Babywise Schedule to Get You Through the First Year

Get Babywise sleep schedules for newborns through 12 months old. These Babywise schedules include wake times, nap lengths, and feeds for all ages.

If you’re looking for sample sleep schedules following the Babywise method, I’ve got you covered.

These Babywise sleep schedules break down feeds, naps, wake windows, and more for ages Newborn–12 months old.

Let me simplify Babywise sleep schedules for you with this easy guide!

What is the Babywise Sleep Method?

Babywise teaches parents how to create a daily routine that organizes your baby’s days to get them into a predictable eating and sleeping routine.

The Babywise Method focuses on:

• following an eat, play sleep or eat, wake, sleep pattern
• ensuring that baby takes full feeds
• following age-appropriate wake times so your baby isn’t under tired or overtired when put down for a nap or bedtime

Sample Babywise Sleep and Feed Schedules

These schedules can work for all babies, regardless of if you’re familiar with the Babywise method or not.

They are great schedules if you’re interested in teaching your baby good sleep from the beginning.

Newborn Schedule

I always tell the families I work with not to worry about following a strict newborn schedule.

The Babywise newborn schedule mostly focuses on following newborn wake windows.

In the beginning, your baby’s day (and nights) will consist of eating, sleeping, and diaper changing, especially those first six weeks.

Most babies’ sleep patterns aren’t established yet. The most important thing is to soak up those newborn cuddles and get used to this new life for you and for baby.

Newborn Wake Windows

Your newborn’s wake window is very short at first—about 45 to 60 minutes before needing to go to sleep again.

Remember that feed times are considered awake time, so it’s a good idea to try to keep your baby as alert as possible while eating.

If they keep falling asleep in the middle of a feed, try gently moving their arms or legs while they eat.

Number of Naps for a Newborn

At this point, your newborn’s naps will be largely dictated by their eating schedule. You’ll be focused on getting full feeds while feeding on demand. 

As your baby wakes and then takes full feeds, they will likely fall into a natural pattern of eating every 2.5 to 3 hours. That means your newborn will be napping up to five times a day in those first six weeks.

You’ll likely have lots of contact naps those first several weeks too.

Babywise Newborn Schedule

Here’s a sample newborn sleep schedule using 45 minute wake windows and 2.5 hours in between feeds. This is good for babies 0–6 weeks.

Note that your baby will also wake multiple times in the middle of the night for night feedings as well.

7:00 am: Wake Up + nurse or bottle

7:45 to 9:30 am: Nap time

9:30 am: Nurse or bottle

10:15 am to 12:00 pm: Nap

12:00 pm: Nurse or bottle

12:45 to 2:30 pm: Nap

2:30 pm: Nurse or bottle

3:15 to 5:00 pm: Nap

5:00 pm: Nurse or bottle

5:45 to 6:45 pm: Nap

7:00 pm: Slight awake time, baby’s bedtime routine, and nurse or bottle

7:30 pm: Bedtime

Night feeds as needed.

2 Month Old Schedule

Once your baby reaches the 2-month mark, that newborn haze starts to fade and you’ll notice more signs of alertness during your baby’s wake time. 

Two month olds can also go through a growth spurt as well! That growth spurt can manifest in different ways, but you might notice a jump in your baby’s appetite.

Now is a great age to start following an eat-play-sleep routine if you haven’t already. This is an important time to avoid any sleep props that you might not want to continue using in the future.

2 Month Old Wake Windows

Between 7 and 8 weeks many babies are able to extend their waketime just slightly up to 60 minute wake windows. This is the age where you can really start to use wake windows reliably, as your baby is coming out of that sleepy newborn phase.

If you’ve been working on giving your baby full feeds, they can likely go between 2.5 to 3 hours in between feeds at this age. 

Number of Naps

Your 2-month-old will probably be taking around 4 naps at this age. It’s not uncommon for a 2-month old to only nap for 30 minutes at a time, so more naps may be needed.

The most restful sleep at this age comes on a full stomach! But if they’re not getting as much milk as they need to fill their tummies, you might find that their nap sleep times are cut short due to hunger.

