Baby sample sleep schedules are here! I’ve had many requests for a blog like this over the years but I have to admit, I’ve been reluctant to make it. Not because I’m sitting on some kind of top-secret information but because I’ve seen many parents stress themselves out trying to follow an arbitrary schedule online.
That is not what this is! The schedules below are simply examples. They may not work at all for your child and that is okay! These sample schedules are meant to be a guide only and not a rule book that you follow religiously.
In the examples below, I’ve made them all assuming a 6:30am wake up time because I find that to be the most common time that babies wake up. If your child wakes up later, then you’d just shift the schedule accordingly! If your child wakes up earlier and you don’t like it, then I’d treat your daily schedule like they are waking up at 6am in order to help shift things later. More on early wakings here.
How do I fit feedings in with my baby’s sample sleep schedule?
Every baby is different and you know your baby best! Below are some suggestions for feeding but please do what is best for your situation.
In general, I recommend falling into a pattern of eat, play, sleep and separating the act of eating from the act of falling asleep whenever possible. This means that the bulk of your daytime feeds would happen when baby wakes up in the morning and when baby wakes up from each nap. Add in your bedtime routine feed and you’re good to go!
*If you feel your baby needs more feedings than this or is acting hungry, then you can also offer a feed about 45 minutes before naptime as well to keep it from bleeding into sleep time while still offering extra calories.
0-2 month sample sleep schedule
With the newborn stage, everything is highly flexible. Most likely each day will look different and that’s to be expected. Newborn sleep is especially unpredictable but the key to avoiding over-tiredness is offering naps frequently. I recommend offering naps about every 45-75 minutes depending on the age of your newborn.
Newborns will likely have 4 naps or more a day with a later morning wake up and a later bedtime. Below are a couple examples of what your day could look like with a newborn. Again, none of these are better or best. I simply want to show you how different you should expect newborn schedules to be from day to day and from baby to baby.
Sample sleep schedule #1 (Mixture of short and long naps)
Wake up: 7am
Nap 1: 8-10am
Nap 2: 11-12pm
Nap 3: 1-3pm
Nap 4: 4-4:30pm
Nap 5: 5:30-6pm
Nap 6: 7-7:30pm
Bedtime: 8:30pm
Sample sleep schedule #2 (Long naps)
Wake up: 7am
Nap 1: 8-10am
Nap 2: 11-1pm
Nap 3: 2-4pm
Nap 4: 5-6pm
Nap 5: 7-8pm
Bedtime: 9pm
Sample sleep schedule #3 (Short naps)
Wake up: 8am
Nap 1: 9-9:30am
Nap 2: 10:30-11am
Nap 3: 12-12:30pm
Nap 4: 1:30-2pm
Nap 5: 3-3:30pm
Nap 6: 4:30-5pm
Nap 7: 6-6:30pm
Nap 8: 7:30-8pm
Bedtime: 9pm
For more info about handling newborn sleep, check out my newborn sleep resource page here.
3-4 month sample sleep schedule
This is the stage when night sleep can start to consolidate more (especially if your child has been developing independent sleep skills). But you may also run into the 4 month sleep regression and that can come with its own challenges. See more on this regression with these blogs: How to prepare and Do’s and don’ts
Many 3-4 month olds will still be on a 4 nap schedule but some 4 month olds are taking nice long naps and are able to handle a 3 nap schedule instead.
Sample sleep schedule:
Wake up: 6:30am
Nap 1: 8-9:30am
Nap 2: 11:15-12:15pm
Nap 3: 2:15-3:15pm
Nap 4: 5:15-6pm
Bedtime: 8pm
5-6 month sample sleep schedule
Most babies are solidly on 3 naps by this age range. Try your best to hang onto 3 naps until your child is at least 7 months old.
For more information on nap transitions, check out my comprehensive nap transition guide. It walks you through the 4 major nap transitions: 4 to 3, 3 to 2, 2 to 1, and 1 to 0!
Sample sleep schedule:
Wake up: 6:30am
Nap 1: 8:30-10am
Nap 2: 12-1:30pm
Nap 3: 3:45-4:30pm
Bedtime: 7pm
7-8 month sample sleep schedule
7 months is the earliest I like to see babies transitioning to 2 naps. As a result of this transition to 2 naps you’ll see bedtime pulled earlier for a while but don’t be scared of the early bedtime! Bedtime may fall as early as 6pm and that’s okay! The sample schedule below is an example of what a 2 nap schedule will look like early on in the transition. But if you have a 7 or 8 month old who is still rocking 3 naps- go for it!
Sample sleep schedule:
Wake up: 6:30am
Nap 1: 9:15-11am
Nap 2: 2-3pm
Bedtime: 6:15pm
9-11 month sample sleep schedule
By this age range, most babies are settling into a good 2 nap routine and able to handle slightly more awake time as you can see below.
Sample sleep schedule:
Wake up: 6:30am
Nap 1: 9:30-11:30am
Nap 2: 3-4pm
Bedtime: 7:30pm
12-14 month sample sleep schedule
It’s not unusual for 12-14 month olds to start resisting the 2nd nap a bit but try as hard as you can to hang onto 2 naps until you reach that 14/15 month mark. While the second nap may become shorter and less restorative, most babies still desperately need it at this age. Without it many spiral into a cycle of over-tiredness with night wakings and early morning wakings and it can feel impossible to break out of.
You may find you need to wake your child from their first nap slightly earlier to build enough sleep pressure before you offer nap 2.
Sample sleep schedule:
Wake up: 6:30am
Nap 1: 9:30-11am
Nap 2: 3-3:45pm
Bedtime: 7:30pm
15-24 month sample sleep schedule
Now your child is finally old enough for the transition to 1 nap so feel free to go for it when you’re ready! Our aim is for a lunchtime/afternoon nap that is 1.5-3 hours in length. During this adjustment to 1 nap, don’t fear the early bedtime- it’s your BFF, I promise! *Please note that in most cases you don’t want to jump from a 3 hour wake window before nap 1 to a 5-6 hour wake window. See my comprehensive nap guide for more step by step instructions so you don’t end up with a crabby, overtired toddler!
Around this age, many parents ask me what they should do with lunch time. Usually it falls right when their child should be taking their long nap and parents worry their child will be hungry and wake up early. I recommend splitting your lunch in half and offering the first half shortly before naptime and then offering second lunch after naptime.
Sample sleep schedule:
Wake up: 6:30am
Nap 1: 11:30-1:30pm
Bedtime: 6:30pm
2-3 year sample sleep schedule
By this age range, most babies are settling into a good 1 nap schedule and you’ll see that nap shifting as late as 1pm and bedtime shifting later accordingly! Not much will change now for a while. It’s normal for 2 year olds to go through a nap strike but don’t be fooled. They still need that nap! Keep your typical nap time everyday- even if they aren’t sleeping- and they will get back to napping. For more about this tricky age, check out this blog: Toddler sleep and why it sucks.
Sample sleep schedule:
Wake up: 6:30am
Nap 1: 12:30-2:30pm
Bedtime: 7:30pm
3+ year sample sleep schedule
Most kiddos still need a nap until 3-5 years of age. Once you hit that stage be sure to read my Quiet Time blog. I am a big believer in keeping a daily quiet time (for your child’s sake and yours) even when they stop napping. It’s been an absolute lifesaver in my house and a great way for my kids to hone their independent play skills.
