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Wake windows cheat sheet ⏰
A "wake window" is how long your baby can comfortably stay awake between sleeps. Get it roughly right, and naps become 10× easier. Miss it, and you get the overtired spiral: harder to fall asleep, shorter naps, worse nights. Fun, right?
Wake windows by age
| Age | Wake window | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 0–6 weeks | 45–60 min | Includes the feed! |
| 6–12 weeks | 60–90 min | First of day often shortest |
| 3–4 months | 75–120 min | Pattern starts to stabilise |
| 5–6 months | 2–2.5 hrs | 3 naps |
| 7–9 months | 2.5–3.5 hrs | Moving to 2 naps |
| 10–14 months | 3–4 hrs | Transition to 1 nap |
| 15–24 months | 4–6 hrs | One big mid-day nap |
Signs the window is closing 👀
- Zoning out, staring into space
- Yawning
- Rubbing eyes, pulling ears
- Getting unusually silly or hyper (overtired!)
The trick: aim to start the wind-down before you see the late cues. Late-cue naps are the short-nap special.
Why the spiral happens
Overtired babies produce more cortisol, which fights the sleep hormones. The result: they're tired and wired. The fix is almost always: shorten the next wake window, and don't try to "catch them up" with a later bedtime.
Never do mental math at 2pm again 🧠
New Baby starts a wake-window timer the moment you say "she's up" — and nudges you before it closes.
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