Room Sharing with Two Kids under Three | Maureen Potter
“when you’re up in the middle of the night and you’re tired, most of us want the quick fix - whatever it needs to be - but do you want to deal with the pain for a couple of nights, three weeks, or three years?”
Maureen and her husband, Justin, moved their first daughter into her room at two weeks old, and when baby sister came along she joined at five months. Maureen walks through the steps on how their girls - both under three years old - successfully room share. As a family with two working professionals, Maureen was focused on baby sleep to allow her to return from maternity leave.
They have found that temperature has been a major factor in their sleep success, with both girls sleeping in fleece pajamas and Halo fleece sleep sacks year round. Maureen found Eat, Play, Sleep and wake windows with their second daughter, and started a proper bedtime with her by two months old. She also discovered that an early bedtime resolved the classic “witching hour” fussy period. She attempted a dreamfeed, but ultimately for her daughter it was more disruptive than helpful.
Maureen and Justin considered using paid consultants and courses a few times, but ultimately they persevered with their own system. Oldest daughter, Addison, dropped feeds and slept through the night at 11 months, and second daughter Kate, started intermittently sleeping through the night around without feeds at five months old.
Meet Maureen:
Maureen Potter and her husband Justin live in Denver, CO with their two daughters, Addison and Kate, who are 2.5 years apart. Maureen’s happy and laid-back style mixed with her uber-professional career life led her to a blend of flexible and structured tactics for parenting and raising her family.
You can reach Maureen on facebook or email her at maureen.parina@gmail.com.
Resources & gear mentioned in the episode:
Earplugs/AirPods
Marpac Dohm White Noise Machine - Maureen recommends two in the parents’ room!
Red light bulb - blocks the blue light and is less intrusive for late-night diaper change and feeding
On Becoming Baby Wise - by Robert Bucknam M.D. and Gary Ezzo M.A.
TakingCaraBabies - free content on instagram