Moving kids into the same room

amother

Wed, Oct 29 2014, 4:01 pm

My kids are 3 and 1.5. My 3 year old sleeps through the night most nights, and has the occasional wakeup cry while she looks for a pacifier or whatever. My 1.5 year old doesn't take a pacifier, and she wakes up more often. Sometimes she can go back to sleep, and sometimes she has to nurse. She nurses more whenever she's teething, but she can go through the night with only 1 or 2 feedings (and did less, when we were visiting my parents' big house in america!). We live in a small EY apartment. I don't blame the kids - I'm a VERY light sleeper, too. I've tried to move them into the same room, but even when they're only waking up for a minute, they wake each other up and then it becomes a crying choir! How do I get them into the same room already??

Lady Bug

Wed, Oct 29 2014, 4:05 pm

Did you try a noise maker? I put mine between the beds and it muffles any noise that either of them make. It doesn't help with loud crying but it does work for the regular twisting and turning and occasional cry.

Wed, Oct 29 2014, 4:07 pm

With my kids, it was just a matter of time until they got used to each others' noises and now they usually sleep through the other one waking up.

amother

Wed, Oct 29 2014, 4:08 pm

Hey interesting idea!!! What kind of noise maker? My parents once bought us this white noise thing that has different options for music, nature sounds, etc.. that kind of thing?

amother

Wed, Oct 29 2014, 4:09 pm

kb wrote:

With my kids, it was just a matter of time until they got used to each others' noises and now they usually sleep through the other one waking up.

DId you let them cry it out, or did you have to go in the room and calm them down?

My neighbor has a baby who cries really loudly and the other kids sleep right through it. I have no idea how. I've been in their place, and I see that one of the kids' beds is literally 1 inch from the crib, and somehow she sleeps through it.

simcha6

Wed, Oct 29 2014, 4:20 pm

Use a small fan for white noise.

We do this for our kids, and they can sleep through anything.

I also agree that it may take a few days for them to get used to each other, but they should learn to sleep through the small noises at least.

Lady Bug

Wed, Oct 29 2014, 4:52 pm

amother wrote:

Hey interesting idea!!! What kind of noise maker? My parents once bought us this white noise thing that has different options for music, nature sounds, etc.. that kind of thing?

Yes that kind. My kids are really light sleepers so I used it even when my baby was in my room, since he would wake up every time I walked in.

amother

Wed, Oct 29 2014, 4:54 pm

Lady Bug wrote:

Yes that kind. My kids are really light sleepers so I used it even when my baby was in my room, since he would wake up every time I walked in.

Which sound did you put on? Did you do it every night forever, or just til they got used to each other? What happens in the beginning when they wake each other up, do you go in and calm them down or let them cry it out?

Wed, Oct 29 2014, 5:11 pm

amother wrote:

No. I kept my youngest in my room until we finished the CIO stage - we moved him once he was already basically sleeping through the night.

At the beginning I would go in and calm them both down. Now I'm still going in, but I only have to deal with the kid who woke up that time around Smile

busydev

Wed, Oct 29 2014, 5:16 pm

we use a white noise machine and I use a fan sound. its between the two beds. (I used it for squeaky floor wake ups but it helps for this too)

at this point tho even if the machine is off unless one of them is crying for a very long time (or gives a sudden shout in my 3yo's case) they sleep thru each others noises. unless of course one is trying to wake the other... then all bets are off.

Lady Bug

Wed, Oct 29 2014, 6:52 pm

I run in as soon as someone wakes up and calm him/her down so that they don't wake up the other one. I don't do CIO either way.

chani8

Thu, Oct 30 2014, 5:44 am

Even if they wake up and cry about it, they'll eventually settle back down and go back to sleep, especially if you don't engage them in much more interaction than saying, "It's ok, you can go back to sleep," and then leave the room. The crying probably wont last more than 3 or 4 minutes.

And I agree that children get used to each other and eventually tune each other out.