Looking for a 1 month old sleep schedule for your newborn? Here’s a sample sleep schedule for your newborn baby.
There’s a reason the newborn phase is such a blur for families: it’s a big adjustment for everyone.
Emotions are high, sleep is low, and it’s a unique combination of exhilaration, exhaustion, adoration, and confusion.
All of that is to be expected—and yet, expecting it to be tough doesn’t really make it any easier.
But you know what does make it easier? Cuddles, community, and leaning on the help of those who’ve traveled this path before you.
As your baby rounds out their first month of life outside your womb, I’m here to help you settle in to your new routine and take the necessary steps to help everyone in your house get the sleep they need.
Let’s talk about a realistic 1-month-old sleep schedule for those early days.
Can You Put a One-Month-Old on a Sleep Schedule?
When you have a newborn at home, I want you to embrace the idea that you’ll have a daily routine rather than a strict baby sleep schedule that works on a specific timetable.
Your newborn sleep schedule is more of a routine and will be very simple, involving a lot of sleeping, eating, and snuggles.
The order of activities in a 1-month-old sleep schedule will be fairly consistent, but the time of day that these things happen from day to day will fluctuate. That’s completely normal.
In other words, at this age your 1-month-old might not do everything by the clock, but you’ll at least be able to anticipate the order of events and the general length of time your newborn can stay awake.
1-Month-Old Wake Windows
If you’re not familiar with wake windows, allow me to be the first to say: they can be a baby sleep game-changer.
The wake windows for a 1-month-old’s sleep schedule are very short. Your 1-month-old is only able to stay awake for about 45 minutes at a time before they need to sleep again.
Almost all of their awake time will be spent feeding in those early days.
Pairing your baby’s sleep cues with their age-appropriate wake window is the key to optimizing your baby’s sleep and getting them down before they become overtired.
While it can be a bit more challenging to do this when your newborn is this young and sleepy, it’s never too early to start practicing.
Your newborn’s wake windows will stay very short (around 45 minutes) during the first 7 weeks of their life.
After that, you might notice their wake windows begin to stretch a little bit around 2-months. A 2-month old wake windows can be up to 60 minutes, and then 3 month old wake windows can be up to 90 minutes.
But for now, you can expect your 1-month-old sleep schedule to include wake windows that are only about 45 minutes long.
Wake Windows and Feedings
When your baby is 1 month old, there is a very fine line between feeding and sleeping. It’s not uncommon for babies to fall asleep at the breast or bottle at this age.
I know that waking up your sleepy baby when they fall asleep while feeding feels so counterproductive—because everyone is sleepy, including you! After all, doesn’t the saying go, “Never wake a sleeping baby”?
Well, here’s your permission to wake a sleeping baby when they need to be fed.
Even though it feels so peaceful to let your baby fall asleep while eating, there are a few reasons to avoid it if possible.
If your baby falls asleep while eating, they might not be getting a full feed. Full tummies are incredibly important to baby’s sleep, especially during the newborn phase.
The more full your baby’s tummy is, the longer they’ll be able to sleep before waking for their next feeding.
Try to separate feeds from sleep if you can, even if it’s with a simple diaper change. But don’t stress too much when your baby falls asleep at the breast or bottle. It happens. Enjoy those newborn cuddles and try the next time!
What is a Good Schedule for a One-Month-Old?
As I mentioned before, the daily order of events for your 1-month-old will remain fairly consistent from day to day. But whether they do these things on the timetable you prefer is completely up to them.
You’re going to need to relinquish some control of the clock in these newborn days. But you can also start setting your baby up to successfully build a more predictable routine in the months to come.
In general, I recommend following an eat-play-sleep routine. That means feed your baby when they wake up and then have a little bit of awake time before they go back down for a nap.
Feeding can take quite a while at this age, so there will probably only be enough time left in the wake window for the “play” part of the routine to be a diaper change, and that’s about it.
The length of your baby’s naps right now will be all over the map, and that’s okay. They’re still figuring things out.
Your 1-month-old’s sleep schedule will include naps that last anywhere between 30 minutes (don’t stress!) and 3 hours. If they are sleeping past the 3-hour mark, it’s best to wake them to feed.
Sample One-Month-Old Baby Feeding and Sleep Schedule
I’m including a sample 1-month-old sleep schedule below, but keep in mind that your newborn’s schedule may fluctuate from day to day when they’re this young. Naps may be shorter or a little longer, That’s okay, and completely normal!
The bottom line at this age is to avoid an overtired baby, by getting them down after 45 minutes of awake time. Naps can look like anything at this age—contact naps, a stroller nap as you go for a walk, baby wearing, etc.
As long as you’re practicing the abcs of safe sleep, there are no other rules for newborn naps.
7:00 am — Wake up + nurse or bottle
7:45 to 9:30 am — Nap
10:15 to 12:15 pm — Nap
1:00 to 2:30 pm — Nap
3:15 to 4:45 pm — Nap
5:30 to 6:15 pm — Nap
7:00 to 7:45 pm — Nap
8:30 pm — Bedtime
As your little one nears 7 or 8 weeks, you can look at a 2-month old sleep schedule to see how you’ll slightly add more awake time to their day.
Learn How to Get Your Newborn to Sleep
If you have a newborn baby or are expecting one soon, check out my Newborn Sleep Program. You can get the tips and tricks you need to help your little one get to sleep and stay asleep.
The best part about this program is you can work at your own pace. There are 8 short video sessions, including science-backed methods to help your 0-3 month old get the sleep they need.
The program also includes multiple sample newborn sleep schedules for your convenience. Check it out here.
My blog is full of things to help you celebrate motherhood including baby nursery ideas, sleep schedules and sleep tips, fun printables, baby registry must-haves, and so much more.
- 30 Funny Pregnancy Announcements to Make You Laugh - June 1, 2023
- Common Sleep Regressions + How to Survive Them - May 30, 2023
- 5 Signs Your Baby is Overtired & How to Get Them to Sleep - May 24, 2023