Sample 2-Month Old Babywise Schedule

Here’s an example 2-month old Babywise schedule:

7:00 am – Wake and nurse or bottle

8:00 am to 10:00 am – Nap

10:00 am – Nurse or bottle

11:00 am to 1:00 pm – Nap

1:00 pm – Nurse or bottle

2:00 to 4:00 pm – Nap

4:00 pm – Nurse or bottle

5:00 pm to 6:00 pm – Nap

6:30 pm – Nurse or bottle / bedtime routine

7:00 Bedtime

Night feeds as needed.

3 Month Old Schedule

At three months old your baby is starting to wake up even more and will be more interactive with you!

You’ll likely have a more established milk supply by now and have slipped into a semi-predictable routine whether you’re breast or bottle feeding.

Some babies will still need one to three feeds in the middle of the night, while others may start sleeping longer stretches.

3 Month Old Wake Windows

Babies can often handle wake windows of up to 90 minutes at 3 months old. Some babies (especially if they were born premature) will need to stay on 2.5 hours at this time.

If you notice that you end up with a crying baby every time you try to push them to stay awake past 90 minutes, it’s okay to shorten the window a bit. You want to avoid an baby overtired.

Number of Naps

You can expect your 3 month old baby to take 3 to 4 naps at this age. The last nap of the day is often the shortest and can be a contact nap.

Know that short naps are normal at this age. Not all babies will take an hour nap or longer every time.

Sample 3 Month Old Babywise Schedule

Here’s our example 3 month Babywise schedule using 3 hours between most feeds.

7:00 am: Wake Up + nurse or bottle

8:30 to 10:00 am: Nap

10:00 am: Nurse or bottle

11:30 am to 1:00 pm: Nap

1:00 pm: Nurse or bottle

2:30 to 4:30 pm: Nap

4:00 pm: Nurse or bottle

5:00 to 5:30 pm: Catnap

6:30 pm: Start bedtime routine + nurse or bottle

7:00 pm: Bedtime

Night feeds as needed.

4 Month Old Schedule

Welcome to four months old! This is one of my favorite ages because babies typically have tons of personality and limited mobility.

Some parents struggle with the 4-month sleep regression, which can make this age really difficult. If you’ve been working on independent sleep habits, then your baby may not struggle with it (we never did!).

I see about 50% of babies struggle with the regression and 50% sail through it.

There will be some variation at this age in baby’s schedules, especially when it comes to feeding times and wake times. Follow your baby’s cues for both!

4 Month Old Wake Windows

At 4 months old, I typically see babies able to have a wake window between 1.5 to 2 hours.

Number of Naps

At 4 months old, naps start to lengthen a bit and many babies are able to go a little longer in between feeds. 

You can expect your baby to nap about 3 times each day, again with the last nap being shorter so it doesn’t interfere with bedtime.

In total, your 4 month old will probably have around 5 hours of daytime sleep.

Sample 4 Month Old Babywise Schedule

Here’s a sample 4-month old Babywise schedule with a baby able to do 2-hour wake times and go 4 hours in between feeds. Some babies will need to eat sooner, so make sure you’re paying attention to your baby’s cues.

7:00 am: Wake and nurse or bottle

9:00 to 11:00 am: Nap

11:00 am: Nurse or bottle

1:00 pm to 3:00 pm: Nap

3:00 pm: Nurse or bottle

4:30 to 5:15 pm: Catnap

6:30 pm: Nurse or bottle/bedtime routine

7:00 pm: Bedtime

Night feeds as needed.

5 Month Old Schedule

Around five months of age many babies start to roll over or even crawl. Your baby is really starting to become more mobile!

5 Month Old Wake Windows

You can expect your 5 month old’s wake windows to be between 2 to 2.5 hours long.

Their first wake window of the day will probably be the shortest, and they will lengthen as the day progresses.

Keep in mind that wake windows at this age start when you pick your baby up from their crib, and end when you set them down again for sleep. If you’ve sleep trained, you’re likely putting down your baby asleep but drowsy. Your wake window time starts as soon as they are placed in their crib.

