Published by Actually Sleeping · Reviewed by Dr. Samantha Abrahamson, PharmD · Review policy · Updated 2026-11-10

Can my baby and toddler share a room, and how do I make it work?

Yes. Most families wait until after the first 6 months, the minimum the AAP recommends for a baby sleeping in the parents’ room. The baby needs their own crib with only a fitted sheet, and siblings should never share a bed with a baby. Room sharing usually works once neither child depends on a parent to fall back asleep at night.

Safety first

Separate sleep spaces. The NIH Safe to Sleep campaign lists a sibling sharing a baby’s sleep surface as a high-risk situation. Each child has their own bed.
A bare crib. The CPSC’s advice is “Bare is Best”: nothing but a fitted sheet in a crib, bassinet or play yard. For the first year, keep blankets, pillows and stuffed toys out.
Toddler-proof the crib. Toddlers like to share. Teach that the baby’s bed stays empty, and check it before every sleep.
Toddler-proof the room. Small toys, coins and batteries go somewhere your crawling baby can’t reach. Anchor furniture to the wall.
Cords. Keep monitor and lamp cords well away from both beds. The CPSC warns never to place corded cameras within three feet of a crib.
White noise at a low volume, if you use it, with the machine across the room. A 2014 study found some infant sleep machines were loud enough at maximum volume to raise concern about hearing.

Two children in one room is workable. When they keep waking each other, the waking is the fixable part, and Actually Sleeping fixes it with both children in mind.

When to move the baby in

The AAP recommends your baby sleep in your room for at least the first 6 months. After that, the timing is up to you. Many families find it easier once the baby has fewer night feeds, because night feeds in a shared room wake the toddler. Night feeds are your pediatrician’s call, not something to cut to make a room share work.

Why siblings keep each other up

Most children learn to sleep through ordinary noises from a sibling. What wakes a roommate is usually a pattern: a baby who cries at every sleep cycle because they need help to fall back asleep, a parent who comes in and talks or feeds, lights going on, a toddler who climbs out to see what is happening. When one child wakes often, the room share takes the blame. In most families the room is not the problem; the night waking is.

Different bedtimes and nap times add to it. Babies usually need to go to bed earlier than toddlers, and naps rarely line up, so the room is often in use by one child while the other needs it.

Why this needs a plan

Fixing sleep for two children in one room is a logistics problem as much as a sleep one: whose bedtime goes first, where naps happen, what happens when one child is learning to fall asleep alone and the other is trying to sleep. The answers depend on both children’s ages, schedules and habits, and on your home.

Actually Sleeping works with babies and toddlers from newborn on, so both children can be covered. Dr. Sam writes plans that account for the shared room, with bootcamp-style coaching before the first night and daily 1:1 check-ins. Hear from families in our 129 client video reviews. See also sleep training while room sharing and which products are safe for sleep.

We guarantee that your baby will sleep 8–12 hours through the night within 14 days of consistent, correct implementation of your sleep plan. If it does not happen, you get a full refund.

If your children are taking turns waking each other up, book a free consultation with Actually Sleeping.

Want this fixed for your baby?

Actually Sleeping is 1:1 coaching: a sleep plan written for your baby by Dr. Sam, bootcamp-style coaching before the first night, and daily check-ins until it is working. 700+ families coached, 129 video reviews, and a written guarantee: 8–12 hours through the night within 14 days, or a full refund.

Book your free consultation → See what families say

Frequently asked

At what age can a baby share a room with a sibling?

The AAP recommends a baby sleep in the parents’ room for at least the first 6 months. After that, sharing with a sibling is fine as long as each child has their own safe sleep space.

Can my toddler and baby sleep in the same bed?

No. NIH Safe to Sleep lists a sibling sharing a baby’s sleep surface as a high-risk situation. The baby needs their own crib, bassinet or play yard with only a fitted sheet.

What if the baby keeps waking the toddler?

Siblings often learn to sleep through ordinary noise. When one child keeps waking the other, the cause is usually the baby’s night waking itself, not the room. That waking is what a Actually Sleeping plan fixes, with the shared room built into the plan.