When a new baby comes home, many families decide to have their older child share a bedroom with the little one. Room-sharing can have its challenges, but it can also create a sibling bond that will last a lifetime. Here are some tricks experienced moms use to make sure everyone gets their space as well as their sleep:

Explain the situation. Giving your older child a heads up about how the arrangement will work can be helpful. Then he will know that he shouldn’t get up if he hears you come into the room for a nighttime feeding, and that if he wakes before the baby in the morning, he should leave the room quickly and quietly.

Give your older child choices. Some moms find that letting the older sibling pick out some colors, bedding or other decor for the room helps him feel included and makes the experience more positive for him.

Keep the baby with you to start. Try using a bassinet or cradle in your room for the first few weeks so your older child can adjust to the new baby without feeling like his room is being invaded. 

Practice with naps. If your older child still takes an afternoon snooze, sharing naptimes can help both of them get used to sleeping together in the same room.

Make some noise. A white noise machine or even the whoosh of a fan creates background noise that can help one child continue sleeping when the other wakes or fusses. Some moms like to walk in and out of the room a few times when the children are sleeping so they get used to regular house sounds without waking.