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Baby sleep schedule by age 🌙
Every baby is gloriously their own person, and every sleep "schedule" is really a rhythm. This guide is a gentle starting map — not a rule book. Use it as a compass and adjust to your baby.
Sleep schedule at a glance
| Age | Total sleep | Naps | Wake window |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–6 weeks | 14–17 hrs | 4–6 (no pattern yet) | 45–60 min |
| 6–12 weeks | 14–16 hrs | 4–5 | 60–90 min |
| 3–4 months | 13–15 hrs | 3–4 | 1.5–2 hrs |
| 5–6 months | 12–15 hrs | 3 | 2–2.5 hrs |
| 7–9 months | 12–14 hrs | 2–3 | 2.5–3.5 hrs |
| 10–14 months | 12–14 hrs | 2 → 1 | 3–4 hrs |
| 15–24 months | 11–14 hrs | 1 | 4–6 hrs |
New Babyorn (0–3 months): go with the flow 🍼
New Babyorns don't have a circadian rhythm yet. They sleep in short chunks around the clock and will usually only stay awake for 45–90 minutes at a time. Your job isn't to "schedule" — it's to follow sleepy cues: yawning, staring, quieter eyes.
- Feed on demand, day and night.
- Introduce light differences: bright days, dim nights.
- One "anchor" per day (a morning feed at the same-ish time) is plenty.
3–6 months: rhythms start to form ⏰
Around 3 months, many babies settle into three longer naps with a more predictable bedtime. This is also when the "4-month sleep regression" can show up — not a scheduling failure, just a developmental leap.
6–12 months: two solid naps 😴
Most babies consolidate to two naps — morning and early afternoon. A typical day:
- 7:00 — wake
- 9:30 — morning nap
- 13:00 — afternoon nap
- 19:00 — bedtime
12+ months: the one-nap era 🌞
Somewhere between 13 and 18 months, babies drop to one mid-day nap, usually 1.5–2.5 hours long. The transition is bumpy — expect a few short-nap days before it settles.
When to tweak vs. wait it out
Regressions, growth spurts, teething and travel all mess with sleep. If the schedule goes sideways for 3–5 days, that's normal. If it's been 2+ weeks and bedtime feels awful, try shortening the last wake window by 15 minutes.
Stop guessing. Start speaking. 🎙️
New Baby logs naps and wake windows as you say them. See your baby's real rhythm in one glance.
Download New Baby — freeFAQ
Is it bad to let a newborn nap more than 2 hours?
Generally no — but if they've been asleep longer than 2.5 hours during the day, gently wake them to keep feeds on track and protect the night.
What if my baby fights the schedule?
Babies don't fight schedules; they fight mistimed sleep. Shift the wake window by 10–15 minutes and watch what changes.