When we welcomed our second baby, we lived in a small home with only 2 bedrooms, so there weren’t many options for keeping the baby and our 4 year old separate. And although people thought it was crazy, we decided we were going to put two kids in the same room. Because sometimes you just don’t have a choice!
For the first 3 months, we kept the newborn in our room in a pack-and-play, as far away from us as possible (which wasn’t very far because our room was small). But we did the best we could. We had a sound machine in place and blackout curtains to create a pitch-black sleep environment at night.
Safe Sleep Environment for Baby and Toddler
Once the baby hit 12 weeks and 12 pounds, it was time to lose the swaddle and move him into his crib. We recommend a dual-firmness crib mattress like the Sleep & Grow Crib Mattress. It features extra-firm support that infants need on one side and less firmness on the other side to provide the comfort that toddlers prefer so that it will grow with your baby and their nursery! We moved him to the new space we created that he and his old sister would share.
We gave them the larger of the two bedrooms, so we could fit a crib and a twin bed in the same room. We placed a sound machine by each of their beds and made sure the room was pitch black at night.
For the first 3 nights, we let the baby sleep in the room alone, so he could adjust to his own room and being without a swaddle. (When dropping the swaddle, there can be some fussing as the baby finds his new sleeping spot). We had our 4-year-old sleep on a mattress in our room for those 3 nights.
Then, on night 4, we talked to big sister about some rules for sharing a room with a younger sibling. She was very excited!!
Rules for Toddler and Baby Room Sharing
- No getting in the crib with the baby!
- We explained the dangers of climbing in the crib with the baby and why it was important she stayed in her toddler bed ALL night!
- Waiting for her clock to turn green before she left her room in the morning.
- This was something she was already doing when she had her own room.
- Sneaking out quietly if she had to potty in the middle of the night and getting back to bed quickly.
- Another option is keeping a small potty available in the room.
I have to admit we were very nervous that first night. What if he woke her up? What if she woke him up?
Night 1 of them sharing a room, we put the baby to bed at 7:00 pm and then let big sister stay up until 7:30 pm reading stories with us and reiterating our household rules and the new toddler and baby sharing room! When it was time to go in their room, we snuck her in, gave quick snuggles, tucked her in, and then snuck back out of the room. The first night went great! And even on nights when the baby was sick or teething, his crying never seemed to wake her. They truly just got used to being together. This was a big leap for the entire family, but it had to be done, and it ended up being great!
A few things we kept consistent in our routine in this BIG transition of baby and toddler sharing a room!
- Two sound machines
- One by each bed
- 12-24 inches from the head of the bed on a nightstand or dresser
- Blackout shades to make sure there were no early wake-ups for either one!
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Wake-up clock for the toddler.
- She knew to stay in bed until the clock turned green, and it was time to get up. This kept her out of our room in the middle of the night or early in the morning!
- Not worrying about the baby waking the toddler or vice versa.
- They do learn to sleep through each other’s wake-ups.
Moms on Call provides simple, sensible parenting resources to sleep, feed, laugh, and love birth through toddlerhood.
View all of the Moms on Call’s safety product recommendations on our Products We Love and Toddler Toys & Safety pages. Our Online Video Courses and books are also great resources with safety tips throughout!
