We are in the midst of re-arranging bedrooms again. This has been a regular adventure ever since we added children to our family. It seems like we've tried just about everything by now....co-sleeping, bassinet, crib attached to our bed, crib free-standing in our room, crib in the nursery, toddler beds, twin mattresses on the floor, twin mattresses on bed frames, and bunk beds (attached and unattached). We've tried children in their own rooms, and children sharing a room.
My favorite arrangement (until now) has been a "bed"room which holds only beds, books, & clothes [ie, quiet things to encourage sleeping], and a separate "play" room filled with all the toys. We've even taken this concept to an extreme last year when we set up 4 beds in the bedroom. Having the oldest 4 children sleep in the same bedroom proved to be a great benefit with the arrival of jersey #5. It really helped establish a bedtime routine, and got everyone sleeping in their own beds before we added a new baby to the mix. One of the greatest benefits of having siblings share a bedroom is it reduces the "I'm scared" bedtime stalling tactic. It is hard to claim to be scared of being all alone in your bedroom at night, when you are not actually alone!
I was expecting to switch the rooms into a bedroom for girls and a bedroom for boys once the baby was older. It turns out that our biggest challege right now is age, not gender! It didn't take me long to discover that it is not a good idea to continue combining all of the toys into one playroom. Our oldest two daughters have moved into Barbie-style princess dolls, complete with their line of shoes, crowns, and other choking hazards. Add that to the fact that they also use a lot of pencils, markers, and other not-safe-for-toddlers school supplies. They are also adding up a collection of trophies and keepsakes that need to be placed out of reach of little hands. Plus, I am actually considering letting Jersey #1 get her ears pierced this summer, which will bring more indigestible objects into play.
The new arrangement has the oldest 2 sharing a bedroom, the middle 2 sharing a bedroom, and the baby's crib still in our bedroom. In addition to their bunk beds, we added a little 4-drawer dresser for the oldest 2 in their room. The tops of the dressers give them somewhere to place keepsakes out of the reach of their younger siblings. We've added an element of responsibility too. The girls were given the freedom to arrange their clothes into their dresser drawers however they wanted....and they are expected to put away their own clothes as laundry loads are completed. So far, there is quite a bit of pride of ownership, so the girls are joyfully embracing the added responsibility.
The second bedroom contains toddler beds, train tables, and a toy kitchen. It really resembles our playroom back in the day when we only had toddlers and preschoolers, just with the addition of beds. Jersey #3 enjoys being able to play with his train sets alone and peacefully in his bedroom (he is rather introverted), so he approved of the new arrangement immediately. Jersey #4 proudly walks around the room and declares "MINE" as she points to each of her belongings. I am guessing she is enjoying getting to stake claim to more territory, now that she is sharing a room with only 1 sibling versus 3.
The infrastructure is in place in both bedrooms now. Bedtimes are running smoothly in spite of the change. All that is left is to sort through all the clutter from both rooms, that we just bagged up to deal with and purge later.....Ugh!
My favorite arrangement (until now) has been a "bed"room which holds only beds, books, & clothes [ie, quiet things to encourage sleeping], and a separate "play" room filled with all the toys. We've even taken this concept to an extreme last year when we set up 4 beds in the bedroom. Having the oldest 4 children sleep in the same bedroom proved to be a great benefit with the arrival of jersey #5. It really helped establish a bedtime routine, and got everyone sleeping in their own beds before we added a new baby to the mix. One of the greatest benefits of having siblings share a bedroom is it reduces the "I'm scared" bedtime stalling tactic. It is hard to claim to be scared of being all alone in your bedroom at night, when you are not actually alone!
I was expecting to switch the rooms into a bedroom for girls and a bedroom for boys once the baby was older. It turns out that our biggest challege right now is age, not gender! It didn't take me long to discover that it is not a good idea to continue combining all of the toys into one playroom. Our oldest two daughters have moved into Barbie-style princess dolls, complete with their line of shoes, crowns, and other choking hazards. Add that to the fact that they also use a lot of pencils, markers, and other not-safe-for-toddlers school supplies. They are also adding up a collection of trophies and keepsakes that need to be placed out of reach of little hands. Plus, I am actually considering letting Jersey #1 get her ears pierced this summer, which will bring more indigestible objects into play.
The new arrangement has the oldest 2 sharing a bedroom, the middle 2 sharing a bedroom, and the baby's crib still in our bedroom. In addition to their bunk beds, we added a little 4-drawer dresser for the oldest 2 in their room. The tops of the dressers give them somewhere to place keepsakes out of the reach of their younger siblings. We've added an element of responsibility too. The girls were given the freedom to arrange their clothes into their dresser drawers however they wanted....and they are expected to put away their own clothes as laundry loads are completed. So far, there is quite a bit of pride of ownership, so the girls are joyfully embracing the added responsibility.
The second bedroom contains toddler beds, train tables, and a toy kitchen. It really resembles our playroom back in the day when we only had toddlers and preschoolers, just with the addition of beds. Jersey #3 enjoys being able to play with his train sets alone and peacefully in his bedroom (he is rather introverted), so he approved of the new arrangement immediately. Jersey #4 proudly walks around the room and declares "MINE" as she points to each of her belongings. I am guessing she is enjoying getting to stake claim to more territory, now that she is sharing a room with only 1 sibling versus 3.
The infrastructure is in place in both bedrooms now. Bedtimes are running smoothly in spite of the change. All that is left is to sort through all the clutter from both rooms, that we just bagged up to deal with and purge later.....Ugh!
No comments:
Post a Comment