Baby sleep guides
Flexible wake windows and daily rhythms for your baby’s first year.
How long your baby can stay awake between sleeps, and how those windows add up to a day. Each guide gives the number for your baby’s age first, then where the range comes from and a sample day you can shift to fit your baby’s cues.
Wake windows for this age: 6 month old wake windows and nap times
11 min
1 month old wake windows are 1 to 2 hours, and the first window of the morning is usually the shortest one. See a sample 4 nap day from 7:00 am, the early sleepy cues and what to do when the day goes off plan.
12 min
3 month old wake windows run 1 hr 15 min to 2 hr 30 min, and the clock starts at the wake, not after the feed. Here is the 4 nap sample day, the early cues to watch and what to do when a nap runs short.
10 min
11 month old wake windows are 3 to 6 hours, usually with two naps. The last window before bed is the longest, so bedtime trouble often starts with when the afternoon nap ended. Sample day, cues, daycare tips and safe sleep inside.
10 min
12 month old wake windows are 3 to 6 hours, and most first birthdays still come with two naps. The total sleep guidance changes at one year; the nap count does not have to. A cue-led day, sleepy cues and signs of the slow move toward one nap.
11 min
4 month old wake windows stay at 1 hr 15 min to 2 hr 30 min, even when naps get shorter. A short nap calls for a shorter next window, not a longer one. Here is the sample schedule, the cues to watch and a gentle way through the 4 month changes.
11 min
2 month old wake windows are 1 to 2 hours, and a smiling, chatty baby can still be at the end of one. See a sample 4 nap day, the sleepy cues that show up mid play and what to do when naps run short.
11 min
5 month old wake windows run 2 to 4 hours across three naps. The last window before bed is the longest, and the third nap is what keeps it manageable. Here is the sample day, the cues to watch and what to do when the late nap does not happen.
11 min
3 week old wake windows are 30 min to 1 hour, and a doze during a feed does not reset the clock. See the feed, wake, sleep loop, the early sleepy cues and a wind-down anyone in the house can repeat.
10 min
9 month old wake windows are 2 hr 30 min to 4 hr 30 min with two naps. See the sample day, the cues hiding inside all that pulling up, and why a hard afternoon nap is usually fixed by looking at the morning one.
10 min
10 month old wake windows widen to 3 to 6 hours, yet the sample two-nap day stays close to 3 hours per stretch. Here is how to use the wider range without overtiring a cruising baby, plus cues, a wind-down and safe sleep basics.
11 min
Newborn wake windows are 30 min to 1 hour, and the feed is part of that time, not a step before it. Here is the feed, wake, sleep loop, the early sleepy cues to watch for and how to count the next window from the real wake.
11 min
8 month old wake windows run 2 hr 30 min to 4 hr 30 min across two naps. Here is a sample day from 7:00 am, the sleepy cues to watch for, and why tears as you leave the room usually call for more connection, not a longer window.
11 min
6 month old wake windows are 2 to 4 hours, but the sample sleep schedule never goes past 2 hr 30 min. Here is the 3 nap day from 7:00 am, how feeds fit in, and why the morning window should start short.
12 min
7 month old wake windows run 2 hr 30 min to 4 hr 30 min. The 3 to 2 nap transition is decided by the late nap, not the morning one. Here is the sample day, the signs to watch and what to do on the in-between days.
10 min
6 week old wake windows are 1 to 2 hours, and after a short nap the next window should be shorter, not longer. Get a sample 4 nap day from 7:00 am, the early sleepy cues and a plan for days that go off script.