How to Share a Room With Your Child (and Actually Make It Work)

Sharing a room with your child can be a wonderful bonding experience, but it also comes with a unique set of challenges. Whether you're navigating the toddler years or sharing with a child who's outgrown their crib, creating a harmonious shared space is key. It’s still really common for parents to sleep with their toddler in the same room—especially if you rent. Though everyone has different views on sleep arrangements, I’m here to share a few creative ideas for making the most of a shared space with your toddler or child.

1. Establish how you want to share the space

Do you want them to have a corner of the room? Are they getting their own bed? Will you be using a piece of furniture to divide the room? Those are just some questions to ask yourself as you start the process. Pinterest can be a great place to find inspo—as can AI. You can actually upload a picture of your space to ChatGPT and ask it to help you reorganize your room to share with a toddler.

Our room was big enough to fit a toddler bed while keeping all of our furniture. We created a sense of division using paint and decor that was fitting for my son.

But perhaps your bedroom isn’t big enough for another bed. In that case, I’d say think outside of the bedroom and whether your living room is big enough to use as a sleeping area instead. You can use a bookshelf to divide the space and carve out a small, cozy area for your child.

2. Make it renter- and budget-friendly

We used furniture we already had for this corner, and I got our toddler’s bed on Facebook Marketplace. It’s a great place to explore new furniture to create the space you want— and to sell items you no longer need.

If you’re renting, chances are you aren't knocking down walls to create a new bedroom. You can still make your space feel divided without taking on a time-consuming or expensive project.

3. Get Creative

Remember, this space is as much yours as it is your child’s. Think about your own style and what you want your home to say to your child. Get fun pieces that you love, and some that your kiddo will also love.

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