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Free toolWake windows by age, worked out for you.
Enter your baby’s birth date to see their typical wake window, nap count and total sleep, and when to start winding down for the next sleep. Newborn to 4 years, with a printable chart.
How long can your baby be awake?
Wake windows, naps and sleep by age
Typical ranges for typically-developing babies and toddlers. The first wake window of the day is usually the shortest, and the one before bed the longest.
| Age | Typical wake window | Naps per day | Total sleep / 24 h |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–4 weeks | About 35–60 minutes | Many short sleeps, day and night | 14–17 hours |
| 4–8 weeks | About 60–75 minutes | Many short sleeps, day and night | 14–17 hours |
| 8–12 weeks | About 75–90+ minutes | Still variable; a pattern starts to show | 14–17 hours |
| 3 months | About 75 minutes – 1¾ hours (bridging the two ranges) | Often 4, starting to consolidate | 14–17 hours |
| 4 months | 1¾–2¼ hours | 3–4 | 12–16 hours |
| 5–6 months | 2–2¾ hours | 3 (moving to 2) | 12–15 hours |
| 7–9 months | 2½–3¼ hours | 2 | 12–15 hours |
| 10–12 months | 3–4 hours | 2 | 12–15 hours |
| 13–15 months | 3¼–4½ hours | 2 (moving to 1) | 11–14 hours |
| 15–18 months | 4–5½ hours | 1 | 11–14 hours |
| 18–24 months | 5–6 hours | 1 | 11–14 hours |
| 2–3 years | 5–6 hours or more | 1 afternoon nap | 11–14 hours |
| 3–4 years | Most of the day once the nap goes | 1 or none (last nap usually goes at 3–4) | 10–13 hours |
Sleep Ready · sleepready.ca/wake-window-chart · General guidance, not medical advice. Use adjusted age for premature babies.
Watch the baby, not just the clock
The chart tells you roughly when to start watching. Your baby’s cues tell you when it’s time.
Early cues: your moment
A glazed, faraway stare. Looking away from faces and toys. Getting quieter and less engaged. The first small yawn. Start settling now; this is the easy window.
Late cues: a little past
Repeated yawning, fussing, clinginess, jerky movements. Settling is still possible, but it will take more work.
Overtired: the window has closed
Back-arching, hard crying, clenched fists, or a wired “second wind”. Settling is genuinely hard now, and that’s biology, not your failure.
A frame, not a stopwatch
- Start winding down early. A wake window is the cue to begin the wind-down, not the deadline to be asleep. About two-thirds of the way in, or at the first early cue, start settling.
- Adjust for the day you’re having. After a short or skipped nap, make the next window shorter. A long nap can support a slightly longer one.
- Re-check every couple of months. Windows grow fast. A schedule built for a 6-month-old will overtire a 9-month-old.
- Total sleep matters most. A baby who sleeps well across 24 hours is on track, even if one afternoon looks untidy.
General guidance, not medical advice. Every baby sits a little differently on these ranges. Use adjusted age for babies born prematurely, and follow your healthcare provider if your baby has medical needs or you have concerns about feeding, weight or breathing. Always place your baby on their back to sleep, in a crib, cradle or bassinet with nothing soft in it (Health Canada safe sleep).
Read more: Newborn wake windows · Wake windows and sample schedules (4–24 months) · Nap transitions
Wondering if it’s time to sleep train?
The free Sleep Readiness Checklist walks through the developmental, environmental and parental signs a certified consultant looks for before starting.
- The developmental signs of real readiness
- A quick audit of the sleep space
- The parental-readiness questions most plans skip
Free. The checklist downloads on the next page, followed by a short email series from Milos. Unsubscribe anytime.
Schedule still not clicking?
If you’ve adjusted wake windows for a couple of weeks and naps or nights are still a struggle, a free 15-minute call can usually pinpoint why.
Prefer email? [email protected]