As a mom of 3 I am not one to follow wake windows to the tee, but it is always good to have some sort of schedule for your newborn or child. Even after having 2 children I tend to forget some of the stages I went through, such as regressions, wake windows, digestion problems and more. All my children slept pretty good (there is always those horrible days and nights) but all in all they were good. Now with more experience and a lot less stress my 3rd child is a great sleeper. Incase sleeping is a huge issue for you and your baby their are plenty of resources you can look into to help you cope, do remember you are not alone.
Here is a quick schedule that I follow and or followed for my kids when they were younger and now with my newborn. For me this has always worked, but again every child is different and every wake window may vary. For now I am in the newborn stage so we will see when he gets older.
Quick note: It’s important to get the timing right because too much wake time can lead to an overtired baby, while too little wake time can lead to them not being tired enough to nap well or sleep at night. This is something that you will see with your baby as the months pass and you get to know them better.
Newborns (0-2 months)
- Wake window: 45 minutes to 1 hour
- Newborns need a lot of sleep and can get overstimulated or overtired very quickly.
2-4 months
- Wake window: 1 to 1.5 hours (my baby is now 2 months and he is usually awake for an hour, then he starts to get really tired)
- At this age, babies are still taking a lot of naps but can handle a slightly longer wake window before getting fussy.
4-6 months
- Wake window: 1.5 to 2 hours
- Babies are starting to develop better sleep patterns and can stay awake a bit longer.
6-9 months
- Wake window: 2 to 3 hours
- As babies approach 9 months, they may be transitioning to 2 naps a day.
9-12 months
- Wake window: 3 to 4 hours
- Around this age, many babies begin to drop their third nap and settle into a more predictable 2-nap schedule. (since my children go to daycare I dropped their second nap at 10 months)
12+ months
- Wake window: 4 to 5 hours
- By 12 months, most babies are down to one nap, and wake windows can be longer, often around 4 hours between naps.
Like I mentioned before, dont let this stress you out, it takes a little trial and error to find the sweet spot for your little one.
