When it was time to kick the kids out of our bed, we knew it was not going to be an easy task ahead. To be honest, the only things we used their rooms for at that point were time outs, and toy storage. They weren’t fans of their own rooms, so timeouts felt fitting up there. Except now, I had to make it a space that they wanted to be. I thought back to redoing our own room and how it went from a cold, empty space to a homey oasis the whole family never wanted to leave. I knew I had some work a head of me if I wanted this transfer to go fast and easy! Luckily, home projects are my favorite things to do. However, I knew there were other elements that needed to be implemented in order for this to be a success.
Kids sleeP support oils
I had already been pretty impressed with the noticeable benefits that aromatherapy, and essential oils had on my own sleep, so I knew oils would be a staple in helping the kids. It was actually another ritual to add to our nightly routine that made them more excited to be in their own beds. We diffused peace and calming and lavender to begin with. Since then, we have added even more to our routine; Including, Young Living KidScents Sleepyize roller and KidScents Unwind (watermelon flavored powder). Which has been beneficial to help our oldest make in through the whole night in his bed.
nightlights
Of course night lights are a given. The trick was to light it up enough to make them comfortable but dark enough to promote sleep. 🙂 One of their main concerns was the closet. For some reason they were both apprehensive about what could be lurking inside. I got rid of any clutter in the closet and put a brighter night light inside. Being able to see inside alleviated any fears and actually gave their room plenty of light, aside from a fake fish aquarium light we also use on their desk. I also used a dimmable desk light out in the hallway, that lights the entire way down the stairs and into our bedroom. Knowing their was a lighted path to Mom and Dad really calmed their nerves of being alone.
getting a pet (Hear me out, it can be a plastic pet)
Okay, we took the plunge and got Jace the Guinea Pig he’d been wanting for his Birthday. We knew that it was another good incentive to sleep alone, but also it created a presence in their room. Carl spent most of the night awake, knawing on hay and that was comforting to them. If your not a big fan of cleaning out cages and taking care of another being, maybe a fake fish aquarium is a good place to start, or their favorite character plushy!
make their space homey
The first thing we did was take their bunkbeds apart and set them down side to side with a little side table in between. It’s like the comfort of sharing a bed with the perk of having your own. We switched out a rug for a little older-looking, sophisticated one and painted their walls a deep green. With a few finishing touches we finally had a room they were excited and comfortable to be in! Here is a before and after of the space. As you can tell we put the boys in the same room rather giving them their own, just because they are little and still enjoy each others company.
