Yet another (but different) 'seperate vs same room' thread

Our twins are still not due for another 4 months or so but we're already discussing room arrangements. I'm glad to see by the number of threads on this forum about this subject that we're not the only ones with this type of question.

So here's the situation - We don't have any other children at this time. We have 2 bedrooms completely available. How should we do this?

Both share a room and have the 2nd room be a play room?

Give them each their own room from the beginning?

What are the pros and cons of each of these two options? For those who've already been there done this, which did you choose and what are your thoughts in hindsight?

 

I would put them together and use the other as a toyroom. I would keep very little things in their bedroom (as far as toys, and other distractions). I would keep it for sleeping only.

You could set up the toyroom with the toys, bouncers, walkers, pack and play, a second changing table or area set up to change wet diapers (that do not require complete clothing changes), etc.

This would also keep the clutter out of the regular living space (and you could baby proof the toyroom from the beginning (saving stress later)....it will be a safe place from the beginning if/when you needed to leave the room for a while and let them play.

 

We had the boys share a room. They will be five in October, and they still share a room(and will be for a long time!). It has never ever been an issue. Annabella has her own room, then we also have a playroom. If you can have a separate room for toys, that's my advice. I love that my boys share a room. If one wakes up, and the other isn't there, they immediately start calling for him. It's really sweet. They were never typical toddlers/boys by getting into anything. It was never a worry of mine.

I'd do one room, and then you always have the option of splitting them up. And congrats!

 

My feeling was and is (until naps have recently become a problem) that if they can share a womb they can share a room.

 

Sharing a room will make it so much easier on you, especially when they are really little. You can keep all the changing and feeding equipment in one place so you won't be ferrying between two rooms. And if you share from the beginning, they will get used to each other's cries. We had them in the same crib until about 2months old next to our bed then moved them one at a time into their own room and crib.

I've also found that times when I've had to separate (like now for naps, with you on this one Michelle) it's been great to have that separate area already set up. I also found just having the PnP set up all the time invaluable, I could just easily put them in there if I had to go to the bathroom etc.

 

Mine have shared a room from conception Won't be splitting up any time soon. 3 bedroom house, my big kids have one room, dh and I one, and the twins one. Once my twins start school we'll separate the kids into boy/girl rooms, but for now, the big kids get up early so they share, and the twins sleep in so they share.

I'd kill for a separate playroom/toy room! My living room is our "all purpose room" with everything in it. Bookshelf, toy shelf, train table, tv....everything. But the bedrooms are too small to keep everything in it, we're out of options.

Before we had the twins, my two kids shared a room and the other room was spare bedroom/storage room/play room. Loved it!

 

Another vote for have them share a room and a separate place for toys. My two shared a room until they were 3.5, when I finally decided that since they have different sleep needs now, they should be separated.

 

Well, it seems that I will be the odd one out here, but based on my experience, I would say if you have the room, separate them, it may end up being easier on you. I was going through the same situation and I kept on my fantasy that the twins should be in the same room, for way too long, we separated them at 18 months - they are now 23 months. I even had a thread on this forum about this. Between 12-18 months it became a HUGE pain. I am not sure if due to teething or what, but they would cry in the middle of the night and wake each other up and then at least one of them would not fall asleep, or at times both of them. Yeah, they say they should sleep through each other's cry but NOT MY KIDS. Since we separated them, it became much easier and if one of them wakes up, at least it's just one, and we can also let one cry a bit and maybe fall back asleep - at times they just scream in their sleep for a minute then sleep. Also they fall asleep easier, even if they fuss a bit, at least they don't feed off each other. In my experience, the quality of their sleep improved since we separeted them, and the quality of my sleep improved also .

So, we still have everything in the one bedroom - their clothes, the changing table, everything. The other room has just Max's crib for now - and the guest bed - we took the nightstands and dreeser out. My brother is coming to visit on Friday so while he's here we'll move Max's crib back in the room with Vanessa. I still hope that at some point we can move them back together, but I wouldn't mind it if it doesn't happen. For now, I like it and I am sorry I didn't do it sooner, it would have saved us a lot of sleepless nights. And about the play room, I wouldn't worry about that too much - for us the play room became downstairs - there are toys everywhere, so it would be useless to have a separate bedroom with their toys upstairs - plus I prefer to have them play in the living room, we can keep an eye on them and play with them whenever we get a chance.

 

This! I miss our playroom.

 

I would also start out with them in one room but I wouldn't worry about splitting them up later if that turns out to be better for you. Having them in one room is nice for all the reasons already pointed out-everything's in one place, their bedroom can be just for sleeping, the toys are contained, you can have that room super baby proofed and not have to stress etc etc. Plus the majority of twins will learn to sleep through each others cries so I'd say, in general, it's better to start in one room and then switch to two if you need to.

As for my own kids Naomi and Luke have always shared a room (and still are, having never asked for their own, at age 8). Alyssa and Bryony have been back and forth-they shared when they were tiny, then split with B being in their parents room for a while, then back together from about 2, then they asked for their own rooms at 7 and are split again now. Eleanor and Ethan started out with their own rooms but now that #3 is arriving soon have been put together just a couple of months ago aged 3 & 4 (a transition that went far better than I expected). So really I've had it all :lol:, trust me it'll be fine whatever you do and you're lucky in that you have the option to change it round if what you decide in the first place doesn't work out.

 

Mine share and have shared since we brought them home. They're 4.5. When they decide they want to get their own room, we'll do it. For now it's just more convenient to have them together (and yes, they cried a lot as babies/toddlers, and learned to sleep through each other's cries).

We don't have a playroom. Our spare rooms are a guest room and a 'dump' room (where we put all the junk we're not using). Never felt the need for one, I'd much rather they played downstairs with us than out of sight upstairs (they have no toys in their room either).

 

My girls each have their own room. But still sleep in the same room, usually in Sydney's full bed, but sometimes they will sleep in Dani's twin bed together. They even had a week that the dog slept in the twin bed with the 2 girls. I should mention the dog is almost 70 pounds. I do wish I seporated them earlier. They both sleep better apart, but unless I or DH sit in the hallway till they fall asleep, they wind up in the same room. Since it is summertime, I don't really care but when school starts up again it can be a problem.

 

I separated mine a few months after they born. They slept in our room- the deeper sleeper in a packnplay next to our bed and the lighter sleeper in our large master closet (all cleaned out with a crib in it).

Once they turned one, they both moved into two cribs in the same room for bedtime. They take their naps in our room in the same arrangement- one in a packnplay by our bed, one in a packnplay in our closet.

I tried napping them together. It did. not. work. at all.

I think if they were my firsts- I would have had to put them in separate rooms at first (after the first few months).

My first two were 14.5 months apart and we tried having them together when they were that little. It did not work at all. We separated them until they were 4 and 3 (then back together and it worked fine).

I do and did this because it has helped my kids sleep.

Sleep is very important and this works (ed) for us!

Rebecca