Baby Sleep Schedule & Wake Windows
Pick your baby's age for the typical wake window, number of naps, and total sleep. These are calm starting points, not rules. Your baby's own rhythm wins.
Wake window
75 to 120 minutes
Naps a day
3 to 4
Sleep in 24 hours
about 13 to 15 hours
The 4-month sleep regression often lands here as sleep cycles mature. More wake-ups are a sign of growth, not a setback.
Total-sleep ranges follow the AAP guidance. For the safe-sleep basics that apply to every nap, see the sleep environment guide and the rest of the newborn sleep guides.
Baby sleep questions
- What is a wake window?
- A wake window is how long your baby can comfortably stay awake between sleeps, including the time it takes to fall asleep. Matching naps to an age-appropriate window helps avoid an overtired baby who fights sleep. The ranges here are a common starting point, not a rule, since every baby is different.
- How much should my baby sleep in a day?
- The American Academy of Pediatrics, following the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, recommends babies 4 to 12 months get 12 to 16 hours of sleep in 24 hours, including naps. Newborns sleep more and far less predictably. Use these as ranges to aim near, not exact targets to hit.
- When do babies drop naps?
- Most babies move from three naps to two somewhere around 5 to 6 months, as naps consolidate. The shift from two naps to one usually comes later, after the first birthday. Hold a nap until the schedule clearly stops working for a week or more, then transition over a week or two.
- My baby does not fit these ranges. Is that a problem?
- Probably not. Sleep needs and patterns vary a lot, and a happy, growing baby who naps and feeds well is usually fine even if their numbers sit outside a chart. If your baby seems constantly overtired, is very hard to settle, or you are worried, talk to your pediatrician. And remember the safe-sleep basics apply to every nap: on the back, alone, in a clear crib.