Timing is everything!

Find out how long your baby should be sleeping for by following this easy sleep time reference guide. Here are some wake time formulas to help guide you…

0 to 1 month

Wake time = Duration of the last sleep time, up to 40 minutes max.

Newborns are usually awake for the length of time it takes to feed and change their nappy. At this age your baby may need help to get to sleep if they don’t sleep quickly, once put down. If your baby falls asleep before the 40 minutes, don’t wake him/her! Often newborns battle to sleep for hours, even though you try settling them. Remember they need the sleep, do what you can to help your baby.. This is where consistency starts and will help in the end.

1 to 2 months

Wake time = Duration of the last sleep time up to max, 40 minutes to 1 hour.

Our plan at this age is to put the baby down within an hour of wakefulness. The best guide for these months is the duration of the last nap, since nap length is biologically a work in progress for babies. 40 minutes for colicky/sensitive babies, especially during the morning hours.

2 to 3 months

Wake time = Duration of the last sleep time up to max, 1 hours to 1 ¼ hour.

At this age, if baby sleeps less than 45 minutes, you should immediately try to continue the nap (by rocking, soothing, etc.) to equal at least 45 minutes, but if your attempts are unsuccessful, simply calculate wake time by the sleep duration.

3 to 4 months

Wake time = Duration of the last sleep time up to max, 1 hour to 1 ½ hours.

Around 50 minutes begin your nap time wind down routine, aiming to have baby asleep within time frame. Rubbing eyes or not….. Yawn or not ……cranky or not….

4 to 6 months

Wake time = Duration of the last sleep time up to max, 1 ¼ hour to 1 ¾ hour.

By this stage your baby has usually developed 3 day sleeps, it is important to try work on the amount of time your baby is up to find the correct sleep window for their naps.

6-8 months

At this age your baby is awake for longer periods, your baby can be up for about 2 ½ hours before being overtired. This will vary on the length of the nap. The wake time for the first nap is usually only about 1½-2 hours.

8-10 months

Wake time – 2 to 3 ½ hours.

For the first two naps, wake time should be between 2 and 2 ½ hours. The wake time between the afternoon nap and bedtime is about 3 hours. If your baby has dropped down to 2 naps (around 9 months) 3 ½ hours before bedtime should be within your sleep window.