Number of Naps

Your five month old will still likely need 3 naps each day, even if the last one of the day is a catnap. It’s still a little early yet to drop the third nap, so keep offering it as long as it’s not interfering with bedtime!

5 Month Old Babywise Schedule

Here’s a five month baby sleep and feeding schedule you can implement:

7:00 am: Wake up + nurse or bottle

9:00 to 10:30 am: Nap

10:30 am: Nurse or bottle

1:00 to 2:30 pm: Nap

2:30 pm: Nurse or bottle

4:30 to 5:00 pm: Nap

5:00 pm: Nurse or bottle

7:00 pm: Start bedtime routine + nurse or bottle

7:30 pm: Bedtime

6 Month Old Schedule

As a parent, it feels so good to get to the 6 month Babywise schedule because there won’t be any major changes to the schedule for many months!

What can be tricky, though, is that Babywise changes how they name their schedules at this point and name them by their wake times instead of their feeding times.

6 Month Old Wake Windows

There can be quite a range in wake windows at this age. Babywise recommends doing one of the following wake window combinations:

• 2.5/3/3.5
• 3/3/3
• 2/3/4

I really liked the 2.3/3/3.5 combination because it distributes awake time nicely throughout the day.

I’ve also seen the 2/3/4 schedule be a bit too much awake time for babies at the end of the day.

Number of Naps

Once babies reach six months, they have typically gotten past the 45 minute intruder and are starting to consistently take longer naps.

Your baby is still likely taking 3 naps at this age, but at some point between 6 to 8 months, your baby will be ready to make the transition from 3 naps to 2 naps.

Feedings for the 6+ Months Babywise Schedule

By 6 months old, most babies can go without a night feed, racking up between 10 to 12 hours of sleep! If your baby is still struggling, you can learn how to sleep train and wean night feedings.

We also introduced solid foods at 6 months with self feeding and saw so many benefits from doing baby-led weaning. I thought solids were such a fun new milestone.

You’ll notice in my sample schedules that I start to include solid feedings as an option starting at 6 months.

Sample 6 Month Old Babywise Schedule

This is an example of a 2.5/3/3.5 schedule for 6 month old and up.

7:00 am: Wake up Feed

8:30 am: Solids

9:30 to 11:00 am: Nap

11:00 am: Feed

12:30 pm: Solids

2:00 to 3:30 pm: Nap

3:30 pm: Feed

4:30 pm: Solids

6:30 pm: Last feed / bedtime routine

7:00 pm: Bedtime

7 and 8 Months

7 and 8 months old is the age I see a lot of families ready to sleep train their babies.

It can be a good age to do so, since babies are past the four-month sleep regression and feeding patterns have likely been established.

7 and 8 Month Old Wake Windows

Wake windows won’t change much from 7 to 8 months and will range from 2.5–3.5 hours.

How you distribute this awake time depends on your baby and how you like to structure your day.

Number of Naps

7 and 8 months old is the age I most commonly see babies drop to two naps. If your baby is on 3 naps and starts waking up too early, it may be time to drop that last nap.

7 Month Old Sleep Schedule

Here’s a 7–8 month old schedule using 3 hour wake windows at each awake time.

7:00 am: Wake up + nurse or bottle

8:30 am: Solids/Breakfast

10:00 to 11:30 am: Nap

11:30 am: Nurse or bottle

12:30 pm: Solids/Lunch

2:00 pm: Small nurse or bottle (if needed)

2:30 to 4:00 pm: Nap

4:00 pm: Nurse or bottle

5:30 pm: Solids/Dinner

6:30 pm: Start baby’s bedtime routine + nurse or bottle

7:00 pm: Bedtime

9 Month–12 Month Old Schedule

Once your baby moves to two naps, you won’t see much change in their sleep schedule from 9–12 months.

Number of Naps

At this age, your baby will stay on two naps. You may need to shorten their naps slightly in between this time if they start waking up too early or fighting naps or bedtime.

