Shared Bedroom Ideas ...
What’s the Benefit?
Great Bedroom Ideas for shared rooms that benefit both kids.
We believe in sharing the same room during those early formative years. The best outcome is a closer bond between siblings. It also teaches them
to empathize with others (not to mention, freeing up the additional room for other purposes).
Yet many parents, especially in America and other developed countries, frown upon this trend. Some even feel guilty, if they do not have the additional room. They feel they are ‘forcing’ their children to share. Decorating kids rooms to match the different personalities seems impossible.
Let us explore both sides of the issue. You can decide for yourself whether the promised pot of gold exists or is just a myth.
1. Pros and Cons of Shared Kids Bedrooms. Every coin has two sides. You need to weigh the pros and cons and decide what will be best bedroom ideas for your kids. Our research shows that most parents find the benefits of a shared room at an early age are manifold.
Pros:
a. Feeling of Security – young kids are afraid of the dark. The presence of another sibling gives them a sense of security and helps them relax.
b. Sensitivity to Others – Children in shared bedrooms learn to be flexible and sensitive to the feelings of others.
c. Deep Sibling Bond – spending these initial formative years in close proximity creates a special bond between siblings. This bond remains just as strong long after the two have gone their separate ways.
d. Benefits Future Relationships – Sharing a room leads each child to develop a positive attitude towards compromise, problem solving and listening to the other person. These can be crucial qualities in later years when they have to share rooms at college or with their spouse.
Cons:
a. Less Personal Space – naturally shared bedroom ideas signify less personal space. Privacy could be a concern at this point. (We have some great ideas to overcome this issue.)
b. Gender Trouble – young kids bedrooms can easily accommodate a brother and sister. However, as they grow older and more aware of themselves, you will have to address their privacy concerns more emphatically. Teaching the kids to respect each other’s privacy in such situations can prove useful to the kids in their later years.
c. Sibling Rivalry – as we all know, siblings WILL fight. In those moments of ‘I don’t want to play with her ever again’ and ‘Me neither’ each child needs some private space. This is a challenge if both kids are in the same room.
d. Age Agonies – if the age difference between your kids is large, getting them to share the same room and decorating it to the satisfaction of each would be a miracle. But if you could achieve it (and you could…with some help from us), it would be a great learning curve for both. The older kid would learn responsibility and sensitivity…while the younger one would find support and security.
2. An Additional Bedroom or a Separate Playroom? Even if your house boasts the additional room for the second child, consider the advantages of shared bedrooms. Converting the other room into a playroom, allowing the children extra play area, is a cool bedroom idea. If play dates are a norm, this would be an ideal way to keep the kids bedroom private and, to a large extent, clean.
3. What if the Kids want Alone Time? There are many times that even little children want their own space. Perhaps they have had a fight with another, want to read a book quietly, want to share a secret with a best friend…or just need to be left alone for a while.
Even in shared bedrooms, you CAN achieve a sense of privacy. Simply hang canopies over the beds, drop fancy curtains in the middle of the room, get a floor screen and dividers or invest in a bunk bed.
4. Poor Sleeping Pattern or Allergies. These might be few conditions in which you need to double check the feasibility of shared bedroom ideas for the kids.
a. Poor Sleeping Pattern – If you are planning to move the crib in with your toddler’s bed, consider the older kid’s sleeping pattern. If he is a poor sleeper and wakes with the crying baby, you might want to hold off the plans for shared quarters until the baby is a little older. It would be more feasible to move the crib into your own room instead.
b. Allergies - If one of the kids is prone to allergies or has any other chronic ailment, a separate bed is a must. His sheets will have to be cleaned more often and other considerations will have to be made to ensure that sharing the same room does not add to his discomfort.
Just as every child is unique, so every situation is unique. You need to weigh the pros and cons of shared bedrooms to find your perfect fit. These bedroom ideas will help you find your way, but they are flexible…mould them, shape them, skip the ones that don’t apply to your situation.
Have Fun decorating the kids room. As you see the sibling bonding increase, your guilt will disappear. There is a pot of gold sitting in your kids shared bedroom!
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