5 Tips For Moving Your Baby To Their Own Room

Parenting comes with new challenges almost daily. One of the first big hurdles in the early months is moving your baby to their own room. The transition from your room to theirs is a tricky one. After doing it three times (twice successfully, and once, not-so-much) I have a few ideas to help you move your newborn to the nursery.

5 Tips To Help Transition Your Baby To Their Own Room

1. Set Up The Space

First thing is setting up a comfortable space. You will need a crib and a crib mattress. Other items to consider are black-out curtains, a baby monitor, and a noise machine.

I don’t want to have to worry when I lay my baby down at night that their mattress isn’t safe. Whichever mattress you choose, make sure it is certified safe for newborns, and fits correctly in the crib.

The crib I use that is pictured here is the Micuna Harmony Crib. It is gorgeous, so I’m very sad to report it is no longer being made. Here are some beautiful and unique crib options I found, all under $500:

I find it helpful to also set up a baby monitor. I use this one by Amazon. It connects to my phone and I can set it to notify me based on movement or noise. The baby monitor gives me further peace of mind, so I can check on my baby often during this transition, without waking them.

Black out curtains are not really necessary, unless your child is already used to sleeping in a dark place. They may help though. I found these ones on Amazon for fairly inexpensive, in a variety of colors.

I also use a noise machine. I would highly recommend a noise machine if you are a parent of multiples. It is tough for younger children to always remember to stay quiet during naps and bedtime. With a noise machine, they won’t have to. We use the Hatch Baby Rest, and love it so much that we have it in our room too! A noise machine can also help provide a comforting and relaxing space for your baby.

Last of all, make sure there are no hazards in the room. Do not place a crib near curtains, chords, or anything that your child could grab. If you have pictures, or anything else on the wall above the crib, move the crib out slightly from the wall. That way if a picture were to fall it wouldn’t land in the crib.

2. Start When You Are Ready

Many parents ask when can you move your baby to their own room. In my earlier years as a mother, I would have said the sooner the better, but with recent new sleep recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics, I have completely changed camps. New recommendations say that you should keep your baby in your room (not your bed) till at least 6 months, but preferably 12 months, to decrease the risk of SIDS.

I moved my oldest, Zoey, into her own room at 6 weeks. That was when she was down to only one feeding a night. By 10 weeks she was sleeping 10 hours through the night! With Zander I waited till 4 months because I wasn’t ready emotionally to move him so early. He was very difficult to transition. Ultimately it took over a year to fully transition him to his own room, sleeping through the night. I moved Violet to her own room at 12 months old, she had no trouble transitioning, and was happy in her own room right away. Moral of the story, keep guidelines in mind, while making the best decision for your family. You will know when the time is right!

3. Stick to A Routine

As best as you can, stick to the same routine. Not just at night, but during the day as well. Violet was three months when I originally wrote this post, and our basic routine was a waking at 8am, bottle four times a day, at four hour increments, long morning nap, short afternoon nap, and a cat nap before bed, bedtime at 8pm. It worked very well for us. Find what works for you and stick to it! Baby’s thrive on routine. You can check out my detailed baby sleep schedule here if you want help, it includes printable sleep schedule charts for 0-24 months.

Staying on the same routine every day will do wonders for helping your baby transition smoothly to their own room, and help them sleep better through the night. Of course, it will never be perfect. Babies are unpredictable and good at messing up routines when things like teething come up. Just be patient! Things will settle down again. Keep as much of the routine as you can control the same, and don’t worry too much about the rest.

I like to keep our bedtime routine very structured, so that my baby starts to recognize that our night routine means bedtime. I put them all in their PJ’s about half hour before bed. We have a before bed snack, bath-time (with calming bedtime bubble bath), brushing teeth, and story time (my kids LOVE Ditty Bird Books before bed). Find a routine that works for you, and be consistent.

4. Leave Your Doors Open At First

When beginning the transition, it can be stressful. What if your baby cries and you don’t hear them?! Whenever I move my kids to their own room, I leave our door, and their door, wide open. Just for the first week or so. The nursery has always been the closest room to ours, and this makes us feel even closer. It helps you hear your baby at night. It can give you and baby the feeling of being in the same room, without creating bad habits of training your baby to sleep in your room.

5. Be Patient!

No matter how well you prepare, it can still be a really hard change. Be patient with the process, and know that there is an end in sight. Sometimes it just takes time. If you are consistent, I believe you will be really happy with the results. You just have to tough it through the transition period. Or maybe you will luck out like me, and have a baby who is happy to go to their own room without a hitch! Either way, these tips should really help you move your baby to their own room.

Violet has been in her own room now for over a year and it just feels like routine. I don’t even think twice about putting her down in her own bed. It is her favorite place to sleep now. When we lay her in bed she just starts getting sleepy and usually will put herself right to sleep within minutes.

How old was your baby when you moved them to their own room? Was it a hard transition? Share your experience in the comments!

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