kids sharing bedroom and keeping each other awake

mummyyummy_2

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

My youngest just stayed awake until the other two came up!

Threaten death if you hear a peep out of either of them... or use whatever works for you, star charts etc.

Mum put all 5 of us out on the front door step when we were young, no idea what the neighbours thought but I wasn't happy as I hadn't made any noise!

haha, doorstep?? did it work lol? ...im afraid my neighbours would call the authorities on me, u really cant do anything anymore without fearing you are going to get in a whole lot of trouble.....x

mummyyummy_2

*Louise* wrote: »

We have this problem with our boys - 5 years old yaps away to 10 year old who gets annoyed and shouts at him to be quiet, thus waking 2 year old sister in next room and getting into trouble himself.

5 year old just can't be quiet - if there is someone there he HAS to talk so eldest has started sleeping in our bed until his brother is asleep. Hopefully when younger DS starts school in Aug he will be too knackered to stay up talking and normality will resume. Maybe.

sounds just like my house, except 6 year old wont go to sleep alone, too scared!! well, saying that i think its the cupboard in his room which scares him as when we were putting them 1 to our bed and 1 to their room he was ok in my room, but his room is big and scares him....kinda hard coz i need to keep them in the big room as they've so much stuff!! but baby needs sleep too and would defo be wakened by 6 yeard old in same room as he is noisy and moves about a lot until he finds a comfy position and drops off....btw the school thing made no diff for us, but im hoping it will for you x

mummyyummy_2

Counting_Pennies wrote: »

When we go away I put my two in separate rooms and move the lightest one across.

You could alternatively lay down in the room and pretend to be asleep and do deep breathing. That tends to get my son asleep when he just cant settle.

Remember though, if this has just started it could just be the heat, lots of children are having trouble sleeping in the heat

hth

hiya and thanks, no its been going on forever im just about at the end of my tether now though....i can take most other things but at the end of a long hard day with 3 kids (on my own 95% of time) it isnt easy...i tried that and fell asleep twice last week lol...only to waken with a stiff neck at 2am and be awake for about 2 hours, coz i still had so much to do downstairs x

Jo_R_2

Mine are 6 and 3 and share a room. They're generally quite good at bedtime, but I have found DD2 'chats' to wind down which puts off DD1 going to sleep.

It's quite funny when you're not all stressed out and tired from a long day, she will chat about complete rubbish - talking to herself really - then all of a sudden just stop dead and she's fast asleep:D

To stop any arguments I found the best way was split bedtimes. My two have a thing about scary cupboards (the oldest more than the youngest) so I go through checking them to show them there's nothing there, then shutting them, and on occasion have got OH to do it - in a kind of dadly-rah-nothing-there way:D

I used to be happy when they were littler to sit in with them for a while but now with 3 of them and a mountain of stuff to do I have to limit it, but particularly DD1 is happier if I sit in for 5/10 mins. I have to be strict then and say goodnight but always keep popping up maybe every half an hour but it doesn't take too long tbh for her to go to sleep - she often waits for me to pop up again then is happy and will be asleep next time I check - she takes a while to nod off.

mummyyummy_2

mrcow wrote: »

I agree - split bedtimes. The 6 year old goes to bed at 7. The 9 year old can stay up until 8 and can read downstairs until then.

Would that not work?

hiya and thanks, as i said in an earlier post we are trying this as its only fair, but little one is scared! actually (light bulb moment!) i suppose only thing i could do is put little 1 up and stay with him, leaving eldest alone but it could take aaages....mmm i mt try that 2nite actually if i make sure im super organised and put baby to bed then 6 year old my eldest will be fine (and love it) downstairs on his own, i just wish i cd have what my friends have and say 'go to bed night night' and off they go without a peep til the morning ....x

*Louise*

mummyyummy wrote: »

sounds just like my house, except 6 year old wont go to sleep alone, too scared!! well, saying that i think its the cupboard in his room which scares him as when we were putting them 1 to our bed and 1 to their room he was ok in my room, but his room is big and scares him....kinda hard coz i need to keep them in the big room as they've so much stuff!! but baby needs sleep too and would defo be wakened by 6 yeard old in same room as he is noisy and moves about a lot until he finds a comfy position and drops off....btw the school thing made no diff for us, but im hoping it will for you x

My 5 year old was also afraid of being on his own. It's now a case of 'tough, you won't be quiet and let your brother sleep so you can't have him here'

Tough love, but nothing else works - he has a nightlight and his teddies and usually drops off in an hour. He would be up till 11pm otherwise.

Tbh after the first couple of nights he hasn't made any fuss about being on his own...I think he was playing on it to try and get round us

MrsE_2

Get them up at the crack of dawn & keep them going all day.
They will be dying to get to bed:D

pigpen

I have 3 sharing a room.. we did have 4 until easter!! 9, 7 and 5.

They have ALWAYS known bedtime is 'shut up and sleep' time.. they are given 2 warnings and start losing bears and stuff from their beds..

as for the old 'scary cupboard' routine.. old as the hills.. and there is no way you should be falling for that.. a 'don't be so silly' is more than enough response (though I did once threaten to stuff mine IN the cupboard if he didn't shut up 5 hours after going to bed!) They aren't scared it is just another ploy to keep you there and not be asleep.

Last summer I was very ill and their dad had not long left and they were REALLY bad at bedtimes.. and did earn themselves a smacked bottom on a few occasions..

I think you just need to be more firm rather than trying to reason with them and cajole them. Children are unreasonable by nature and cannot actually understand reason until they are quite old. They don't realise other people have the same feelings as them until they are about 8 or 9.

remember YOU are the boss!! Being a parent isn't about always being an equal it is about helping the children become sensible responsible independant adults.

for every time you have to tell them to be quiet they go to bed 5 minutes earlier the next day.

Could they read for 15 minutes to wind down before lights out? (putting them in bed 15 minutes earlier rather than expecting them to sleep 15 minutes later)

Withdrawing treats/bed bears etc might help.

peachyprice

mummyyummy wrote: »

hiya and thanks, as i said in an earlier post we are trying this as its only fair, but little one is scared! actually (light bulb moment!) i suppose only thing i could do is put little 1 up and stay with him, leaving eldest alone but it could take aaages....mmm i mt try that 2nite actually if i make sure im super organised and put baby to bed then 6 year old my eldest will be fine (and love it) downstairs on his own, i just wish i cd have what my friends have and say 'go to bed night night' and off they go without a peep til the morning ....x

If you're going to stay up with your youngest would reading to him help settle him quicker, it helps my dd wind down.

mummyyummy_2

peachyprice wrote: »

If you're going to stay up with your youngest would reading to him help settle him quicker, it helps my dd wind down.

yes i will defo do this, its impossible with the 2 of them together coz the way they wind each other up but 1 on 1 mt work....thanks x