I've been meaning to share the boy's shared room for ages! How has it already been almost a year?!? With the help of my sponsor Munchkin, I finally got it together!
With a home that is less than 1000 square feet and just two bedrooms, we always knew our kids would share a room. Ronan slept in our room for the first four months and then (even though he is still a very bad sleeper) he started shacking up with his wonderfully sound sleeping big bro. The room hasn't changed dramatically since it was Jude's nursery. We tried a few other layouts but the small room didn't feel right any other way.
I wanted Ronan to feel special, not that he was just stuck in his brother's room, but I also wanted to make sure that Jude didn't feel as though his space was totally taken over by his baby brother. We tried to keep lots of familiar things and add in some new fun touches.
Special artwork really helped welcome Ronan Sky. My dad added Ronan's name to the wall mural and I hung the great pieces my friends made for my virtual shower. The wooden California was made my friend's son, he sells on instagram. I also purchased and framed another cool piece from Brainstorm.
With two in a small room, function is key. The top of one dresser does double duty as a changing table. The Arm & Hammer Diaper Pail by Munchkin means Jude doesn't have to smell his brother's stinky diapers while he's playing or sleeping. Nothing breeds sibling animosity quite like stench. This diaper pail sprinkles a little baking soda into the bag each time you close the lid, which means no yucky odors! I also love that the bags are affordable and easy to find.
I had to get creative with storage to make room for two boys. For clothes, each boy has one dresser and some hanging room in the closet. I also added a hanging set of shelves for odds and ends. Toy and book storage was the biggest challenge. We tried to make the best use of existing shelves in the closets. Most of Jude's toys are organized in my secret weapon: clear shoe bins. They are cheap, easy to see the contents, and when I can get him to stick with the one at a time rule, they hold a very manageable (read easy to clean up) amount of toys. There is also an overflowing dress up bin and stuffed animal storage in the closet, I would still like to do better in these areas, but out of sight out of mind.
I'm so grateful that these two love sharing a room. Ronan lives to wake his brother up each morning and Jude is counting down the days until they can rock a bunk bed!
When the baby came along I created simple DIY blackout curtains that have been a really big help, especially at nap time. Plus, they're cute! If anyone is interested in a tutorial let me know, I'd be happy to share how I made them. Curious about the other handmade items in the room? Here are a few links that you might find helpful: DIY Nautical Lighting, Mini Lounger Tutorial, DIY Nautical Mobile, and Trundle Train Table.
A special thanks to Munchkin for sponsoring this post. All words and opinions are, as always, all mine. Thank you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible.
