One of the number one questions I get when working with families is “how can I get my baby on predictable nap schedule that works?”. I get it! Being a type A mama I need to know when the next nap can be so I can plan out my shower, cup of coffee, or even just moment of silence! And while every baby is different, now that I’ve worked with hundreds of babies and toddlers I’ve seen firsthand predictable patterns that can make up close to perfect daytime and night time sleep schedules.
Research tells us that while the amount of naps change throughout the first year of life, the amount of daytime sleep does not vary widely after about 6 months of age. Before 4 months there is not as much predictability to schedules, but there are still ways to promote independent sleep so when you reach 4-5 months your baby will know how to connect sleep cycles and take longer naps. More on this in my newborn through 4-month sleep guide here! In this blog I’ll go through what sleep schedules can look like for a 4-5 month old, 6-8 month old, 9-11 month old, and toddler sleep schedules.
4-5 month old sleep schedules
At 4-months your little one’s sleep has changed rapidly over the last few months. They now have a circadian rhythm that helps them differentiate days from nights, release their own melatonin to help them get sleepy in the evening, and finally going through sleep cycles just like us instead of the majority of sleep spent in the stage of REM. Wow, that’s a lot!
So it’s no surprise that this is one of the hardest schedules to land on because your baby has a lot to work on! Therefore you have a few things you’ll need to work on initially before getting your baby on a clock schedule.
- Independent sleep skill practice (read more on the this here)
- Sleep environment changes (get out of the swaddle and transition out of the bassinet)
- Use appropriate wake windows (by 4 months you’ll want baby to be awake at least 90 minutes between naps and by 5 months closer to 2 hours)
6-8 month old sleep schedules
This is the age that I believe to be the sweet spot for sleep training and getting on a nap schedule (more on sleep training here) . By this age your baby should be able to stay awake 2-2.5 hours and therefore build up enough sleep pressure to take longer, more consolidated, naps. At this age it’s important to have independent sleep first before just following a “by the clock” sleep schedule. This is why when I work with families for full support sleep training the first week is focused on independent sleep and the second week more so on mastering the sleep schedules. When you don’t have independent sleep your baby’s naps are more likely to be shorter and therefore they will stay on a 3-4 nap/day schedule in order to get the sleep they need.
So why can’t babies stay on 3-4 naps a day for longer? They absolutely can, but since sleep begets sleep it will start to negatively affect baby’s nighttime sleep because they aren’t getting the REM sleep they need during the daytime. This is why it’s important to understand how your baby falls asleep so they can get back to sleep upon awakenings. Does your baby need to be rocked to sleep? Or use a pacifier? This can be an age to work on decreasing those sleep associations therefore baby can fall back asleep during naps and nighttime sleep.
9-11 month old sleep schedules
By this age your baby should start to get drowsy and show you sleepy signs at the same times everyday. This is an age where they should be on a clock schedule because then their body will know it’s time for sleep. At this age it’s also very important to have a nap time routine so your baby knows there is a pattern to the process. You want this routine to be short and sweet. Example would be diaper change, sleep sack, 1-book, sound machine on, go into crib awake.
Due to our circadian rhythm most babies at this age do well sleeping 7 pm-7 am and having morning nap around 9:30 am and afternoon nap at about 2 pm. The goal is to be awake about 2.5 hours before morning nap, 3 hours awake between morning and afternoon nap, and 3.5 hours awake before bedtime.
Toddler sleep schedules
The one nap a day schedule can be very nice when you have older siblings at the house too because then you aren’t rushing around trying to be home for nap times as frequently! The key with this 1 nap per day schedule is that you don’t rush to get here. Most babies naturally transition to one nap around 15-18 months. This is often a transition that can take 4-6 weeks of some bouncing back and forth rather than in just a few days. Most babies will start by taking a later morning nap around 11/11:30 am and then having an early bedtime. If an early bedtime of 6/6:30 pm isn’t an option for your family then I recommend hanging onto the two naps a bit longer! More on how to make a smooth transition below:
Do nap schedules happen overnight- nope! It takes a plan and consistency for things to fall into place. Need help coming up with a plan and getting support? Book a call with me here
