Room-sharing duration
How long your baby sleeps in the same room as you (in a separate bed) before moving to their own room.
How long should the baby sleep in our room?
In short: Parents choose between 4 main approaches: Own room from the start; First few months; 6 months (AAP, UK, Canada); 12 months or more. Evidence: experts disagree. Credible bodies or researchers disagree — decide whose guidance you'll weigh. Best settled: during pregnancy.
- Evidence
- Experts disagree
- Best settled
- During pregnancy
- Part of
- Pregnancy to first birthday
Room-sharing duration: what are the options?
Parents usually land on one of these 4 approaches.
1. Own room from the start
The baby sleeps in their own room from the first night.
2. First few months
The baby sleeps in your room for the first few months.
3. 6 months (AAP, UK, Canada)
The baby sleeps in your room for about six months, as major health bodies advise.
4. 12 months or more
The baby stays in your room for a year or longer.
Room-sharing duration: what does the evidence say?
Experts disagree. Credible bodies or researchers disagree — decide whose guidance you'll weigh. (Contested on duration)
The AAP says to share a room with your baby for at least the first 6 months; three national bodies agree on at least 6 months. Oster argues the benefit fades after the first few months
Sources
What else is worth knowing?
Sleeping in the same room, in a separate bed, makes night feeds easier and is recommended in the early months. Some parents sleep worse with a noisy baby beside them. When to move the baby out is a balance between safety guidance and everyone's rest.
Questions to ask each other
- Where do we picture the baby sleeping in the first months?
- How long would we want to share a room, and what would make us move the baby sooner or later?
- How will we sleep if the baby is noisy?
More in Sleep
First published 2026-10-03. Last updated 2026-10-05. General information, not medical advice.