Should 3Yo and 16Mo Old Sleep in Same Bed?

No way on putting them in the same bed. It will just create another dependency.

I have a 16 month old and I cannot imagine her sleeping in a toddler bed. She would be all over the place.

My suggestion is go buy another crib or maybe even a pack n play and have her sleep in that until she is ready for a toddler bed.

Have you not watched the supernanny program? She deals with this all the time.
First, make sure they are not over tired. Often they will both do better if they have had short (for the 3) naps.
Then remind them of what you expect. "I am going to sleep in my bed, you guys are going to sleep in your beds and when the sun gets up, we will all get up and come to the kitchen for breakfast. what would you like?" This reminds everyone that you are not leaving - their greatest fear- when they go to sleep and that you expect to be there in the AM.
After a routine (bath, teeth, story, kisses) you put them in bed with a happy tone. "Good night, MaryLou, sweet dreams, I love you" then sit down in the room with a book. Do not look at the girls. When one gets up, give one reminder. "Time for bed, Mary Lou" and you put her in her bed. After that, as many times as she gets out, you put in her bed SILENTLY. It can be 25 times the first night. BUT it is 10 the second, 5 the 3rd and then often you are done. So do it when you know you will have the stamina to see it through. Then you move the chair outside of the room, if anyone gets up, back in bed.
Right now the getting up and crying and carrying on IS the bedtime routine. So it will not be easy. Be sure they are not overtired. Those kids are the hardest to put to bed.
Be sure that you are not angry when returning them to bed, this reinforces the fear that you will leave.
If one goest to bed easily, you might put her down first. Doing this now when it is light out for so long makes it harder. You might try for room darkening shades.
Good luck. Bedtime and toilet training are the two biggest hurdles for this age.
K.

Hi C.,
It does not hurt to have them in the same beds at this age..in fact it may give them both comfort. It is worth a try- and it could make your older one seem like the "really big sister" to help the little one........as they get a little older they will want to be by themselves. but for now give it a try. Lots of little brothers and sisters share the same bed......it helps them bond.
good luck and blessings

I don't have an answer to your specific question, but I will tell you that if you fold a full size comforter and place it in the bottom of the pack n play, it makes it much more comfortable. I did this with my 16 month old because she could climb out of her crib early and I didn't feel that she was yet ready for the big girl bed. She sleeps like a champ in the pack n play!

My boys loved sleeping together! So long as they do not keep each other awake talking (and they will for about 2 weeks) I say go for it!

C.,

It sounds like you're ready for a fight every night and I'm sure your daughters can sense that. Research has shown letting kids cry it out can cause trust issues. I'm glad you're trying another method.

First, you've got to change your attitude towards bedtime. Start expecting that they will go to sleep without a fight. Establish a more consistent bedtime routine: Bath, teeth brushed, prayer, story, hugs and kisses, song and then lights out (or something similar). A story is especially helpful in providing an atmosphere where they can calm down. If you remain calm and reassuring the whole time that will help.

My 6 year old and 3 year old daughters share a room (bunk-beds). My 3 year old just turned three and still takes a nap during the day so sometimes she isn't ready to sleep at the same time as my busy 6 year old. We do the bedtime routine and then when the 3 year old gets out of bed I will keep her with me and read a few more stories while the 6 year old goes right to sleep. When I can tell my 3 year old is ready for bed I can then take her in her room and tuck her in.

I think it's fine if they want to sleep together. You could even move one of them to their own bed after they're asleep. Just make sure you're putting them to bed a little earlier because chances are it will take them longer. Don't get upset if they don't go to bed right away.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

I don't know why everyone makes such a big deal about sleep issues in kids. I have a 9 year old and a 4 year old. They sleep togather alot of the time. They also sleep on the couch, make pallets on the floor, sleep on the couch on our room. If they are sleeping somewhere, that is the important part, right?! I say pick other fights, don't worry about where or who the baby is sleeping with.

I wasn't sure from your title if you mean sleep in the same bed or sleep in the same bedroom. I don't think it will help you for your girls to sleep in the same bed. Each one needs their own spot to go to sleep. I cannot keep my youngest in her bed either, we had a hard time too transitioning from the crib to the toddler bed. Try putting one to bed first, then the other once the first is asleep. I am asking moving them into their own rooms to see if that will help. Good luck!

I totally agree with Cat. Your 16 month old needs to be able to get herself to sleep by herself. Putting her to bed with her sister will create a whole other unsustainable expectation/environment.

Another thought... Your 16 month old is still flipping directions and probably will continue to for the next 12 months. (And if you've ever been in the room to watch a flip, it can be quite surprising to witness! I didn't realize how forcefully a child will sit up and then fall in a different direction until I witnessed it with my daughter! I was really glad for the crib railings and absence of hard furniture corners/edges.) Children don't develop the milestone to sleep in one direction the entire night until they are closer to age 3. Wouldn't surprise me if your 3 yo were to develop some sleep deprivation/behavior issues from being woken up or having choppy sleep as her sister flops and falls out of bed.

If I was in your shoes, I'd either barrow another crib or commit to putting her to sleep yourself... at least until this phase improves.

yes i think you gave that crib up to quickly but no there is nothing wrong woth them sleeping together my son is 9 and my lil girl is 3 and they sleep togeather.it's the only way my lil girl will go to sleep

We never really planned it this way, but my little family has ALWAYS slept in a HUGE japanese style family bed. My son will be 6 soon and we're going to try moving him to his own room--tho I'm not sure how well that will go over lol! My kids are very close and they're very comforting to each other.
At 7:30 each night, after the bedtime story and ruitine, we put my 5 year son and our 2 year old daughter to bed upstairs with the monitor on. The rules are they have to stay laying down and not get up or they have to sleep apart (we have a little sleeping bed mat for one child when that happens). We allow them to talk and giggle but not to get up and play. Then my hubby and I hang out, cuddle and watch movies downstairs. Eventually they pass out around 8:30-9pm and wake up feeling rested at 7am.

Something like that could work for you, but you'd need to lay down the rules and be consistant. The monitor helps in hearing what they're up to ;)

Best of luck!

My husband and I are trying for a second child now and I would love for my kids to sleep together!! They're sisters and will probably do it off and on the rest of their lives. Be thankful they'll be close and that they are sleeping! My son slept better when we trained the dog to sleep in his room. He just didn't want to be alone.

As far as the crib goes - don't worry! We got rid of ours @ 14 months because my son was crawling over the side. What we did though was to start with a mattress on the floor and pillows all around so I didn't have to worry about him.

Good luck! Sleep problems are the hardest!

I let my children sleep together when they were young. It helped them both sleep better.

Put the crib back up!! It is not safe for her to be in a toddler bed at that age.