Baby’s Sleep Schedule During Their First Year
WHY HAVE A SCHEDULE?
Do you thrive on routine? I know I sure do. In fact, research shows that babies with a consistent bedtime routine are more likely to fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. Having a consistent daytime routine and schedule acts similarly and helps improve overall sleep.
WHAT DOES A DAYTIME ROUTINE LOOK LIKE?
I encourage families I work with to follow the EAT-PLAY-SLEEP schedule. This daytime routine is discussed in great detail in the book BABYWISE. However, you do not have to get this book to understand the concept. It is pretty self explanatory. Once your baby wakes up for their day and after each nap, you FEED them, followed by some ACTIVITY or tummy time, and then you lay them back down to SLEEP. You basically repeat this cycle throughout the day until it’s bedtime.
WHEN TO OFFER A TOP-OFF FEEDING?
Now there are some cases where your baby may need a feeding before their next nap which is perfectly okay to do. We never want to put a hungry baby down to sleep. Hunger is probably one of the main reasons for short naps in babies. Another is the fact that they probably do not know how to fall back asleep on their own. Going back to the feeding before the nap, I like to refer to this as the TOP-OFF feed. I recommend parents to offer this about 20-30 minutes before the end of their awake window.
BABY SLEEP SCHEDULE BY AGE & NUMBER OF NAPS
You will want to print these schedules out or bookmark this page to reference later. These are taken right out of my custom sleep plan’s I create for my clients (minus a few other details that only they get). But this is a great starting point with when to offer naps, how long they should last, and what the wake windows should be. Remember, to take this information with a grain of salt as all babies are different and this schedule may not work best for your baby. I do recommend starting with a shorter wake window and then stretching it out as needed while still paying attention to your child’s sleepy cues. Test out the schedule consistently for 4-5 days and see if it helps your child’s sleep.
SAMPLE BABY SLEEP SCHEDULES:
*Adjust the schedule based on your child’s usual wakeup time. Try to keep morning wakeup time and bedtime within 30 minutes of their usual time.
*Practice CRIB HOUR (limit to 2 naps) or offer ASSISTED NAPS (limit to 2 naps) as needed to meet total daytime sleep needs.
*Up from last nap by 5:30 PM.
*Adjust the schedule based on your child’s usual wakeup time. Try to keep morning wakeup time and bedtime within 30 minutes of their usual time.
*Practice CRIB HOUR (limit to 1 nap) or offer ASSISTED NAPS (limit to 1 nap) as needed to meet total daytime sleep needs.
*Up from last nap by 5:00 PM.
*Adjust the schedule based on your child’s usual wakeup time. Try to keep morning wakeup time and bedtime within 30 minutes of their usual time.
*Up from last nap by 4:00 PM.
Keep in mind…
Your baby does not have to follow the exact schedule as listed above. This is just a guide.
Listen and pay attention to their sleepy cues yet still keeping in mind their age appropriate wake windows.
Find your child’s sweet spot for wake windows by starting with the smaller number in the range and then increasing it by 5-10 minutes till you find what works best for your child.
Stick to something consistently for 4-5 days to see if it really works before making any other changes.
Crying is usually a sign that they are overtired. We want to place them down to sleep before they get overtired because it is harder for babies to fall asleep and stay asleep if they are overtired.
The 80/20 rule is your best friend. Just because your child is on a schedule does not mean that you cannot leave the house.
For a breakdown on daytime sleep needs by age, please see this guide on Instagram.
Want more guidance and support to improve your child’s sleep?
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NIGHT NIGHT,
Unnati
For more information on how I help CREATE WELL-RESTED & THRIVING FAMILIES follow along at @nestedtorestedsleep.
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REFERENCES:
Kitsaras, G., Goodwin, M., Allan, J., Kelly, M. P., & Pretty, I. A. (2018). Bedtime routines child wellbeing & development. BMC public health, 18(1), 1-12.
Mindell, J. A., Li, A. M., Sadeh, A., Kwon, R., & Goh, D. Y. (2015). Bedtime routines for young children: a dose-dependent association with sleep outcomes. Sleep, 38(5), 717-722.