It's no secret that babies need a lot of sleep. But knowing when to put your little one down for a nap or bedtime isn't always so straightforward. Too early, and your baby may fuss. Too late, and she might be wired and cranky and have a hard time settling down. [1]
Paying attention to wake windows can help. These pockets of time are rules of thumb that can help you determine when the time is right for your baby's next snoozefest (before she is overtired to the point of losing it).
Here's some more about how wake windows work, and how long your baby can go in between naps and sleep based on her age.
What are wake windows?
Wake windows (sometimes called "awake windows") are the amount of time that a baby can handle being awake before she starts to get sleepy, and eventually, overstimulated and cranky. They vary by age and get longer as your baby gets older and needs less sleep. [2]
Many parents rely on wake windows to estimate when they'll need to put their baby down for a nap or for bedtime. If your baby has a two-hour wake window and wakes up from her first nap at 10 a.m., for instance, you know she'll be due for her next nap around 12 p.m.
That's important information to have, especially if you're hoping for your baby to drift off relatively easily. When a baby stays awake for too long, her body starts to produce more of the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline. This revs baby up and causes her to become overtired, an unpleasant state of fussy restlessness that can actually make it harder for your child to fall asleep.
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Wake windows can be especially helpful when your baby's sleep schedule isn't always reliable (which will definitely be the case in the newborn stage and the first few months at least).
If your sleeping beauty gets up for the day at 5:30 a.m. instead of her usual 6:30 a.m., trying to get her to stay up until her normal 9 a.m. naptime could be a stretch. But if you know her typical wake windows are around 2 1/2 hours, with the earlier-than-usual wakeup, you can expect her to start to get tired for naptime around 8 a.m. instead.
Wake windows by age
Wake windows start out very short and expand as your baby gets older. While no two infants are exactly alike in their sleep patterns, you can generally count on these age-based windows to tell you when your baby will start to get tired.
0-1 month: 45 minutes between naps
1-2 months: 45 to 60 minutes between naps
2-4 months: 1.5 to 3 hours between naps
5-8 months: 2.5 to 3 hours between naps
9-12 months: 2.5 to 4 hours between naps
When should you change your baby's wake windows?
There are no hard-and-fast rules about when to expand your baby's wake window. In fact, chances are you won't have to be the one to initiate any changes. When your baby is ready to stay awake for longer stretches, she'll let you know.
If your baby is consistently still upbeat and energetic towards the end of her current wake window and isn't showing sleepy cues, or if she's resisting naps or napping for much shorter stretches than usual, she's likely ready for a bigger wake window.
Just keep in mind that other things can temporarily throw your baby's sleep off-kilter too, like teething, a cold, or sleep regression from working on a new skill. If your baby is cutting a new tooth or is learning how to roll over, for instance, you might want to wait until things settle back down before deciding about making a change to her schedule.
How long should you pay attention to baby's wake windows?
Again, there's no one-size-fits-all answer that works for every family. But wake windows tend to become less important once your little one transitions to taking one nap a day. That often happens between 15 and 18 months, but can occur anytime between 12 and 24 months.
Why do wake windows start to matter less at this point? As your toddler becomes capable of staying awake for longer stretches, getting her in for a nap at just the right time becomes less crucial. Sure, she'll still likely get cranky if she's way past due for her nap or bedtime (wouldn't you?).
But once she's staying up for four or five hours at a time during the day, sliding in to sleep 15 or 20 minutes later than usual probably won't make her go haywire the way it might've when she was younger.
How to spot baby's sleepy cues
Your baby will start to show signs of being sleepy towards the end of her wake window. You should get her in for a nap soon when:
Her eyes start to get droopy
She's rubbing her eyes
She's yawning
She's pulling her hair or ears
She's starting to fuss
If you wait too long to put your baby down, she may go from tired to overtired and have a harder time falling and staying asleep. So heed those sleep cues and get her off to dreamland without delay.
When to call the doctor
If you notice that your baby seems to be sleeping much more or much less than her norm, it never hurts to check in with the pediatrician. While it's perfectly normal for babies to have sleep blips, it's possible that an underlying issue like an illness could be affecting her naps.
You should also let the doctor know if you're getting stressed about your baby's wake windows or nap schedule. Together, you can talk about what's typical for your baby's age and, if needed, come up with a plan to make sure your baby is getting the sleep that she needs.
Paying attention to your baby's wake windows makes it easier to find her sleep sweet spot, so you can help her drift off to dreamland more easily. So next time she wakes up, keep an eye on that clock — and try to get your pumpkin in before she turns into a pumpkin herself.
More sleep schedules for babies:
- 2-month-old sleep schedule
- 3-month-old sleep schedule
- 4-month-old sleep schedule
- 5-month-old sleep schedule
- 6-month-old sleep schedule
- 7-month-old sleep schedule
- 8-month-old sleep schedule
- 9-month-old sleep schedule
- 10–12-month-old sleep schedule
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