All parents want their baby to sleep well, for the baby’s own sake as then, parents can sleep as well. A newborn sleep schedule and keeping wake windows consistent are crucial for the first year.
How long should my baby nap? When will my baby sleep through the night?
The truth is that every baby is different and some will sleep through the night earlier than others, and there will be some who will still wake up at night even at the age of 3 years.
Keep in mind that “baby sleeping through the night” is usually considered baby actually sleeping, even if they wake up briefly for feeding or pooping. It basically means that the baby will go back to sleep right after instead of needing to be soother for extended periods of time. In most cases, your baby will wake up and be ready to eat at least every 3-5 hours for the first year of their lives.
Baby Sleep Schedule by Age
0- to 2-Month Sleep Schedule
- Total sleep: 13 to 18 hours
- Daytime sleep: 6 to 8 hours
- Nighttime sleep: 8 to 10 hours*
2- to 6-Month Sleep Schedule
- Total sleep: 12 to 16 hours
- Daytime sleep: 4 to 6 hours
- Nighttime sleep: 8 to 9 hours
6- to 9-Month Sleep Schedule
- Total sleep: 12 to 16 hours
- Daytime sleep: 3 to 5 hours
- Nighttime sleep: 9 to 11 hours
9- to 12-Month Sleep Schedule
- Total sleep: 12 to 15 hours
- Daytime sleep: 2.5 to 4 hours
- Nighttime sleep: 8 to 10 hours
What are Wake Windows?
Wake windows simply refers to the period of time a baby is awake between naps.
The more important question is: How important is it to pay attention to them? The true answer is: that it depends on the baby. Some babies can sleep whenever they’re tired, while others need more soothing and if they get to the overtired stage you might be stuck with a crying annoyed baby unable to go to sleep.
If your baby turns out to be the “more needy” one, you need to pay attention to wake windows and get ready to put your precious bub to sleep as soon as they start yawning, rubbing their eyes, blinking fastly, and might begin to fuss already.
It’s a learning curve that you and your baby can develop together, but generally speaking, you can have an idea of how much should a baby sleep during the day based on the age below.
Wake Windows by Age:
Newborn: about an hour at the most
1 to 2 Months: 1 to 2 Hours
3 to 4 Months: 75 Minutes to 2.5 Hours
5 to 7 Months: 2 to 4 Hours
8 to 10 Months: 3 to 4.5 Hours
11 to 14 Months: 3 to 6 Hours (kids are daycares seem to have longer wake windows as they only have 1 nap after 12 months)
15 to 18 Months: 6 to 7 Hours (kids are daycares seem to have longer wake windows as they only have 1 nap after 12 months)
After 18 months technically speaking the wake windows should be 6 hours, but some kids might even drop all daytime naps while others can nap up to 3 hours long, so it truly varies per child. In fact, I had one of each 😉
This schedule obviously refers to daytime wake windows starting at 3 months. Baby should nap in between of their wake windows. If the baby naps less or more on one occasion, then the wake window will shorter/extend.
How to put the tired baby to bed?
Swaddle (if they can’t roll over yet), turn on the shushing noise, bounce if needed, give them a pacifier and if you can – put them in a familiar place they can nap, whether it’s a crib, baby carrier, or stroller (if you’re outside).
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