When to Seperate Opposite Sex Siblings Bedrooms?

Glad you raised this subject because it will be an issue for me too!! My son is 6 1/2 and he shares with his 3 yr old sister. However, in the next room are his 7 and almost 10 year old sisters, also in bunkbeds!! We don't have much of a choice right now, but I can foresee this being a sticky situation when they get to be pre-teens and such. The girls getting their periods and night and all of that stuff, what to do? Ladies, anyone have older kids and go thru this?? LOL!!!

Hi J.,

I would say 10 years old. thats just me. My son is 1 1/2 years old and my daughter 6 1/2 years old. When she is about ten. If possible, not all of us have that option. :)Just keep an eye on them, they will be fine. :)

My son (21 mo) and daughter (almost 6) share a room by choice. I anticipate that they will stay that way for at least another year or until my daughter starts requesting her own room. As long as kids have a private place to dress etc as they get older, I don't see the problem. I shared a room with two sisters and a brother for a long time and we all turned out okay :)

I for one don't think there is a set age for this...

So sorry to hear that your husband is among the many who has been out of work...that addition to the house would have been nice at this time but don't give up hope. Things do change and so will this situation.

Me and my brother ((((he has passed on))))were two years apart....him being older. We shared a bed room as children and it continued on until he went off to college and I finally got my own apartment. Although me and my brother got along great...especially as teenagers, it wasn't always easy sharing a room but as we grew up, Mom made changes in decordating this room to fit both our needs. I must say it did work out well, we both survived it and grew into being decent adults....

Like back then people now have to learn how to make due and for most, it hasn't been an easy adjustment...

Hang in there, wishing you a lot of luck with the new baby coming. I'm an April baby too...fasten your set belt sweetie as April babies are full of life, creative and born leaders...lol.

Hi J.!! I am in the same situation as you and was wondering the same thing. My son turned 3 in Jan. and we are expecting a girl in June!!! We also only have 2 bedrooms and it is so nice to know that so many others have let them share a room for so long. We figured we would have at least 5 years before either doing an addition or moving. Glad to see some kids shared a room for much longer. I am so happy to see you have only received positive experiences from other mamas!! I don't know about you, but i have had several people say to me, well, what are you going to do if its a girl? You only have 2 bedrooms. And i would just be thinking, yeah, so what? Of course they would share a room for as long as it was appropriate. I hope you haven't had any of those negative commments!! I keep thinking back in the day when people had huge families in tiny little houses, you just make do with what you have....I feel lucky to have 2 bedrooms in my own home!! Well, good luck, and thanks for asking the same question i was wondering!! Take care:)

J.-I have 3 kids and they all share the same bedroom. I have 2 boys and a girl. our hope is to some day add a bedroom on, but even though my husband and I are both employed, we still don't have the money to expand. long ago it was not so strange that multiple sibling shared the same room AND the same bed. i do think it is important for the kids to have a place to go to be alone, but that can be the adluts bedroom, maybe set up a section with pillows or whatever. my oldest is 3 and i have twins that are 2 so i am a ways off from that and you are too although my 3 year old sometimes wants to play alone and usually his bedroom is free. go with the flow and don't stress. everyone will adjust. good luck!

J.,

I have a two bedroom house as well. My husband and I have 3 kids. A boy who turns 7 this month, a girl who turns 6 this month and a girl who will be 4 in July. They all share a room and always have. We wanted to have our son moved out by the time he was 5 and well that did not happen. Now I am hoping by summmer to have a room done in the basement for him, although he will be by himself which makes me a little uncomfortable.

My kids still sometimes sleep together, two at a time in their toddler beds and I think they will always want to be together. My two older ones get dressed in the bathroom seperately for some privacy in the morning and one in the bathroom and one in the bedroom at night or dress one after another. We only have one bathroom for the five of us so it makes it difficult.

They love sharing a room, but my son does talk of having his own sometimes since we already have the bedding and he does not fit in the toddler bed anymore he is looking forward to a larger bed. He also knows he can get another pet when he has his own space, so maybe that is part of it as well.

Hope this helped!
T.

I had boy/girl twins who shared a room until they were around 7 yrs old. When we moved my son into his own room his sister would either so sleep with one of her 2 older sisters or would sleep in her brother's room on the floor. Since he didn't have a problem with it we didn't either.

My daughter is 8 and my son will be 3 the end of March and they still share a room...by preference. As long as it doesn't interfere with anyone sleeping then it sounds fine to me.

I wouldn't really worry about it until your children start expressing the desire to have separate rooms--probably nearing the early teen years. If you want the kids to be able to have a bit of privacy/modesty for changing and when sleeping in their shared room you can always equip the room with a privacy screen, curtain or sliding door dividing the room in half. But you really don't need to think about that for a few years either.

I would say til the oldest is done with elementary school or so. Once one is starting puberty, it's absolutely time. If in your house, the kids use the bedroom as a place to play or to "escape," be sure that each child, no matter if same or different genders, has somewhere to go when they want to spend time alone and away from the sibling
Good luck!

It depends on how they grow and get along. If he bops her over the head you better make accomodations sooner ather than later. If they get along well I have known several people who have shared roomes with their opposite sex siblings till they left home. Just depends on the family, and situation

My two oldest ones shared a room since the second one was out of his crib. We only just separated them 6 months ago. My daughter is 9 and my oldest son is 8. Oh weekends they still share a room because they get to stay up late watching movies, and the kids tv is in my son's room. They have always been best friends so they liked sharing a room. You pretty much just have to use your own judgement. They should be fine together for many years before you have to think about giving each their own space.

I would say that it really depends on your son. When he feels he needs "privacy" then she needs to get out or at least be separated by a curtain or divider of some sort. She will not need her own space for a while, and I have a friend who shared a room with his sister and brother until they were 18 and moved out of the home! So, it really depends on your family. If they like being together and don't cause problems then it's fine for as long as they like it. At such young ages they will just never know nay different until they are in school and visiting other families homes. Or maybe on certain TV shows if you allow that. Trust your instinct and judgement. You know your kids best. But, in my opinion by puberty age they should be apart.

I'm not there yet, because my son is only 2, and baby #2 is coming in April. But I would let the kids take the lead. I think some kids sleep better alone, and others sleep better together. My sister has 4 kids and a huge house--enough room for each child to have his/her own bedroom and bed (2 boys and 2 girls). But they all sleep together, snuggled up like puppies in ONE bed! They are 9, 7, 5 and 3. She feels that, in a few years, the oldest will probably want some privacy. But until then, she figures it's better to let them sleep where they want. And actually, as a child, my brother and I used to sleep in the same bed, by choice, as we each had our own beds in our own rooms. I can't remember how old I was, but I think I was probably about 8, and he was probably about 5. We were just close and like best friends, and I remember just not wanting to sleep alone. Good luck with your decision whatever you decide.

I would suggest by the time your son is 7 or 8. But, it depends on your kids and their personalities too.
But, I would definitely give them a separate area to change clothes in (once he is 5.)

Don't worry they can be in the same room for a long time about 5 to 7 years.

Hey J.,

I don't know if there is an exact age I think it is more of a maturity factor then anything. My brother and I shared a room and when he was around 8 and I was 11 we got our own rooms. He was so scared to be in his own room he ended up sleeping in a sleeping bag on my floor until I was well into my teens. I finally put my foot down because I wanted my privacy. It was tough on him because he was so used to having someone in the room with him but he eventually slept on his own. I am not sure if 8 was to old but in our case he did have a hard time separating. Good luck on baby#2.