concept of needs vs wants.
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