Looking for a sample schedule for your 6 month old? See the optimal 6 month old wake window and how often your 6 month old baby needs sleep.
At 6 months old your baby is growing so much and working on so many fun milestones.
They may be crawling, rolling over both ways, sitting up independently, and you may even be getting ready to start solid foods.
They’re also likely ready for a little more awake time in between naps.
Your baby’s wake windows have been increasing slightly each month and it’s probably time to extend them a bit more.
Let’s talk about your 6 month old wake window and an optimal sleep schedule for your growing baby.
To help you better, start by downloading my free baby sleep calculator to see when nap time and bed time should be based on your baby’s age. Click here to grab that, it’ll be super helpful.
How Long Should a 6-Month-Old Wake Window Be?
Your 6 month old’s wake window should be between 2.25 and 2.75 hours.
Your baby’s shortest wake window is typically in the morning before their first nap of the day at 2.25 hour wake window.
Then, their wake windows increase slightly as the day goes on.
For example, your baby’s wake windows throughout the day may look like:
- 2.25 hours in the morning
- 2.5 hours of awake time after the first nap
- 2.75 hours right before bedtime
Your baby’s 5-month-old wake windows were between 2 and 2.5 hours, and as they reach 6 months, you’ll start working on stretching those wake windows even longer.
How Long Should Naps Be at 6 Months Old?
A 6 month old sleep schedule includes your baby taking two longer naps and a short catnap in the evening.
As you’ll see with the example schedule below, naps are not all going to be the same length.
That catnap can be tricky to get in, so I always recommend parents get the catnap in however you can.
Wear your baby, go for a walk in the stroller, run a quick errand while baby snoozes safely in the carseat, or simply snuggle your baby for a contact nap as they doze off and you soak up those cuddles.
There aren’t any hard and fast rules for the catnap. The goal is just to get it in so your baby can bridge the gap to bedtime.
As your baby gets closer to a 7 month sleep schedule, they may be ready to make the 3-to-2 nap transition.
Ultimately, your 6-month-old needs between 3 to 3.5 hours of daytime sleep, which is typically spread spread between 3 naps.
This may look like two 90-minute naps and a 30-minute catnap.
Example 6-Month-Old Schedule
This example sleep schedule includes wake windows ranging from 2.25 to 2.75 hours.
Your baby’s shorter wake window is at the beginning of the day and the wake window before the catnap is also fairly short. Again, we just need baby to sleep in the late afternoon so they aren’t going to bed overtired.
Here is an example of a sleep schedule with 2.25 to 2.75 wake windows between sleeps. Add solids or milk feeds as needed.
7:00 am — Wake up + nurse or bottle
8:00 am — Solids
9:15-10:30 am — Nap
10:30 am — Nurse or bottle
12:00 pm — Solids
1:00-2:30 pm — Nap
2:30 pm — Nurse or bottle
4:30–5:00 pm — Catnap
5:00 pm — Nurse or bottle
6:00 pm — Solids
7:00 pm — Nurse or bottle
7:30/7:45 pm — Bedtime
Sleep and Feed Schedules for Every Age
Take away the stress of figuring out your baby’s sleep needs. With the Baby Sleep Schedule Binder, you’ll get sleeping and feeding schedules that you can implement for every age, even if you currently have no routine in place. Check out the Baby Sleep Schedule Binder here.
How Long Can A 6 Month Old Sleep Overnight?
Some 6 month old babies are able to sleep 10–12 hours at night without a feeding.
Some 6 month olds may still need 1–2 feeds in the middle of the night. If you want to wean night feeds, check with your baby’s pediatrician and then follow the steps for doing so.
Video on Baby Wake Windows
Watch the video below where Amy will answer the most frequently asked questions surrounding baby wake windows. Sometimes it helps to hear someone explain them versus reading a blog post.
The 6-Month Sleep Regression
If your baby’s sleep has been off track and their wake windows are on track, you may be dealing with the 6-month sleep regression.
Sleep regressions are a natural part of your baby’s development. The 6 month sleep regression happens because of your baby’s natural cognitive and physical growth.
Some causes of the 6 month sleep regression include:
- Newly developed separation anxiety
- More mobility (like scooting, or even crawling!)
- Teething
- Rolling (particularly rolling in their sleep)
- Learning to put sounds together and vocalize more
- Learning to sit up independently
- Introducing solid foods into your baby’s diet
If you’re experiencing a sleep setback, try to stay consistent with the habits you’ve established and know that the regression will disappear as quickly as it came on.
If your baby isn’t able to fall asleep without parental assistance, consider sleep training.
Six months is a great age to start teaching your baby how to fall asleep without help from you and can help everyone in your family get more rest.
Frequently Asked Questions About 6 Month old Wake Windows
How Long Should 6 Months Old Be Awake For?
Between 2.25 and 2.75 hours at a time.
When Should I Wake My 6 Month Old from His Last Nap?
At this age, the last nap of the day is usually a quick cat nap—maybe 30–60 minutes total.
You want to allow for about 2.5–2.75 hours of an awake window before bedtime.
You may need to wake your baby up from their last nap to preserve bedtime.
For example, if you want bedtime to be at 7 p.m., wake your baby by 4:15 pm.
Is 6 Months a Good Age to Sleep Train?
When to start sleep training is up to you. Six months is a great age because feeds have typically been established and baby’s schedule is a little more predictable. Get a step-by-step approach to sleep training with the Baby D.R.E.A.M. System.
Why Does my 6 Month Old Keep Waking Up at Night?
There could be a number of reasons why your baby is having false starts or split nights. If your baby isn’t able to fall asleep on their own, that could be a big culprit. Check out the Baby D.R.E.A.M. System to see how you can help get your baby to sleep.
If you have questions about your 6 month old wake windows, leave them in the comments and our team will help you troubleshoot.
My goal is to help tired parents get sleep, so the whole family can thrive!
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