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

How long should my baby sleep in our room?

The AAP recommends your baby sleep in your room, in their own crib or bassinet, for at least the first 6 months. After that, the choice is yours. Room sharing without bed sharing helps protect against SIDS. One large study linked room sharing at 4 and 9 months with less night sleep, so many families move their baby out after 6 months.

What the AAP says

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents sleep in the same room as their baby, but not in the same bed, for at least the first 6 months. The baby sleeps on their back in their own crib, bassinet or play yard, close to your bed. The AAP’s parent site says room sharing can lower the risk of SIDS by as much as 50%, and that it is safer than bed sharing.

Six months is the minimum, not a deadline. Nothing in the guidance says you must move your baby at 6 months, and nothing says you must keep them in your room after it.

What happens to sleep after 6 months

A 2017 study in Pediatrics followed first-time mothers and their babies. At 9 months, babies who had their own room before 4 months slept 40 minutes more per night than babies still room sharing, and their longest stretch was 100 minutes longer. Room-sharing families also had about four times the odds of moving to overnight bed sharing at 4 and 9 months.

That study was observational. It shows an association, not proof that the room caused the difference, and it does not change the AAP’s advice to room share for at least the first 6 months. Still, the pattern matches what many parents notice: you hear every grunt, you respond to sounds a baby would have slept through, and your baby hears you come to bed.

Room sharing is a safety recommendation, and it can coexist with good sleep. When it does not, the fixable part is usually how your baby falls asleep, which is what Actually Sleeping works on, in whatever room your baby sleeps.

Signs room sharing is costing your family sleep

Your baby is past 6 months and you wake each other several times a night.
You go in at every noise, and your baby has learned to expect it.
Your baby wakes when you come to bed or turn over.
You find yourself bringing your baby into your bed in the early hours.

The room is rarely the whole problem

Moving a baby to their own room helps when the waking is caused by you: your noise, your movements, your quick response. It does not help a baby who wakes because they need to be fed, rocked or held back to sleep between sleep cycles. Those babies usually wake just as often in a new room, and parents end up walking further at 2 a.m. Most families who come to Actually Sleeping have already tried things on their own, often including a change of room.

The fixable part is how your baby falls asleep. Dr. Sam writes a plan for your baby that works in your actual setup, whether your baby is in your room, their own room or a shared one. You get bootcamp-style coaching before the first night and daily 1:1 check-ins after it. See sleep training while room sharing, and hear from families in our 129 client video reviews.

If your baby moves rooms

All the safe-sleep rules still apply in the new room until your baby’s first birthday: on the back, in a crib with a firm, flat mattress and only a fitted sheet, with no pillows, blankets, bumpers or soft toys. Keep monitor and lamp cords well away from the crib.

If room sharing has turned into a night of waking each other up, book a free consultation and tell us how your home is set up.

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

Is it unsafe to move my baby to their own room before 6 months?

The AAP recommends room sharing for at least the first 6 months because it helps protect against SIDS. Moving earlier goes against that guidance. If you are considering it, talk it through with your pediatrician first.

Does room sharing mean the baby can sleep in our bed?

No. Room sharing means your baby sleeps in their own crib, bassinet or play yard in your room. The AAP does not support bed sharing under any circumstances, including with twins.

Will my baby sleep worse after moving rooms?

Some babies take a night or two to adjust and some sleep better because the room is quieter. If frequent waking continues after the move, the room was usually not the cause: how your baby falls asleep is. That is what a Actually Sleeping plan works on.