Setting up children’s rooms for twins – the best tips from birth to adolescence
Having a baby is exciting enough in itself, but when it comes to twins, the parents-to-be are faced with completely new questions and challenges. One of them is the furnishing and design of the future children’s room. Should the children share a room and if so, up to what age is it okay? Does everything have to be bought twice and how do parents ensure that the children play together, but that each child also has a clearly defined area in the children’s room?
Setting up children’s rooms for twins – tips for sharing a baby room
As the following statistics show, multiple births tend to be the exception. For every 1,000 newborns there are an average of 35 multiples, i.e. twins, triplets or even quadruplets.
For the parents-to-be, the birth of twins is of course always a big surprise and also a big challenge. Do twin parents really have to buy everything twice and do the children sleep in their cots right from the start or with their parents? Here are some good tips for the first time in the life of twin parents.
Attention risk of confusion
Especially with identical twins, even the parents may not be able to tell their babies apart right away, shortly after the birth. At the latest, however, grandma and grandpa, aunts and uncles and the rest of the family and friends will have their problems with it. As cute as it is to dress the twins in exactly the same way, parents nevertheless recommend that one child should primarily wear one color and the other the other in order to minimize the risk of confusion. Name tags above the baby crib are also useful. Wall stickers with the respective baby name look more stylish. When it comes to popular and well-known baby names, such stickers can also be found quickly. If you still need inspiration for choosing a name, you will find it here a list of the most popular girls and boys names as well as their respective origins and meanings. Parents will quickly notice, however, that even identical twin babies have very different characters and even if they look almost 100 percent the same, they can be easily distinguished based on their characteristics.
Set up children’s rooms for twins – At first, the babies sleep in their parents’ bedroom
Most parents let their babies sleep in their bedroom for the first few months. Either directly in the parents’ bed or by means of a baby bay next to it. This is especially useful because of the breastfeeding at night, as the mother does not have to get up and go to the nursery every time. All she needs to do is put her babies on, one by one, and then she can go on slumbering blissfully, at least until one of the little ones asks for food again. The children’s room, which is lovingly furnished in the months before the birth, is therefore usually only required from the age of eight months. Nevertheless, the process of designing and furnishing is part of becoming a parent, and during pregnancy, mothers in particular have the urge to create a cozy nest for their offspring. In any case, it is advisable not to overdo it and to limit yourself to the most important things – afterwards you can gradually buy new things. One of the less sensible purchases for twins, according to the Twin mom’s blog, the bassinet. It looks adorable and at first there is even room for both children, but after a while it is already too small. In addition, the babies are bored in a bassinet because they have nothing to be amazed at.
Of course, two babies need more space than one. If the parents’ bed is very spacious, both children can initially sleep in the bed. Otherwise, the cot has proven to be a good solution. During the day it is a good idea to put the twins to sleep in a day bed in the living room, equipped with a nest and a canopy.
In addition, expectant parents often worry that they will have to reckon with double the costs for equipment in the baby room. That’s actually not exactly true – because the little ones need significantly less storage space during the first year. For example, a changing table and a wardrobe are sufficient, and a baby bathtub is also sufficient.
Setting up children’s rooms for twins – the advantages and disadvantages of a common room in different age groups
Especially with twins, it makes sense for the children to share a common room. Often there is simply not enough space to give each child their own room. But what are the advantages and disadvantages of sharing a children’s room, in which phases of life does it make sense and when there is a risk of conflicts?
Babies and toddlers
Children need contact with other children. In this way, they can develop an initial social understanding more quickly, because they learn that they have certain ideas and wishes of their own, but also that these ideas cannot always be implemented. Observing other children allows them to make comparisons and draw conclusions. They can communicate with each other and measure themselves against each other. As a result, their personality develops and they learn how important it is to be considerate of others. This is particularly useful for twins, because a great counterpoint in relation to a common children’s room is too great a difference in age. If the children are more than three or four years apart in age, they are in completely different stages of development and often can do little with each other. Of course, this problem does not exist with twins.
Elementary school age
The older the children get, the more diverse their interests can be. This also applies to twins. Some twins are inseparable and want to do everything together, while others are always looking for time and space for themselves. Whether a shared room still makes sense in primary school age depends very much on the character of the children and whether the children want a shared room or not. The advantages are obvious. If you share a room with your twin sibling, you always have someone to talk to and play with. In addition, it is usually easier to fall asleep and the fear of the monster under the bed is no longer that bad if someone is still in the room and you can take care of each other. But everyday school life also brings with it a certain pressure to perform. Sometimes it is better if children then have the option to withdraw, for example so that they can concentrate on doing their homework. At this age, the gender differences develop further. Girls and boys then often have different interests and often different groups of friends. Parents and their offspring have to find out whether this can be combined with a shared room.
Set up children’s rooms for twins – the youth room
Puberty is a nerve-wracking time for both teenagers and parents. In the self-discovery phase, mood swings and conflicts are the order of the day. If the twins continue to get along well, they may even benefit from a shared room and can support and support each other. During puberty, however, it often makes sense for everyone to have their own area of retreat, after all, adolescents want one thing above all: privacy.
From kindergarten to puberty – inspirations for creating a small empire
The following will now deal with the design of the twin room. Some tips are given on how to easily create separate areas even in small rooms and how it is easier to keep things tidy over the long term.
Everyone has their own area
Babies are not yet interested in ownership, but disputes about “mine” and “yours” start as early as infancy. Then it makes a lot of sense if every child has their own area in the room. So one bed can be in one corner and the other in the other. The children can also choose which wall color they want to choose for their area and the furniture can also be selected to match. However, since children often change their minds, parents should of course have the final say in setting up and designing. A loft bed is ideal in smaller rooms. From elementary school age at the latest, children now and then want some privacy. Curtains can easily be attached to such a loft bed, so that every child can create their own area of retreat. Alternatively, in adolescence, when privacy becomes even more important, shelves or lightweight walls can also serve as room dividers.
Provide enough space to play and run around
Even in small children’s rooms, the offspring should have enough space to play and also be able to invite friends from time to time. As mentioned, loft beds are real space savers. Hanging shelves on the wall also provide storage space and keep the floor free. A large play carpet can then be spread out on this. Each child has their own storage space for toys in their own area and if necessary everything is simply brought together in the middle of the room
There has to be order
Disorder in the kid’s room is quite normal, especially with two children. Parents shouldn’t overestimate this, but should teach their offspring to keep things tidy right from the start. This includes putting the toys back in their place before going to bed. In order for this to work in an uncomplicated manner, however, parents must ensure that there is enough storage space in the children’s room.
Set up a children’s room for twins – two cots and a changing table in the middle
Another charming children’s room for twins with a canopy