Question
HI there,
We are having trouble with our 2 and 5 year old sharing a room. The first couple of nights (before I wrote to you), we scolded/spanked for the 2 year old's noise and getting out of bed repeatedly into his sister's bed. Last night, we put them to bed at 7 to allow for playtime. I also locked the door so they can't come out. The 2-year old tried to open the door, and then couldn't. So (I think) they baited us - pulled the decor and posters off the walls and slipped them under the door. They made a lot of noise for several hours, finally, the 2-year old cried. We ignored the lot...but they didn't sleep until 10pm!! We went in and found his bed wet - he had taken off his pants and nappies. We left the door unlocked after, to allow the older child to access the toilet (No, we have not had time to buy a gate).
That night the 2 year old woke every 2 hours to come out of the room and troll the house and ask for milk, and to try and wake his sister up in a loud voice, demanding she went outside with him. My husband/dad put him back with a few sound scoldings. When husband/dad finally locked the door after the 3rd waking, the boy cried and screamed, disturbing his poor sister yet again.
In summary, nobody slept well and the household is in chaos over this. My husband is extremely fed up and does not think room sharing at this age is a good idea. I am, on the other hand, wondering if this will smooth out eventually. The 2-year old has been waking up at least once at night. Would you recommend separating them until the 2 year old is a bit older? He has not attempted to come out when he is in a room by himself. I need a plan - any ideas would be very very welcomed.
