I'm a single dad and super close with my two children who are 6 and 4. We have our nightly routine and it's all good, for the most part. The one thing they love to do is sleep in bed with dad, a rather common thing with kids and parents I would say.

Thank goodness I have a king size bed, though, I will say that! But lately, they seem to be fighting or waking up in the middle of the night and making noise and for the first time, it's affecting MY sleep. Now, not to say my sleep is more importantly than theirs, but still, everyone, if it's possible, deserves a good night's rest if not for just health reasons alone.

Is There A Certain Age Kids Need Not Sleep In Their Parents' Bed?

This can be a very polarizing question, I would say. I hear from some parents, "Oh, you need to nip that in the bud right away, don't let them get used to that!" Others say to me, "My kids slept in my bed until they were 12!"

Is There Really A Correct Answer Here?

Not really.

Sleeping in the same bed with your children (co-sleeping) is a parent decision, not a medical decision. In general, bed-sharing is not recommended because it results in poor sleep for many parents. Also, once begun, it's a hard habit to break. So think carefully before you allow your child to start sharing your bed. -pediaclinic.net

This is precisely what is happening to me. However, I absolutely will forgo a good night's rest if that means my children can sleep in AC, this summer was brutal and they don't have AC in their room!

There is no medically recommended hard stop to bed-sharing, and no rules about it, but it's thought that a child will likely self wean around eight years old. Renown child expert and author, Dr. William Sears explained in Parents, that even kids four to six years old are not too old to sleep in a family bed. -romper.com

Both of my kids just recently started sleeping in their own room just last week after I asked them to. A bunk bed purchase this fall just might cement that new policy!