# Room-sharing duration

**How long should the baby sleep in our room?**

How long your baby sleeps in the same room as you (in a separate bed) before moving to their own 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.

- Area: Sleep
- Evidence: Experts disagree
- Best settled: During pregnancy
- First published: 2026-10-03
- Last updated: 2026-10-05
- Page: https://www.raisingyourchild.com/topics/sleep--room-sharing-duration

## Room-sharing duration: what are the options?

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:

- [HealthyChildren.org](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/sleep/Pages/a-parents-guide-to-safe-sleep.aspx)
- [Canada](https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/healthy-living/joint-statement-on-safe-sleep.html)
- [ParentData, search summary only](https://parentdata.org/babies/qa-what-are-the-recommendations-for-room-sharing/)

## 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?

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General information, not medical advice. Two parents can each answer this and compare: https://www.raisingyourchild.com/explore?cat=sleep&topic=sleep--room-sharing-duration