9-Month-Old Sleep Schedule

7:00 am: Wake up + nurse or bottle

9:00 am: Solids/Breakfast

10:00 to 11:30 am: Nap

11:30 am: Nurse or bottle

12:30 pm: Solids/Lunch

2:30 to 4:00 pm: Nap

4:00 pm: Nurse or bottle

4:30 to 5:30 pm: Afternoon outdoor time

5:30 pm: Solids/Dinner

6:30 pm: Start bedtime routine + nurse or bottle

7:00 pm: Bedtime

10 Month Old Sleep Schedule

7:00 am — Wake for the day + nurse or bottle

8:00 am — Solids/Breakfast

10:00 to 11:15 am — Nap 1

11:15 am — Nurse or bottle

12:15 pm — Solids/Lunch

2:15 pm — Small nurse or bottle if needed

2:45 to 4:00 pm — Nap 2

4:00 pm — Nurse or bottle

5:00 pm — Solids/Dinner

7:00 pm — Nurse or bottle + Start bedtime routine

11 Month Old Sleep Schedule

The 11 month old schedule doesn’t change much from the 10 month old schedule typically. Your baby may need a little more awake time before bedtime, but that’s it.

7:00 am — Wake for the day + nurse or bottle

8:00 am — Solids/Breakfast

10:00 to 11:15 am — Nap 1

11:15 am — Nurse or bottle

12:15 pm — Solids/Lunch

2:15 pm — Small nurse or bottle if needed

2:45 to 4:00 pm — Nap 2

4:00 pm — Nurse or bottle

5:00 pm — Solids/Dinner

7:30 pm — Nurse or bottle + Start bedtime routine

There you have it! Those Babywise schedules (and really Baby schedules even if you didn’t do Babywise) will get you through baby’s first year of life!

After that, you’re moving into toddler world!

Frequently Asked Questions About Babywise Sleep Schedules

When Should I Start the Babywise Schedule?

I encourage new parents not to stress about a schedule right away.

The first 0 to 8 weeks of baby’s life will likely be all over the place.

You can start by focusing on establishing a milk supply (if breastfeeding) and separating baby’s feedings from sleep, if even by a diaper change. (It can be really tricky at first!).

We implemented a more consistent schedule around 8 weeks, while trying to follow an eat wake sleep cycle from the start.

When can I start implementing a Babywise sleep schedule?

Make sure that you spend the first week or two at home just focusing on healing from birth and bonding with your new baby.

You can adopt a newborn routine like eat-play-sleep, but if you try to implement a strict schedule before your baby is two months old, you’ll probably find it frustratingly inconsistent.

Is the Babywise method suitable for breastfeeding babies?

Yes, you can absolutely use the Babywise method when you are breastfeeding. Just do your best to avoid nursing to sleep, especially as your move out of the newborn phase.

What are the benefits of a Babywise sleep schedule?

Babywise helps provide an eat-play-sleep framework to lend structure to your day’s routine. It encourages parents to ensure full feeds so babies can optimize the amount of sleep time they get. Babywise schedules also adapt with your baby as they grow and develop.

Will following a Babywise schedule help my baby sleep through the night sooner?

​Babywise schedules help babies develop independent sleep habits early on, and combined with full tummies after full feeds, it may help your baby sleep through the night sooner.

Are there any concerns or criticisms about the Babywise method?

My criticism of the Babywise method is that it can, at times, oversimplify the work it takes to implement the schedule and tweak it as baby grows. The book sometimes lacked specifics that I craved as a new parent, and I feel like it should have more disclaimers about how not every baby will follow the exact timelines they talk about.

Some people feel as though the Babywise method means you should let your baby cry it out, but I think it is possible to implement Babywise and incorporate gentle sleep training techniques at the same time.

How do I adjust the schedule as my baby grows?

The Babywise schedule can be tweaked as your baby grows each month by taking your baby’s age-appropriate wake windows into consideration. See the sample schedules above,

Are there any alternatives to the Babywise method for sleep training?

Absolutely! Check out my blog posts on popular sleep training methods, including the extinction method, the popular Ferber Method, and more gentle sleep training approaches like the Chair Method.

I’d love to know if you’ve implemented a Baby wise schedule and how it went!

Babies thrive off of routine and consistency, so while there will be times to veer from a strict schedule, having a flexible routine in place is really the best thing to help the whole family thrive!