Roommates Under 5: How to Help Siblings Share a Room Without Losing Your Mind
If you’ve ever stared at your two children and thought,
"What if… we just put them in the same room and hoped for the best?"
You’re not alone.
Siblings sharing a room is either:
A beautiful bonding experience that builds lifelong connection...
ORA WWE-style bedtime match where someone ends up naked and yelling, and it’s usually not the baby.
But with a little planning, some realistic expectations, and a splash of dark humour, it can work—and even become one of your best parenting moves.
Let’s break down how to do it without total chaos.
Can siblings share a room?
With a little planning, some realisitc expectations and a whole lot of humour, it can work.
✅ When Is It Okay to Start?
For safety and sanity:
Youngest child should be at least 6 months old, consistently sleeping through most of the night.
Bonus points if the older child is past the nap-dropping, curtain-climbing, anti-bedtime protest phase (we know… big ask).
💤 Best Practices for Room-Sharing Siblings
1. Start with One Good Sleeper
If both kids are night-time drama queens, putting them together is just playing parenting roulette. Start when both children are in a phase of sleeping well.
2. Do a Test Run
Instead of setting the room up in full and dismantling the crib, dragging it across the landing and putting it all back together again, try it out with a pack n play or something similar first.
3. Stagger Bedtimes
Put the younger one down first, especially if they're still in the “I need white noise and zero stimulation” stage. The older child can sneak in ninja-style later, like a bedtime boss. If the eldest goes to bed last, do their stories and so on, outside the bedroom so the other one can settle. Depending on the age difference they will probably not go to bed at the same time.4.
4. White Noise is Your Best Friend
You can’t stop a baby from crying—but you can drown it out. Use white noise to mask each other's sounds. It’s like emotional earplugs. This will help mask sleep noises from either child to some degree. You should also set the beds up as far apart as possible.
5. Set Clear Expectations with the Older Child
Explain the plan like you’re briefing a tiny soldier:
“Your job is to get in bed, stay quiet, and protect the kingdom until morning. You’ve got this.”
6. Have a Backup Plan
Sometimes, despite your best efforts, one kid wakes the other, and everyone ends up cranky. That’s okay. Move one child back to their temporary sleep space and try again later.
🎯 The Goal:
Room-sharing can teach siblings patience, comfort, and the valuable skill of falling asleep near someone else (AKA future college prep). With time, consistency, and a flexible mindset—it does work.
💬 Final Thought:
It might not be peaceful every night, but it will get easier. And one day, you’ll walk past their room, hear them giggling under the covers, and realize—you did it.
(permission to go pour yourself a victory wine)
👶 Need help making the transition smoother?
Chat with me….
