Tips on kids sharing a room

[Mom2Five]

My dd9, dd6, and dd2 year old have been sharing a room for about 10 months. My 2 year old is a terror. She beats up the other two. My dd6 is a big instigator though.

I had it after last night when dd2 hit dd6 in the face with a book. She ran around the house for hours. I know I sound like a wimp here and I am. I have a hernia and another suspected hernia and with her being the size of a typical 4 year old I cannot lift her without putting myself in serious danger. Carrying her back to bed multiple times is not an option unfortunately.

I had help moving the mattresses around today. I put ds8 in with ds1. I put dd6 and dd9 in another room and had dd2 in a room by herself. I went to Walmart and got a gate for the door.

Well she busted the gate down within 15 minutes and went in to lay with dd9 and dd6. Dd6 and dd2 were at it right away. I have now been sitting in here between them so I can immediately correct the behavior for 2 hours now. DD2 finally passed out. I guess this is what it is going to be like from now on. I think tomorrow I may move dd6 by herself and just sit in here with dd2.

Ugh. My problem is we are about to finalize our move into a new house and I will have no option but to have them all in the same room there. There technically is a 3rd room but I really need it for a school/playroom. The house is Small with literally no where for them to do school, for books, toys etc. I'm thinking now I might have to have one of them in there. It can't be the two year old because she will destroy everything. I was then thinking about building a big gate between all their beds, lol.

Anyone come up with anything or am I just doomed to sit in the room for hours waiting for 2 year old to go to sleep.

[JustEm]

Honestly, I would have the 2 year old sleep in your room until the hernias are taken care of and you can safely handle her.

[eternalsummer]

Our 2 year olds have always slept with us.

[MrsWeasley]

I have that exact age spread, and I can't find peace with the two year old in a bedroom with my older kids. For now, he shares a room with me. I do stay in the room until he falls asleep, but if it takes more than a half an hour I put him in a carrier on my back and do housework. Often he will fall asleep, but if he doesn't, I try laying him in bed either when he gets fussy or I finish the change res I can easily finish with him on my back.

[Tsuga]

I agree with those that suggest having the two year old in your room.

 

Also, I have put the bunk bed in the middle of the 6 and 9 year olds rooms and laid down some rules about what it means to be on your own side. Having sides helped me enforce basic boundaries rules. That is a hard age.

[Mom2Five]

I should have specified that I don't have a bedroom, or a bed. She would be more than welcome to sleep on the couch and sometimes does fall asleep on the couch before I can get them all to bed. There have been a couple times she wakes up at 4 am and comes out here and lays with me and that is fine as well. My 1 year old didn't sleep at all until a couple months ago and stayed on the couch all night with me before that.

As for safety, I am more concerned about the older kids safety, lol. I have no reason to be concerned for her safety at all. It wasn't this big of a problem until last week, because dh is no longer here at bedtimes and he was the one to pick her up etc.

[SKL]

Have you tried her in the room with the boys?

 

Can you just put a crib mattress down on the living room floor near the couch you sleep on?

 

Perhaps you could offer her an incentive if she stays in her bed all night.

 

When I was a kid, I had a toddler brother who was kind of a terror.  He would not stay in his own bed.  My folks took down the crib and left a mattress there in the boys' room.  But he would climb into the girls' bed and sleep there.  He was happy to sleep there and not happy to sleep anywhere else, so there he stayed.

[Okra]

My two year old slept in the hallway for a year.  Go figure. It was just easier for everyone involved.

[EmseB]

My then 2yo thought he was the star of the show at bedtime when he moved in with his big brothers. None of them were falling asleep until 10 or 11 p.m. I was going insane and my kid who needs a lot of sleep was falling apart every day. So, we started putting the little guy to bed at 7:30 or 8 by himself, no audience, and the oldest two get about 45 minutes to stay up and read on the couch, then they go to bed. We put on a fan for white noise so the 3yo doesn't get woken up when the older two go to bed. It works pretty well.

Edited March 7, 2016 by JodiSue

[maize]

You could get a mattress like this for one of the kids to use in the school/play room and just put it away during the day.

 

You could move the six year old in with the boys. We mix genders at that age no problem.

[maize]

Whoops, here's the link I meant to post: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00W67PJ4M?keywords=folding%20mattress&qid=1457328597&ref_=sr_1_1&s=home-garden&sr=1-1

 

I have one of these and like it.

Edited March 7, 2016 by maize

[Mom2Five]

Whoops, here's the link I meant to post: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00W67PJ4M?keywords=folding%20mattress&qid=1457328597&ref_=sr_1_1&s=home-garden&sr=1-1

 

I have one of these and like it.

 

Thanks  for sharing! I may get one of those for myself and it would def work for the school room if I have to put someone in there. I would prob  order this for my two year old now  but her Minnie mouse toddler bed is coming today, so im hoping that helps her sleep as well.

 

All the kids except the baby were actually sleeping in the same room until a couple months ago. I felt bad having ds sleep by himself and everyone else being together. The plan was always for him to sleep with ds1 when he got a little bit older. I thought about putting dd2 in with ds8 because he is my height and I wouldn't worry about her hurting him, lol. She def could not be in with the 1 year old though. I will see how tonight goes and may rearrange everyone again.

 

I guess last night sitting in with them wasn't that bad. At least I had my laptop, lol.

[fairfarmhand]

Put the y oungest to bed first, sit with her till she's sleeping and then let the other kids slip in quitely.