Transition into sibling bed

[Triniity]

Hi there,
I´d like to move my kids out of our family bed into a sibling bed. My DD is 4 years and DS is 2 years old. I need to get a little more rest at night, plus, the evening routine is really getting at me, since I always fall asleep with the kids and cannot get up anymore. I barely know how my dh looks like

How do you do it? Should I set up a place in the play/kids room? Or should they sleep together in our bedroom? How about waking at night? Will they even sleep if they are together? Would you put them to bed at different times or together? How do you do it? Or two beds next to each other so that they can wander around as they please?

suggestions needed here!

Thanks,
Trin

[sunny1680]

wish I knew

I would love to do this too. My DD is turning 4 and DS is 18 mo and I dream of this situation. My hubby travels a lot so when he's away the 3 of us go to my bed (with a side car-ed crib) and I nurse DS to sleep while trying to snuggle DD, then turn to her when DS is asleep.
My idea for our family is to do this same bedtime routine in the kids room. DD sleeps in her own full size bed when DH is home, he does bedtime there and then at some point in the night she comes to our bed. My concern is the same as yours, what to do when one wakes in the night. I guess I'd just go nurse DS back to sleep and probably sleep there myself and then one day he'd just stop night waking (ha ha ha, in a perfect world!) and the two of them would sleep soundly till 7 am
Right now DS wakes and nurses pretty much constantly from about 5 am until 6:30-7 when he gets up. I don't know what we'd do in a sibling bed.

I'd love to read more on what happens in other families houses - please post!

[sarahsmiles]

No ideas, but I'm watching the thread with interest. DD is 4 and DS is 15 months. I think a sibling bed would be great for DD, who really sleeps best with another person, but I'm worried about DS, who actually seems to sleep worse with another person. Although maybe it's just that he sleeps bad with me because he nurses all the time.

I'm worried about them just getting up and playing. I'm also worried about one waking the other up. On nights when I sleep with the kids in my bed (when DH is out) DS sometimes wakes up when I'm not there and wakes up DD with his crying.

I don't know what to do ...

[Surfer Rosa]

Watching this... I have a 5 yo DD and 2 yo DS, and thinking the same thing, but am looking for some BTDT stories. Both kids are still cosleeping p/t (they go to sleep in their own beds, but inevitably wind up with us/us with them), so putting them together is an option we're leaning towards. I never thought I'd be cocleeping this long!

[Norasmomma]

I'm curious too. My kids are 4 and 1, and soon I would like to do a sibling bed for sure. Currently DD sleeps most of the night in her bed, DS sleeps with us and well soon it will be time for a change.

[MacKinnon]

We're in the midst of this. I have a 6yo and 3 yo who co-slept pretty much full time since birth. Family bed until DS was born then DD with DH and DS with me. With baby #3 on the way we decided this likely wasn't going to work well anymore, as I needed DS out of my bed. What we did was set up a full in DS's room. DH lays down with them until they are asleep. They stay in there until they wake up (or not). DD usually sleeps through the night, DS usually wakes up around 3am and either DH goes down to them or DS comes up to us. They are so sweet cuddling at night. This has all worked OK. The down falls are that DS nearly always wakes up DD when he wakes at night and they cannot go to bed w/o an adult, as they play. DH was just out of town for the first time since baby arrived and we discovered that the sibling bed was a nightmare when they can't have an adult put them to bed. DS picked, poked, BIT and harassed his sister until she got up and asked to go into her own bedroom (where we've kept up a bed). She was asleep in 5 minutes, alone, and has stayed there the last two nights, sleeping through the night. DS had a few minutes of drama, but I tucked him in with a special stuffed animal and light and he was a out in 5 as well. Last night we repeated the "them in their own beds" and again, they were asleep quickly. I think we might be abandoning the sibling bed idea...