1yr & 2.5yr old sleeping in same room - bunk beds even?

[wowzah]

Hi everyone

Well we aren't at the point yet, but sometime in the next 6 - 8 months we will be putting our just turned 1 year old into a bed.

Though we don't need to for space reasons or whatever, we are tossing around the idea of moving him into the same room as our older son (currently 2.5yrs) at the same time he goes into a bed.

Our main reasons for this are

a) DS1 is such a brilliant sleeper and so so good as his bedtime routine, we are hoping he will 'teach' DS2!

b) Make it easier to do bedtime routines such as books etc

c) They are only 18 months apart and (at the moment!) absoloutely adore each other, so it might be nice from a bonding point of view

Anyway, just looking for some thoughts/advice from anyone else who may have put quite young ones into the same room, how you did it, did it work etc etc

We also did think about maybe getting them bunk beds, but I'm not sure if 3 - 3.5yrs would be too young to be in a top bunk??

Thankyou!

[bon]

For me, 3 years is too young for a top bunk. But then it would depend how low the bunk is and whether it has good safety rails. In general though, I wouldn't put my 3 year old in a top bunk. Anyway, good luck with the move to a shared room! We haven't done it yet but I am trying to convince DH that it would be good to put our two girls (ages 3 and 16mths) together.

[wowzah]

Thanks for your input. I don't really know any older kids, so it's a bit hard to imagine what he might be capable of in 6 months.

[Phteven]

We have our boys in the same room.
They have a trio bunk - one of the ones with a double bed on the bottom and a single on the top. At the moment they sleep together in the double (unless one or both of them come into our bed lol) and when they get older one of them can move into the top bunk if they want.
The bonus is it makes a great cubby - just tuck a couple of sheets under the top bunk.
It also makes the bedtime routine easier - they share a bath or shower then we all hop into bed together and read a few books and have a snuggle before we turn the lights out.
Afternoon naps can be a bit more difficult because they play and keep each other awake but I can usually put a lid on it by taking one of them to the lounge or my room to nap.

[rose]

Just a note in regards to bunks, I read that it is best for the child that will be on the top, they should be 7 years old. They say that is the safest age as they don't move around as much and are less likely to fall out of bed.

My two moved into same room at 2 1/2yrs and 6mths. Been together since and it works well most times.

[Aimz]

Some of my earliest memories are sharing a room with my big brother. I think sharing a room is a great idea, especially for allowing them to bond - but I do think a top bunk might be a little unsafe for such a young child. Dachlostar's idea about the double bed bunk seems like a good way to start.

Good luck with it!

[wowzah]

Thanks everyone for such quick responses!

I just googled 'minimum age top bunk' in the australian google, and a heap of links came up from websites like consumer protection depts and choice, all had recommendations that top bunk sleepers be 6 (youngest I found) - 9 years old (oldest I found) at a minimum.

I have seen actually bunk beds that can be seperated into 2 singles, so this is also perhaps an option for us....

I'm so glad to hear that it works for others - I hope it does for us too when the time comes!