From birth, twins or any number of multiples, often share a room, as this is more convenient for the parents. Having all the children in one room works wonderfully when the children are infants but, as they grown older, parents will find that other alternatives may be better for all concerned.

Making the decision on when the best time or what the best way to separate your twins can be a difficult task. Each family’s situation is unique, as is the relationship between the children. Multiples tend to have a special bond that may require a certain time frame as to when they can be put into separate rooms, so as not to cause any emotional stress to either the children or the parents. While there is no concrete timeline that needs to be followed, there are stages in which separation may be beneficial.

Once the twins get into the toddler stage, sharing a bedroom may cause disruption at bedtime, especially when they are no longer in cribs but are in beds. When they transition to beds, it is easy for them to climb out of them and go and visit one another. What fun it is to visit ones sister or brother when I should be sleeping! Toddlers will not understand that it is not playtime and may not get the rest that they need if this continues. A child alone in a room, without a sibling as distraction will likely get to sleep with fewer difficulties. At this point, parents may decide that this is the best time for separate bedrooms.

As stated previously, twins do share a special bond and may feel as though they are being punished by being separated from their sibling. If separation is too much for your toddlers to handle, you may want to wait until they are a little older to make the change. Waiting until the children are old enough to express themselves and what they want is another option. Children of school age need  a quiet place to study and complete their school work, therefore this would be the ultimate time to establish separate bedrooms.