How to follow your baby’s awake windows for longer sleep
As you and your baby get used to the time they go to sleep, it’s important to know how long they can stay awake without becoming overtired. This is called an “awake window” and it will change as your baby gets older. In this article, I will give you tips for following awake windows so it helps with your baby sleeping longer.
How do you know how much sleep a baby needs?
- It depends on your baby!
- How many hours of sleep a baby needs depends on a lot of factors, such as their temperament, age and health.
- For example: A teenager will need more sleep than an infant. An active child may need more daily naps than another little one who isn’t interested in playing with toys yet. Children with special needs might have different sleep needs from other kids their age because they might need to take medications that could impact how much rest they can get at night or during the day. A child who sleeps well most nights may need less total time asleep than another kid who has trouble falling asleep or staying asleep consistently throughout the night
1-month old awake time 45-60 minutes.
The awake time for a 1-month old baby is 45-60 minutes . This means your baby should be awake for around 45-60 minutes inbetween each nap. The amount of sleep bub gets each day will vary from child to child, as well as throughout their life. Some babies may start off with shorter periods of sleep but longer awake times than others, which could mean more frequent nighttime wakings in the beginning compared with other children who have longer naps during the day but less frequent nighttime wakings later on in childhood
2 month old awake time 45-70 minutes
At 2 months, your baby’s awake window is probably at least 45-70 minutes. This is a good range of time for your little one to be awake and experience the world around him/her. It’s long enough that your baby will get some quality time with you (if you’re lucky), but not so long that it becomes overwhelming and stressful for either of you.
3 month old awake time 60-90 minutes
3 month old babies’ awake time is 60-90 minutes. This means you can expect your baby to be awake for no more than 60-90 minutes during the day.
So how much sleep does a 3 month old baby need? It depends on how long they are awake and how long they sleep at night. That’s why it’s called “awake windows”—because each window has a different number of waking hours (or “awake”). If you want your baby to get enough sleep at night, it’s important that they get enough rest during their awake windows during the day as well.
4 month old awake time 1.5-1.75 hours
4-month-old babies can stay awake for 1.5-1.75 hours during the day. Your little one is now capable of getting a lot more sleep than a newborn.
5 month old awake time 2-2.15 hours
Babies spend about half of their day asleep, but their sleep patterns can vary depending on their age. By 5 months, babies can stay awake for up to 2-2.15 hours at a time. This means that you’ll have a window of opportunity to keep them busy during those crucial awake hours before they need to nap again.
It’s important to remember that not all babies are the same—and that’s okay! Yours may be different from other moms’ babies in terms of how long they can stay awake and when they need to nap again after waking up during the night or day (AKA “awake windows”).
6 month old awake time 2.5 hours
If you have a 6 month old baby, the awake time should be 2.5 hours. If your baby is in the 90th percentile for weight or height, he or she may need more time to play and eat during these windows of wakefulness.
If your 6 month old has teething symptoms such as drooling, fussiness, pain when chewing on things like toys and fingers, he or she may need more awake time than usual because the teething can keep them awake longer than usual.
7 month old awake time 2.5 hours
If your baby is 7 months old, he or she can have an awake windows of the same as months 2.5 hours.
8-12 month old awake time 2.5-4 hours
When an 8-12 month old baby wakes up in the morning, it’s usually for around 2.5 hours before the first nap. That’s their awake window, and it will be a longer stretch of 4 hours late afternoon with them dropping the late afternoon nap.
12-15 month old awake time 2.5-4 hours
Still should be having the morning nap, same awake times as a 8-12 month old.
15-18 month old awake time 2.5- 4 hours or 4-5.5 hours
If still on two naps then 2.5 hours in the morning and 4 hours after lunchtime nap.
If 1 nap dropped then 4-5.5 hours
19 months-3 years awake time 4-5.5 hours
As your baby gets older, he/she may be able to stay awake for longer periods of time. This is because his/her brain has developed enough that it can now handle more stimulation and activity without needing rest.
