apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

How big is the room and what kind of bed are you currently using for your daughter?

My first thought is that based on my experience with parents to be the new child generally doesn't use the nursery for a couple of months at least. However, if you want to get everything set up for your daughter and the new baby all at once I can understand that.

The loft is a good idea if you daughter would use it and not be afraid (also beware your ceiling height). Instead of putting the bassinet or crib under the loft I would use the space under the loft to make her a defined area of the room that is hers only. Personalize it and make it a space where she can go read/play/ draw when she gets overwhelmed with the new baby. Maybe put up curtains around the bottom so it's like her "mini house".

Then I would make an area that is specifically for the new baby. Really doesn't require much more than a crib (I prefer the small ones by Ikea to the huge ones most people pick up) a changing table, and maybe a chair/rocker depending on where you plan to feed.

The other option I can think of (if the room is large enough) would be to get your daughter a daybed that could function as a place to sit for you during the day when caring for the infant. Of course, this would not create a space for her that is special for her necessarily... However, daybeds with trundles are great for girls especially when they get a little older and have sleepovers because it's an extra bed that is stored away when you don't need it.

The room is about 11' x 13' and I am currently using the Tolga bed from ikea. I chose this bed because it was cheap and replaceable.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70122215

You have some great ideas, thanks for the tips.

Our daughters, 3 and 1 share a room.

My advice is to not do it right away. Wait until the little one is sleeping through the night consistently. Even though our oldest is a fantastic, dead to the world sleeper, she was disrupted some nights by her baby sister. The adjustment went well, I think, because her sister was also old enough at that point to be interactive with her. Both girls spent their first 6 months in a basket that generally lived in the dining room, or whatever empty room at the time sleep was required. From a safety persepctive this may be important. You don't want your older one climbing in the crib with a newborn, just to play.

Three other things:
Place the crib/bed to minimize direct visual contact, as much as your room allows. Perpendicular, for example, rather than side by side. When the baby is old enough to really be aware of her/his surroundings you want to keep them from seeing their sibling. It can distracting for getting to sleep.

Because babies do, or at least should, spend an inordinate amount of time sleeping, consider where the older sibling's toys are. We thought it was so great that everything could now be stored in the big room they shared, but what do you do when the baby is sleeping? Back came some toys to the living room and the ones they can both play with stayed in the room for group playtime.

Expect to have hiccups and distractions along the way. We've heard them up 'talking' to each other for an hour after we've put them to bed. The three year old knows how to turns on the lights so she will turn them on if she thinks it is time for her sister to get up. And a bad night for one can sometimes mean a bad night for all.

All that being said, I'm really happy that it is going so well in our house. Will they want to share forever and be best friends for life? Maybe, maybe not, but they seem pretty attached to each other now. Enough so that we feel confident not renovating to get them each their own room. Good, more money for mom and dad to get a room that fits more than their bed!

Let me know if you want pics of how we set-up their room.

Never put a crib under a bunk or loft type bed! Four years ago I did this and the top bed came crashing down and killed my dear Jamal at only 6 months. To make matters worse my older son Teddy is now autistic. I don't know if it was the trauma of killing his young brother at such a young age .. or the fall itself .. or maybe that is just how he is. He was younger back then.

Anyway, learn from my mistake and never put your child under another bed.

All things aside you have a cute room!

God Bless

- Yolanda

-I am sorry for your loss, Yolanda and that is, indeed, good advice.

Catherine-
I like your room.. We recently moved and gave our daughters the largest bedroom to share. It is the first time my nine year old will be sharing a room with her three year old sister. We used an expidit 4x4 bookcase to create two distinct areas....For my older daughter, we have a desk on the wall on her side, a play area on the side for my younger daughter. Their beds are foot to foot on either side of the door to the room (a twin and a toddler bed-Ducduc's dylan bed). My little one's twin brother has the tiniest closet of a room, but he is still too young to have any complaints about his sisters' room.

Another thing you could do would be to put your daughters bed in front of the window and then move that white bookshelf out from the wall and use it as a divider. At the base of her bed. If it has a back on it you can cover the back in a cute fabric. That way your daughter has a place for her toys, books and knick knacks and a space that is hers with a nice bright window.

On the other side, where her bed is now, you could put the infant and all of the infants necessities. That way you have a low divider and your daughter has her space and the baby is on the darker side of the room.

It's hard to tell how the room is laid out from your picture but I would try to work with what you already have and just invest in some fun fabrics and play with the arrangement of the room to create an area that is your daughters.